Periphery is an American progressive metal band from Bethesda, Maryland, formed in 2005. History Formation and Lineup Changes (2005 - 2009) Periphery was formed by guitarist Misha Mansoor in 2005. He slowly gained a reputation on the Internet, primarily via a regularly-updated Soundclick account, Meshuggah and John Petrucci forums, and the sevenstring.org message boards. Before and during Periphery's tenure in the metal scene, Mansoor developed a reputation for doing his own audio production, the majority of which was performed with a home computer and a Pod XT during this period. Mansoor has continued to update his personal project, Bulb, which preceded Periphery, often transferring songs between the two projects. Mansoor continues to be involved in a number of other musical projects. Between 2005 and 2009, Periphery worked with vocalists Jake Veredika, Casey Sabol and Chris Barretto, gradually moving from a nu metal-influenced sound to a more experimental style, with a focus on innovative production. In 2009, the band announced via their MySpace blog that they had signed a one record deal with Sumerian Records, on which they would release their debut full-length album. Periphery has toured extensively since 2008, supporting artists including DevilDriver, Emmure, Veil of Maya, Animals as Leaders, God Forbid, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Fear Factory. Spencer Sotelo and Self-titled Debut (2010 onward) In January 2010, Sumerian and Periphery set the release of the band's self-titled debut album to April 20, 2010, set to be distributed by Sumerian Records in the United States, Distort Records in Canada and Roadrunner Records in Australia and the rest of the world. On January 20, 2010, amid swirling speculation that they had changed vocalists again, Periphery uploaded an album sampler featuring vocals by Spencer Sotelo, who was later announced to be Periphery's new vocalist. The band later clarified via their MySpace blog that the split with Barretto had not been acrimonious. Barretto continues to sing in metal band Haunted Shores, a project composed of Mansoor and Mark Holcomb. On April 8, 2010, Periphery posted a new track, "Insomnia" on their Myspace page, as well as announced a tour of Australia in support of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Periphery (2010) Periphery released their self-titled debut album, Periphery, through Sumerian Records on April 20th, 2010. It debuted at #128 on the Billboard Top 200[1], as well as #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart Band members Current * Misha "Bulb" Mansoor — guitars, programming, producer (2005–Present) * Jake Bowen — guitars, programming (2005–Present) * Mark Holcomb — guitars (2011–Present) * Spencer Sotelo — lead vocals (2010–Present) * Nolly Getgood — bass, (2012–Present) * Matt Halpern — drums, percussion (2009–Present) Former * Tom Murphy — bass, backing vocals (2005–2011) * Alex Bois — guitars, backing vocals (2005–2011) * Chris Barretto — vocals (2008–2010) * Travis Orbin — drums (2005–2009) * Casey Sabol — vocals (2007–2008) * Jake Veredika - vocals (2005–2007)

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Bottom heavy open chords that resonate strong enough to shake the core of the earth. Skyrocketing bursts of oscillating guitar leads layer an ominous and dark undercurrent of rhythm. While hardcore punk may be the sound that rules the day in The Contortionist hometown of Indianapolis, it is the band’s signature brand of forward thinking heavy metal that has made them stick out as hometown favorites. The band worked hard to amass a following beyond Indiana through consistent regional shows, coastal touring, and two self-released EPs. They clearly began to define their sound and grow as musicians on their EP titled "Apparition". The songwriting and progression on "Apparition" smacks of a group of musicians who are locked deeply into a remarkable place of expression and creativity that is usually reserved for bands with multiple albums under their belt. While it is not uncommon lately for bands in the world of metal to experiment with melody and progression, many times these breaks from the brutal end up sounding forced, too contrived, or way too over the top in shred. What could have been an opportunity for the listener to settle into some depth, winds up missing the mark. When The Contortionist venture into the realm of ambiance it actually raises the level of the song above the crushing breakdowns and demands the listener stay put for the ride. More impressive than their ability to write and record such material, is how big it all plays live. The room seems to expand and fill with spacious tones just in time to be leveled with ferocity. The band is razor sharp while nailing every bit of nuance their ambitious songwriting offers. It is this ability to dole out their sounds in epic proportions through a live performance that piqued the interest of record label Good Fight Music. The band had already distinguished themselves to Good Fight with a penchant for creating a distinct style of heavy music that has plenty of room for the listener to breathe and settle into. So in early 2010, shortly after the staff had caught them live, a deal had become imminent. With the label now in place, The Contortionist recently spent time in the studio with Unearth's own Ken Susi handling production duties. When asked what interested him about working with The Contortionist, Ken commented - "The Contortionist is not your typical run of the mill band. Lots of bands in this day in age are copycats or just plain old rip offs of other bands that are currently out now. This is truly an original band, from the overall look, sound and structure of the songs. I really feel this band has a bright future ahead of them!" The Contortionist brand new album, titled “Exoplanet”, is a progressive metal mammoth. What stands out about the song structures is the bursts of space and atmosphere underscored by intense sonic emotion and boldness. A welcomed subtlety to the evolution of the band’s sound from previous works is a sparse use of ominous sci-fi inspired clean vocals. For every bit of progression and aura the band offers up on Exoplanet, comes an equal and unforgiving onslaught of heaviness. Just when heavy metal had seemed to reach a ceiling on how punishing a sound could get, The Contortionist raised the bar even higher. Exoplanet will be out in stores on August 31, 2010. 2) A singer/songwriter who resides in Sheffield, UK. The Contortionst is the solo project of me, Andy Hirst (lead singer/songwriter in Japanese Sleepers, drummer in The Purgatory Players). I've been releasing music under this name for about 7 years now, usually just low-key released distributed to friends. For a year or so I had a backing band (The Contortionist and the Wandering Boy Poets) but we disbanded in late 2009. I'm currently working on new stuff.

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Coming from Milan/Italy, Destrage represents a strong compromise between european melodic deathmetal, the best american thrash/hardcore act and rock’n’roll. An incredible mix of speed, core, sickness, alternative, and sometimes introspective tunes through melodic and killer songs.An absolute must for fans of In Flames, Soilwork, Nevermore, The Haunted, Darkane, Snot.

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