Icarus

As usual, Periphery really pull it out of the bag with this EP. Opener 'New Groove' has all the polyrhythmic, jittery guitar that Misha Mansoor has become known for, and will satisfy any self-proclaimed 'Djenthead', whilst the second new track on the EP, 'Frak The Gods' sends the listener into a rip-roaring ride of double bass blasts and heavy down-tuned 7 strings, which will turn heads from even the most sceptical of fans. The new re-recordings of 'Jetpacks Was Yes!' and 'Icarus Lives!' are fresher and more well-produced than the original album versions, and for any of you who enjoy the odd electronic, the 'Icarus Lives!' remixes will certainly satisfy your needs! Finishing the EP is two more new tracks, 'Captain On' and 'Eureka!', which, whilst in my view not as powerful as 'New Groove' and 'Frak The Gods', more than meet the expectations of Periphery's typical songwriting. Awesome EP.

I'm definitely a fan of Periphery since hearing their first album and seeing them live in support of Dream Theater, whom I thought they overshadowed. Since then, I've been keen to get hold of other material, hence this EP was the logical next step.For those not familiar, Periphery are a so-called progressive metal group that have (to my mind) a range of influences encompassing Meshuggah, Dream Theater, Allan Holdsworth, late King Crimson, Prodigy, trance and industrial music. However, the result is far more than the sum of the influences.The core of this EP are remixes of "Icarus" and "Jetpacks" from their eponymous first album. I'm not put off usually by remixes, and indeed really get a buzz from hearing well made reinterpretations of songs. The songs in question are definitely good candidate material.Things start off well with good standard remixes of "Jetpacks" and "Icarus" that seem to recast the vocal, as well as making the guitar solo very much more clearer in the mix. Nothing seismic here, but so far, so OK, but not worth paying extra for in isolation if you already have the first album.But it is the subsequent three remixes of "Icarus" which are more variable. The "Bulbous" remix (by Mansoor) seems more of a joke track than a seriously creative remix. Using 20th century "rave" music cliches, he seems to delight in triggering voice samples to make the singer sound like he's singing "d*ck, d*ck, d*ck". Fair play as a joke, but tiring after the third listening. And I like that old nostalgic sound.The Zedd remix is more of a straight bid to sneakily get a progressive metal song into night clubs. As dance music, fine, no probs, but again tiring to listen to repeatedly if you're not on a dance floor in Ibiza, or cruising around with Staines' finest, Ali G in a purple Honda Civic.Of the remixes, it is the Petey G remix that comes off as most successful, throwing Periphery into a deep dubstep groove, which sounds like the mutant offspring of a threeway between the music of Periphery, Digital Mystickz and Prodigy. Pretty good in my book.However, if it were just these pieces, I might feel a little hard done by, as only one of these five tracks above is worth the extra expenditure. Thankfully, that's not all. The remixes are bookended by first two tracks, "New Groove" (which continues their quest for new and novel rhythmic tomfoolery) and "Frak the Gods", and the 8th track "Captain On". These tracks are simply great, easily up to the standard of their prior album and genuinely good additions to my collection.However whilst "Eureka" starts very promisingly with a Holdsworthian snaking line running through it, and some nice breaks and guitar playing, it eventually descends into the bizarre. I sense another joke track and I'm fine with that, but guys, remember that references to "Snookie" from Jersey Shore will get very old, very quickly.So, all in all, worth getting and some great tracks. Having said that, I'll be annoyed if these new originals appear on their next album as "remixes"...Three stars in my book means "good" and worth getting overall, which this is.