“With [2015 double album] Juggernaut it started to solidify as, like, ‘This needs to be a six-person process’,” he says. “Before that, we would just break off into little groups or on our own and work on songs. Now, after Juggernaut, everyone had input on every song and everyone has to be happy with it and approve it. All the guys in the band are all producers in their own right, so there was always arrangement suggestions, and if someone was stumped on a part, somebody else could step in and help with the forward momentum. So it’s a nice process and I’m really lucky to be working with this bunch of guys.”
With so many creative voices in the band, including six producers and three guitarists who are constantly working on riffs and ideas, Periphery often find themselves having too much material to work with. “It’s a nice problem to have,” says Bowen. “The hard part becomes, not writing the stuff, but choosing the stuff we like the best from everything everyone’s brought in.”
Of course, this creates issues of its own at times. “That’s when our opinions start to get in the way,” Bowen laughs. “Because some of us like this song or idea better, some of us don’t like certain songs and others are really stoked on them. That’s really where the work comes – the rest of it just comes nice and easy.”
Ultimately, Bowen is stoked with the way Select Difficulty has come out, and how straightforward the process was, relative to the long and immersive incubation period that was required for the complex Juggernaut double concept record.
“I’m really happy with it, and that it was so easy – well maybe not easy, but it was a smooth experience. We really nailed down that collaborative process on this one, and it seems this one is going to be a good entry for us.
“Because of the format of Juggernaut, it was a concept record and it took a lot of planning and a lot of back and forth on what material we were going to use, and writing stuff on the spot to accommodate the story and vice versa. This time we just worked on it a song at a time and got the songs’ identities set, and it was just way more smooth.”
Periphery have been no strangers to our shores since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2010. They were last here in 2015 on a dream lineup with the mighty Devin Townsend, and Bowen is confident that Australia will be on the priority list once again for the Select Difficulty tour. “I hope so – we try to get there every other year, and hopefully once a year once we get a bit more momentum with this album. But it’s something we’re always talking about.”
It’s no secret that Australia loves having Periphery come here as much as the band enjoys touring our country. “It’s one of our best markets – the fans there are really well versed in our stuff, and it’s a fun country to go to,” Bowen says. “There’s no downside, aside from 20-hour flights, so we really want to get back over there as soon as possible.”
Periphery have seen a number of lineup changes over the years, but aside from founder Mansoor, Bowen has been in the band the longest of any member. In fact, he is coming up towards the decade mark as a member, a fact that amazes him just a little.
“Yeah, late ’06, early ’07, no-one’s really sure,” He laughs again. “I’ve been thinking about that more these days. It’s hard to believe, because I still feel like it’s young and it’s exciting and I never get tired of it. Every day it’s Periphery, Periphery, Periphery in my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I just love having this in my life and it really doesn’t feel like coming up on a decade, and I’m very, very grateful for this.”
Conscious of the ‘burn bright, burn out’ phenomenon in music, Periphery have managed to maintain a steady rise over the last six years since the release of their debut, rather than exploding overnight.
“I prefer things to be that way,” says Bowen. “If you explode into a scene, there’s a good chance that it won’t last very long. I feel like the way that we did it, I feel like we established ourselves as a reliable entity. We’ve created a core, loyal fan base and those are the people that we really want to reach out to.”
BY ROD WHITFIELD
