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Everyone's Replaceable

PERIPHERY’S SPENCER SOTELO WANTS YOU TO “WALK HARD”

 Friday, September 24th, 2010 at 12:00pm by

spencer soteloSuper-Internet phenoms Periphery came under intense fire by fans earlier this year when, as their debut album release was finally drawing near, they booted popular vocalist Chris Barretto in favor of Spencer Sotelo who many fans perceived to be too soft and emo-y. When the album came out with Sotelo’s re-recorded vocals, many longtime followers rebelled against Sotelo and claimed that the album was the aural equivalent of a butterface — great band, bad vocals. Then, in a somewhat surprising move that was something of a slap in the face to Sotelo, Misha and co. decided to release an entirely instrumental version of the album giving said fans their wish.

Now Sotelo is fighting back. Got-Djent.com is reporting that Sotelo has posted a re-worked version of the song “The Walk” on his personal MySpace page featuring harsher vocals.

If Sotelo is trying to prove his toughness “The Walk” strikes me as an odd choice since that track is one of the album’s heaviest and already featured all screaming; but to his credit, the re-worked version does have some pretty gnarly sounding low screams and guttural death growls. For reference, check the album version here.

So what do Periphery fans think? I really don’t care either way; I liked Barretto better for this band, but Sotelo is a perfectly fine vocalist with a great range. I ain’t one of the haters.

Don’t forget that Periphery are on the MetalSucks-sponsored Legacy Tour this fall with Darkest Hour, Veil of Maya and a special guest TBA!

-VN

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

    Fucking. Brutal. I didn’t really mind his vocals in the first place anyway. Bottom line is, the dude’s talented.

    • halloway

      1

    • http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/ Alkahest

      +2. Periphery are great and Spencer is fucking amazing.

  • http://www.myspace.com/msrp Nic Heidt

    Whatever. Screw those narrow minded bastards. I love this band BECAUSE its not all screaming. The vocals have some freaking melody. If they went all screamy, then they would just be another sumericore-djent-fest. A little variety in the type of screams wouldn’t hurt, but please don’t stop singing Mr.Sotelo.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

      1

      • Andy Synn

        Most of the issues i’ve discussed with others stem not from the fact that “singing is bad” per se, but more from a genuine feeling that his singing vocals, whilst technically good, detract stylistically from the music and that his harsh vocals lack power and conviction, particularly when (perhaps unfairly) compared to his predecessor.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

          Thing is, they can compare to his predecessor all the want, but Spencer’s the one at the mic when the lights go down, you know? He’s getting better at the growls, and even he knew his growls were kinda shit on the first record (he’s admitted it, and said he’s working on it, as in the case of “Walk Hard”). He really only started a year ago, so for less than a year under his belt for the debut is still pretty badass. Plus, I don’t get how he lacks conviction, as is the general consensus against his vocals. His lines are incredibly interesting, he hits a LOT of the high notes in chest voice, which is difficult, and his harmonies are original. I just fail to see where Spencer falls into the category of “uninteresting.”

    • http://bloodandthumbsticks.blogspot.com/ The Overmatt

      Seriously! I think the dude sounds great. Between the Buried and Me have had some emo-ish moments in their singing and I’ve never heard anyone bitch about them. Spencer makes them sound different from every other djent-oriented group, it isn’t a bad thing.

  • el fucko

    TesseracT > Periphery.

    but a few semi-constructive ramblings.

    one: I don’t like that fact this band compromised because fans bitched about vocals so they put out an instrumental. I don’t like that Sotello compromised because fans bitched about his vocals so he put out “heavy” ones like the fans wanted. music should be your music, not your fans to dictate.

    two: something about Periphery’s mix is irritating to me. it’s too polished or something, sounds dry and doesn’t have a good depth.

    three: I am interested to here what this band does in the future.

    • GoingDeaf?

