APWD and why I hate it
... when people complain it is not progressive enough and compare it to the P1-5 series.
- They disclosed it would be a concept album about loneliness and that it would not be like their P series, and that it would be more straightforward. So there should have been zero surprise.
- The two singles they released demonstrated their point. Two incredible songs that packed a huge punch in a small amount of time, with no time wasted (such as a 2 minute orchestral outro). Everyone Dies Alone may not be Wax Wings, Reptile, Marigold, but in that short amount of time they packed in so much and when that song came out I knew the album was going to be great. And Mr God has only become more addictive to me now from when it first came out.
- The songs on the album may not be as "proggy" in some aspects of the term but it still contains a lot of progressive elements such as jazz-influences, alternative tunings and time signatures, songs that build up slowly with each new verse and end with a powerful and emotional finale, a range of different styles and sounds (Subhuman and Neon Valley, if you didn't know the band you wouldn't think it came from the same people), often very experimental (I've never heard anything before like Obsession: Depeche Mode mixed with black metal), all while still keeping Periphery's signature sound, riff-styles, heaviness mixed with poppy-ness, and raw-emotional grit. For those who miss the 2 minute outros just make a playlist and put some classical music in between each song.
- Fine if you just simply don't like the songs, but why do they need to meet your expectations with what they decide to do? What I don't think can be argued is that they did push new boundaries and they created something incredibly unique and unlike other albums coming out within the genre. If you simply don't like the songs, fine - but no need to post about why you're so depressed that you can't compare it to Hail Stan or Juggernaut.
Sorry if this was already hashed out when the album first came out and that I'm relitigating an old case, but I'm seeing the same complaints about Haken's new EP so it is making me relive APWDs controversy.
I know its now been several weeks since the release, but this album still has me captivated and I am still listening to it on repeat. ERRA's SOTE had me somewhat there as well, but I haven't listened to that in full since APWD came out and even though I still cycle through other bands, I keep coming back to APWD because after a few hours I find myself missing it like a best friend.
And to end on one other complaint - why is it that every new song and album that comes out from any band gets compared to Sleep Token? Only seems to happen with Sleep Token fans, are they all so obsessed with their masked men that every other song must have been inspired by them? They're doing it now to Haken's EP just as they did with APWD. I wish there was a setting where I can just block any post that contains the words Sleep and Token.