We’ve known for a while now that Periphery was working on their proper follow-up to 2012’s Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal. Well, today they made an announcement that on January 27th, they’ll be releasing not one, but two albums. Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, will be coming out. It sounds like they’re doing some Coheed & Cambria-type shit with this, according to what drummer Matt Halpern and guitarist Misha Mansoor say about the pair of albums:
“Given the nature and complexity of the Juggernaut story, we’ve actually done something different and exciting in regards to the release,” explains drummer Matt Halpern. “Juggernaut is a story that is told through our music, and we want our audience to fully digest the whole experience. Because Juggernaut is very detailed and dense in terms of character development, peaks and valleys, climaxes and resolutions we’ve divided the story and music in two, in the form of two separate albums. Juggernaut: Alpha, the first part of the story, focuses on the back story and character development, while part two/album two, Juggernaut: Omega, focuses on some pretty serious and gut-wrenching events, taking you for a thrill ride along the main character’s complex journey. Although the albums are split in two physically, the story is only complete when the albums are digested consecutively, allowing the listener to recognize and hear the lyrical and musical overlapping themes, foreshadowing, and connected ideas.”
“This is new ground and it’s exciting,” band founder and guitarist Misha Mansoor says of the band’s approach to writing and recording Juggernaut, which saw all six members work collectively for the first time in Periphery’s history. “It’s a way to shake things up. Everyone contributed to everything, even if it wasn’t his instrument. It wasn’t about confrontation. Everyone was focused on creating a really cool album.”
It’ll be fascinating to hear how Periphery sound as a collective, and not just crafting their music separately in a studio. The band will be going on a six-week tour starting in January. They’ll be touring with Nothing More, Wovenwar and Thank You Scientist. Here’s where you’ll be able to catch it.
01/10 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
01/11 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
01/12 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
01/13 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
01/14 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
01/16 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
01/17 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
01/18 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
01/20 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
01/21 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
01/22 Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
01/23 Anaheim, CA @ Yost Theater
01/26 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
01/27 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
01/28 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
01/31 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
02/02 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
02/03 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
02/04 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
02/06 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
02/07 Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
02/08 Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
02/09 Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
02/11 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
02/12 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
02/13 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
02/14 Philadelphia, PA @ District N9ne
[photo via Jeremy Saffer]