      The mix is irritating because it’s 100% fake…. except for the vocals, not one molecule of air hit a microphone on this entire record. Fake, digital guitars…. programmed drums… direct bass (no doubt run through the same Axe processor as the guitars). The recording has as much soul as an Ikea coffee table.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Austin-Pearl-Nutter/1418565949 Austin Pearl Nutter

        To loosely quote someone who I can’t remember on the comments of a Misha column about gear “You should only play with ’59 Strats through a 60 year old Marshall amp with tubes salvaged from a Soviet submarine.” There’s more than one way of recording, and the fact that it was all direct doesn’t mean you can’t hear the feeling behind the playing.

        • GoingDeaf?

          You’re right, there are infinite ways to record…. and each way produces a certain result. I’m no Luddite, I use the tools available in my production work… but if you have the ear for it, the details make a difference. Both Periphery and Animals as Leaders sound very “flat” to me… and have a very generic sound that I find irritating. I can’t tell you how much I hate the drums on the AAL record with it’s choked, boring snare. I’m not commenting on the music itself, just the recording. It’s a trend in all music production for everything to sound the same within their respective genre. All deathcore bands use 5150′s (or the new 6505) amps and Steven Slate drum samples. The djenters all use Axe guitar processors and apparently toontrack drums. Gone are the days where bands have their own sound.

    • orbital

      agree. I find it annoying that every album Bulb has had his hands in is as bass heavy as a fucking rap record.

      • Andy Synn

        I agree on some level, but thinkt he comment about “no air hitting a microphone” is unnecessary, as no amtter whether the guitars are amplified then mic’d up, or DI’d, it’s still the same person writing and playing the riffs.

        Same thing for playing live really, is it any less “real” if a band is forced to DI rather than play through their amps?

    • kyle

      two: something about Periphery’s mix is irritating to me. it’s too polished or something, sounds dry and doesn’t have a good depth…… it depends how you look at it. dont analyze the recording (which is good i think), and think of the riffs being played epicly, i see what you mean i honestly think after the burial re-release was pretty shitty but i understand it. i think they are trying to make their bands full time or keep the cash flow while maintaning the integrety of their sound. this kind of metal still isnt really popular im sure they might of sold a few thousand copies if that.

    • bulb

      Hey guys!
      Thanks for all the feedback (both positive and negative)

      Probably missed the boat on this already but i figured i would clear something up that was addressed about the reason we put out the instrumental album:

      We had planned on doing an instrumental all along, it wasnt a compromise nor was it because “people bitched” cuz honestly the people who bitch are just a loud minority, and what they think is rather irrelevant to our process, so like a certain Eric Cartman: We do what we want.

      The labels were the ones who werent so crazy about the idea at first, but we wanted to do it because the songs definitely have a different context and it was supposed to be for the “hardcore fans” of the soundclick days who only knew the songs as instrumental demos, which is why we made it a limited run)
      The deluxe version of the album ended up selling out, so they made it available on itunes after the release.

      Also, Spence didnt compromise on anything nor is he changing his style or anything silly like that, he has just been working his ass off trying to get better in every respect and has been making great progress. This version of the walk is nothing official, its just a fun clip to test out a new technique he is working on, and he can add this to the types of screams he has under his belt for future recordings.

      We are fortunate enough to have labels and management who let us do what we want creatively and support us along the way and so we intend to make the most of that opportunity. The music we put out is the music we love to make, and we just hope that some of you guys will dig it too!

  • Jamie

    I’m pretty interested to hear it, I’ve always been a fan I just like their heavier stuff better

  • builtforsin

    Super-Internet phenoms Periphery

    uhhh huh

    • http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/ Alkahest

      That’s because they pretty much are in several circles.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

        Alkahest (truthfully) strikes again!

  • DemonicLemming

    The fact that they’re touring with Veil of Maya tells me all I need to know – primarily, that I don’t even need to listen to their music to know I won’t like them.

    • Andy Synn

      I love internet logic.

    • http://www.metalsucks.net Vince Neilstein

      That fact that you’re commenting here tells me all I need to know — primarily, that I don’t even need to read your comment because I know you’re a troll.

