Interview with Periphery's Jake Bowen

Forming in 2005 and through a number of line-up changes since - the most recent being the departure of guitarist Alex Bois - Maryland-grown technical metal outfit Periphery is now on the verge or returning to our shores after their 2010 tour as support for mathcore quintet The Dillinger Escape Plan.

With not only two full-length albums to be released in 2012, but yet another three-date Australian tour in late July, with UK prog. metal band Tesseract in tow, this was perfect timing to sit down and catch up with Periphery’s guitarist, Jake Bowen, to get some more information on their past, present and near future.

As most members of the band are originally from Maryland, their vocalist coming from California struck me as interesting. “Spencer [Sotelo] contacted us right after our old singer Casey [Sabol] quit the band,” Jake goes back in time. 

“When stuff didn't work out with Chris [Barretto], he [Spencer] was the first dude we could think of who could and would hold down the extremely difficult position of singing for Periphery,” he explained.

With six people in the same band, it would appear logical that writing not only one but two albums at the same time, as well as touring Europe may cause cracks within the unit, but Jake objected quickly, stating that “part of the reason we're all in the same band is because we all get along each other. Arguably the most important part of any band, we all want what’s best for the band at all times," he said.

He also let it be known that they're in no way just burning all their energy at once but that they're trying to balance things out.

“We're pacing ourselves heavily this time around, we know we got a tall order and a lot of fans to please but hopefully they're gonna be down with the new jams,” explained Jake of their current busy touring schedule and composing two new albums. “I know all of us are super stoked on how all the new ideas are sounding.”

Jake also gave some insight in to the creative input when it comes to brainstorming for the upcoming albums, entitled The Juggernaut and its as-yet unnamed follow-up. “A lot of ideas come from Misha [Mansoor- guitars], but we're all always writing and emailing each other ideas.”

“Tom [Murphy-bass], Misha, and Spencer were the main vocal producers on the first record, but Spencer has really come into his own and has now taken over full lyric and vocal writing duties.” He concluded, underlining that the writing process has become a fairly equally distributed responsibility.

‘The Icarus Lives’ EP has been a success not only with fans but with critics, though people say that Periphery’s style has calmed down and is now more melodic compared to the roots that the outfit started with. 

“We're always doing something different in terms of song writing,” asserted Jake, “we have our own flavor, of course, but you never know - we might do a death metal song then have it go into a ballad-y hard rock tune to an electronic glitch fest."      

He continued, “We don't like being committed to any one sound, as cliché as that might sound.” Jake added, leaving my imagination wide open as to what the upcoming albums could possibly sound like, and was not very forthcoming when it came to the theme of the said-to-be concept album, the aforesaid The Juggernaut. 

“I can't reveal too much at this time, but it’s going to explore some of the lyrical content from the song ‘Jetpacks Was Yes’ in a more in-depth fashion,” clarified Jake. “We're really pumped about what we've got planned so far,” he stated in reference to the song from their ‘Icarus’ EP. This may mean that topics are most likely circling around immortality, lost loves and friends, watching the world die… a very vast and open field to be honest.

Having heard that Misha Mansoor will be using some stuff from his side project Bulb for both upcoming Periphery albums, Jake felt the need to clear the air. “Bulb stuff is never really written for anyone but Misha,” he explained. “Only the best Bulb stuff gets called Periphery, they're one and the same really,” clearing up the confusion as to why Bulb is a commonly used name when it comes to Periphery’s music.

All the activity within the band, the EP release and their upcoming albums, has earned Periphery some new followers and not only sparked interest amongst music lovers but also in the gaming industry it seems, as the guys are now featured on the ‘Homefront’ video game soundtrack, alongside bands such as As I Lay Dying, The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Acacia Strain. 

Bursting with cover versions of famous metal and rock anthems, Jake stated that the band wanted to do a Metallica track and that “it was really tough to pick one, [deciding] to be daring and cover a song that is extremely difficult and long,” he laughs off the reason behind the decision, which leaves us with an impressive version of ‘One’ [which can be found on YouTube if you’re not a gamer yourself] as testament to the fact that nothing is too hard for these guys.

The band has been taking a huge rise in fame over the last two years, touring throughout the world, supporting many bands, playing festivals and even on their own for a headlining tour throughout the UK and returning to Australia later this month.

“We toured Australia with The Dillinger Escape Plan last year and it went really well,” commented Jake. “We've since had our following there grow and it was just time for us to get back there [and] see what impact we've had since the last time we were there.”

Letting him in on the fact that their Melbourne show sold out in just over three hours when it went on sale Jake pretty much jumped at the news exclaiming “No way! We are elated to say the least!”

Noting that the band has been here just last year the question if there was anything they’re already looking forward to was met with vague excitement by the guitarist, reminding me that their July tour only spans over three dates. “Of course, we've got a lot to do in not a lot of time! Hopefully we'll get to see our home-slices from Roadrunner Records!” 

Going into the decision on why they’re bringing UK’s very own Tesseract with them on their first Australian headliner tour, Jake stated the obvious, explaining that “we had such a great time with them in the UK and it fit the bill so perfectly that it just made sense. We definitely consider them close friends of ours!” he concluded. 

Giving us the heads-up for what is coming our way in late July - and where to hang to have a chat and enjoy a cold brew - Jake finished by letting you know to “get ready for a crushing long set! We'll be at the merch area hanging out after the show, come say hi!”

Periphery is touring Australia in late July. For more information on the tour follow this link.