Listen to Periphery and not to me says drummer Halpern

Periphery drummer Matt Halpern wants people to listen to his band’s music rather than focus on his own work, at least at first.

He says that’s the way he listens to music he enjoys, whether it’s Slipknot, Extreme or the Dave Matthews Band.

Halpern tells MusicRadar: “I’m a song guy – whenever I put on a record I want to like the whole thing. The band, the songs, the vibe. Then I’ll be more analytical and focus on the playing.

“I hope people are the same way with Periphery, liking us for the whole experience and not just certain elements.”

The band are currently touring in support of twin releases Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega – and they’ve refused to provide too much detail on the plot lines, because they want people to explore the work for themselves.

Halpern says: “One of the upsides to being on the go so much – you have big blocks of time to listen to music. I have a huge catalog of music on my phone and laptop. I can either hit ‘shuffle’ and listen to a bunch of things, or I can just lose myself in one record from beginning to end.

“I’m never at a loss for things to listen to.”

Periphery: Progs Of War

Periphery on their love/hate relationship with djent

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.