      -VN

      • DemonicLemming

        Bout goddamn time. Someone’s gotta fill in for Zilty, ya know?

        I got bored at work and did listen to one of their songs, and about like I expected, I didn’t like it. It sounds exactly like all the other “kinda sorta metalcore but not really cuz we’re harder but we’re still gonna do the mean growls and clean vocals that got old years ago” bands. There’s nothing that makes these guys stand out as special, and any “drama” about the singer switch-up is really irrelevant because they both sound pretty goddamn alike to me.

        Maybe you fuckers should actually start reviewing some music that’s, oh, I dunno, DIFFERENT? Get Corey Mitchell or Sammy to review Demians, and I promise I’ll stop trolling your articles about shitty bands. Mostly.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

          …why haven’t you killed yourself yet? You’re annoying. Go away.

          • DemonicLemming

            Because I’m annoying, dumbfuck, that’s why. Just about every single fucking band “OMG these guys are great!” on this site has been, for the last few months, nothing but nutswinging untalented, generic, all-sound-the-same “Sumeriancore” bands. Why in the fuck they even write new articles, when you could take an old article, switch the band name out, and repost it and get the exact same fucking effect, I don’t know.

            Write an article about a talented band – NIN, Kamelot, Nevermore, just to name the most recent three I can think of – and it’s nothing but fucking crickets. Write a throw-away article about a throw-away band that sounds the exact same as their peers, and you get countless, “OMG these guys are so good, they’re so diverse, ‘s vocal style is so fresh and amazing!” posts. Why’s good metal dying? Because most of you stupid mother fuckers can’t appreciate anything but pig shit, and yet you make fun of other genres for being “nothing but boring trendy music”.

        • orbital

          +1. Someone has to be the voice of reason around here.

        • no-ghost

          I like what you are saying, For every 20 bands they have put up news about 1 is actually interesting. I mean maybe that is how metal goes? for every 20 bands 1 actually does a good job and entertains us for the remaining part of their careers as musicians. I still don’t get what “sumeriancore” is. I don’t know, either way I agree a lot of these bands sound the same, but Im also getting old and I just don’t get it. farts

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Kennelty/100000324595253 Greg Kennelty

            Don’t read the blog then?

        • Andy Synn

          See whilst I agree with much of what you say a lot of the time (now that’s an odd sentence) the below quote :

          “got bored at work and did listen to one of their songs, and about like I expected, I didn’t like it. It sounds exactly like all the other “kinda sorta metalcore but not really cuz we’re harder but we’re still gonna do the mean growls and clean vocals that got old years ago” bands. There’s nothing that makes these guys stand out as special, and any “drama” about the singer switch-up is really irrelevant because they both sound pretty goddamn alike to me.”

          : suggests that you’re judging the band improperly, as i’d in now way categorize them as “harder” than metalcore bands, inf act i’d generally see them as far more ambient and much less “metal” actually. And also don’t see how you could compare the last two vocalists – Chris Baretto had a much deeper and harsher scream but also a very flexible and emotive singing voice that I would compare, at it’s best moments, to a younger Chris Cornell (irrespective of the band and purely as apersonal judghement of the man’s skills and overall sound), whilst Spencer’s screams are a lot weaker and more stereotypically “American” and his singing voice is a lot more airy (although that sounds like criticism he is still clearly a talented singer, just not very distinctive – and I think calling them “emo-ish” is a lazy comparison).

          I do agree on two things however, firstly that the overall quality of metalsucks seems to have dropped a little bit recently, but I thinkt hat’s mainly due to a bit of a dry spell – many of the new bands or bands who have promotional backing have proven to be a disappointment,a s have many of the established bands. Secondly, Demians are great, although I haven’t seen them live yet as they unfortunately had to pull out of supporting Anathema last time I saw them.

  • cooper

    theyre still better than veil of maya

    • Altered Bestiality

      I think theyre infinitely more talented than Veil of Maya. [id] simply did NOT live up to the hype.

      And this is coming from a guy who listened to The Commons Man’s Collapse and said “Holy shit why haven’t I heard this style of music before?!”

      I guess they’re pioneers, but their brethren have become much better in recent years.

  • Kazz

    Casey Sabol ftw!

    • Strapping Young Lad

      lol. I do miss Casey. Spencer’s great though!

  • aj lucas

    i mean i think his gutturals are a bit nassaly he needs more power from the the diaphragm but theyre not to bad and his cleans are great

    • Steve O

      His cleans are the worst part of his entire vocal performance, way to miss the point.

      • Brian

        +1

        While I like his reworked growls MUCH better, the bigger problem is his clean vocals. He has to really reach for those high notes! And that’s unnecessary…why didn’t they just lower the note a little bit so he could hit it naturally?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

    This is one of my favourite albums of the year, and actually I love his vocals. I really thought I’d end up disliking it because I loved the tracks with Casey Sabol, but Spencer picked it up and came up trumps.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

      And in an ironic turn of events, I don’t like the new version, can’t please everyone eh ?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eirik-Kjs-Usterud/1067091137 Eirik Kjøs Usterud

    Why that song? The Walk was the one song on the album where the vocals were perfect.

    Seriously, the guy can sing, while I do think his clean vocals are a bit emo-y. The biggest problem isn’t the singer, it’s the actual melodies. They just aren’t good enough, if you ask me.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eirik-Kjs-Usterud/1067091137 Eirik Kjøs Usterud
      • Rik

        Your review sucks. The album isn’t samey despite its length, and the 15 minute track is one of my favourites. I agree that some long songs just sound long for the hell of it and don’t really work, but this is not one of them. And Spencer’s clean vocals are better than his harsh ones in my opinion.

    • Rik

      But he didn’t write the melodies, if you listen to their stuff with the previous vocalist most of the melodies are exactly the same.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eirik-Kjs-Usterud/1067091137 Eirik Kjøs Usterud

        I didn’t say he writes the melodies. That’s what I’m trying to say – the vocals are unsatisfactory, but it’s not all the vocalist’s fault.

  • http://www.myspace.com/nylithia Dental Damnation

    Can’t listen to metal with clean vocals anymore, thank you very much early KSE….unless I’m wasted and it’s power metal.

    • Altered Bestiality

      Don’t be shittin all over Leach-era KSE. Thats some kickass clean singing!

      Lets get wasted and sing King Diamond!

      ABI-GAILLL! AHHH-AHHHHHH *hic*

  • Rik

    I prefer Spencer’s vocals. His harsh vocals might not be quite as good as the previous guy but the clean singing is far better in my opinion. And there’s nothing particularly “emo” about them. In fact most emo music and vocals fail pretty hard at actually conveying any convincing emotion, which certainly isn’t true of Spencer.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Austin-Pearl-Nutter/1418565949 Austin Pearl Nutter

    I already thought his cleans were great, now his screams are powerful as fuck. Yep, Periphery now has no weak links.

  • Perpetual Black Screen Name

    I think ‘Periphery’ needs to start working on new material with Sotello if they’re THAT serious about having this guy in the band. Periphery is awesome but let’s face it, what we got were a bunch of re-hashed and super produced songs. Let him work with the band so he can develop his own style within the writing process.

    To be re-releasing the album yet again as an instrumental (even though anyone who follows Periphery knows that all of these songs already exist as amazing sounding instrumental’s, just scour the internet and you’ll find the download) is kind of ridiculous and definitely a smack in the face to the new guy. I don’t know what this band is doing but they have been fickle about their decisions for a long time which is made apparent by all the delays in releasing the album, constant rotating vocalists, etc.

    In my opinion, Spencer has a great voice and amazing range for a band as epic as Periphery. But I don’t think that the band has stopped to realize that they could soldier on without a vocalist, period. Their music is thick and dexterous and full of layers. It would be easy for them to be an ‘Animals as Leaders-esque’ band. And I mean sure, that seems to be going on all over the place but- -djent is going on all over the place already. Hope Periphery find their niche cos they really are an absolutely brilliant band.

  • http://www.myspace.com/nylithia Dental Damnation

    Let me rephrase, leach-era KSE is the only clean/growl mix I can listen to in metal anymore….fuck this band and I agree with getting drunk and listening to some diamond or MF…OHHH MELISSAAAAHHAAHHAA!”

  • TheSkunkCatcher

    i met spencer at thrash and burn and he was telling me when they recorded the album he just learning how to scream and that he got a lot better. seeing them that night and now hearing this proves that he was right; he sounds amazing. i cant wait for the next album.

  • ITTOA666

    No one can replace Casey, but I enjoy Spencer’s vocals.

  • Rob

    I didn’t even bother reading the comments so I can lay my own opinion.

    I still think his screaming is weak, and this track gives the feeling that he’s trying too hard. I absolutely love his singing voice, and its range is wonderful, but I feel the vocal patterns (which I believe are Chris’s) are not well placed at all. I really just can’t stand listening to the album with vocals and much prefer the instrumental versions that I’ve been listening to from Bulb’s soundclick page for years. I’ll say he’s hardly a bad singer, just not a good fit for the band (at least with the patterns).

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Alejandro-Aldana/683878171 Alejandro Aldana

    matt sotelo has a brother?

  • Jack

    Does no one here know what emo means?

  • jxk

    His screaming is fine and yeah, the clean vox are way too breathy and emo, but that’s all been discussed ad nauseam.

    My only real complaint about the vocals, and this applies to all of their vocalists (yes, Casey too) is that there’s too much of it. There seems to be this idea that singing should be constant throughout 95% of each song but there’s way too many other layers going on and I think they would benefit heavily from limiting the amount of singing. Just let the music do the talking; the vocals should only accentuate the instruments.

    Also, the two other tracks on Spencer’s myspace are pretty damn good.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mikey-Ck-Vanderjuice/502827008 Mikey Ck Vanderjuice

    KAY WAIT WOA LISTEN UP

    i like ALL the vocals done on ANY version of ANY bulb song, okay?

    isnt the walk older? why is he reworking the vocals on that particular song? its bullshit.

    DO THE SINGLE, DO ICARIUS LIVES (icarus? w.e)

    or at least do …. 2 more songs…

  • HARRYDICKERSON

    I’d bet the guy is pretty confused right now. Peripherey’s fan base has a large chunk that hates clean vocals(me) and a large chunk that loves his vocals. In all honesty, a singer that good probably wouldn’t want to do too many harsh vocals, but I could be wrong. Either way, he should really do what he wants, succumbing to the wants of a bunch of basement-dwelling-neck-beards just isn’t worth it.

  • soy el niño más bonito

    i really dug the vocals on the record. he should just keep doing what he’s doing.

  • http://www.myspace.com/thestarsthrewdowntheirspears Tim

    It’s his clean vocals that bug me. Sounds way too fake/like he’s trying too hard to be mainstream.

  • what

    I think this band is fucking terrible. It’s like Meshuggah if Chester Bennington was fronting them.

  • http://www.myspace.com/morningofthetragedy Mike Malice

    Aural Butterface, aahahahaha.

    I don’t mind singing done well, but this guy sound like Three Days Grace when he sings and a pussy when he screams.

  • Lycanthrope

    Since when has Periphery been a band thats too ‘heavy’ to house a dude like Sotelo? I mean, come on – do you really think Johan Hegg or Corpsegrinder would be a better fit? Say what you want about Spencer’s vocal style/abilty, but first, take a step back and look at the band’s music as a whole. If you ask me, it flows just fine the way it is. You don’t have to necessarily like it, but I think nit-picking the album is just waste of effort.

  • Slaughterhouse

    I love Spencer’s vocals and thought they brought a totally different element to the table. Most people I talk to about Periphery or AAL dislike the production on both albums as well as the vocals on Periphery.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Porcaro/1342290013 Nick Porcaro

    I’m impressed. I already enjoyed the album version of “The Walk” but now I can rest safe knowing that Spencer has teh br00tal growlz.