PERIPHERY - Fractal Tone Tour with Mark Holcomb

It feels like you're cheating a little bit with something like the Axe-Fx (...). For us, there's no stress in trying to emulate the studio tricks we use live because we tour with exactly what we use in the studio.
Mark Holcomb Watch from 6:04

Mark Holcomb: The Sound Architect of Periphery

Dive into the world of Mark Holcomb, one of the guitar wizards of the Grammy-nominated progressive metal band Periphery, as he takes us on a sonic journey through his Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx III setup with Cooper Carter on Fractal Friday. Crafted for their 2024 tour, this deep dive showcases the intricate settings and patches that give Periphery their unique live sound.

Overview

Tone Tour Video
- Scroll to the top and click the top image to watch the Tone Tour video with Mark Holcomb
Mark Holcomb and Periphery
Tone Breakdown

1. Open Tunings and Creative Tones
2. Rhythm Tones
3. Octave Patch
4. Lead Tones
5. Satellites Tone

Signature Guitar
Socials and more on Mark Holcomb

Meet Mark Holcomb

Mark Holcomb joined the Periphery family in 2011, starting as a touring guitarist and soon becoming a permanent member. His exceptional technical skills and innovative guitar techniques have been crucial in shaping Periphery’s distinct sound. Known for his use of open tunings, complex riffs, and melodic solos, Mark has carved out a unique place in the progressive metal scene.

Periphery - Wax Wings (Mark Holcomb Guitar Playthrough)

Current Lineup

Misha "Bulb" Mansoor: Guitars, programming, producer (2005–)
Jake Bowen: Guitars, programming (2005–)
Mark Holcomb: Guitars (2011–)
Spencer Sotelo: Lead vocals (2010–)
Matt Halpern: Drums, percussion (2009–)

A Glimpse into Mark’s Journey

Before Periphery, Mark co-founded Haunted Shores with Periphery’s Misha Mansoor. His musical journey started early, influenced by a myriad of genres and guitar legends like Devin Townsend, Randy Rhoads, James Hetfield, and Yngwie Malmsteen, as well as bands such as Deftones, Emperor, and Opeth.

Periphery - Zagreus (Guitar Playthrough)

The Periphery Phenomenon

Formed in 2005 by Misha Mansoor, Periphery is a trailblazer in the “djent” genre, known for its intricate rhythms, heavy riffs, and melodic elements. Their self-titled debut album in 2010 catapulted them into the progressive metal limelight.

Everything Is Fine: The Making Of Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre

Key Albums

Periphery (2010): The groundbreaking debut that introduced their innovative sound.
Periphery II: This Time It's Personal (2012): Showcased more complex compositions and diverse influences.
Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega (2015): A double concept album that expanded their sonic boundaries.
Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016): Refined their style with intricate arrangements and powerful melodies.
Periphery IV: Hail Stan (2019): Explored heavier and more experimental sounds.
Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre (2023): Their latest, pushing the boundaries of progressive metal.

Periphery and the Axe-Fx Legacy

Periphery's relationship with Fractal Audio Systems began with the Axe-Fx Standard and Ultra units. However, it was the introduction of the Axe-Fx II that significantly transformed their sound. The Axe-Fx II allowed the band to replicate their complex studio tones on stage with high accuracy and versatility. This advanced modeling and effects capability enabled them to maintain consistency and quality in their live performances. The collaboration continued to evolve with the Axe-Fx III, further enhancing their precision and versatility during live shows. Misha Mansoor, a key figure in the band, has emphasized how the Axe-Fx units have enabled Periphery to push the boundaries of their live sound without sacrificing quality.

Periphery - It's Only Smiles (Guitar Playthrough)

Periphery - Reptile (Guitar Playthrough)

Tone Breakdown

Central to Mark Holcomb's tone is the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx III, enabling him to replicate studio-quality sounds live. This powerhouse of amp modeling and effects is indispensable for crafting Periphery's live soundscapes.

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1. Open Tunings and Creative Tones

Watch from 0:52

Mark often uses unique open tunings to create fresh sonic textures. For instance, the tuning used in “Wax Wings” was inspired by the Japanese band Toe. “They have a song that uses the tuning. They probably have a bunch of songs that use the tuning, and I was like, what happens if we try and write a metal song in this really happy tuning?"

Open Guitar Tunings

Reptile: G G C F A D

String	Note
6th String	G
5th String	G
4th String	C
3rd String	F
2nd String	A
1st String	D

Wax Wings: D F# A E A C#

String	Note
6th String	D
5th String	F#
4th String	A
3rd String	E
2nd String	A
1st String	C#

2. Rhythm Tones

Watch from 2:39

Periphery’s rhythm tone is aggressive and unhinged, a staple across their set. It stays fairly unchanged across all three guitar players. The Axe-Fx III’s Noise Gate settings are pivotal, with Mark employing three tiers:

Normal Setting: The go-to aggressive rhythm tone.
Middle Setting: A balanced gate for staccato accents.
Tightest Setting: Used for precise silences, crucial in songs like "Letter Experiment." Mark explains, "I'll jump between tightness settings on my Noise Gate second by second during some riffs. There's a riff in the song 'Prayer Position' where for those gaps, I'll program a Noise Gate setting to just flick forward and then flick right back, just so I can get that tightness setting right and so there's no noise popping out during those silences. It just feels kind of not fair, like I'm breaking the rules a little bit, but I'm not, so screw it."

Misha Mansoor 'Letter Experiment' Playthrough

3. Octave Patch

Watch from 4:22

Essential for low tunings, the octave patch adds heaviness to tracks like "Reptile" in drop G and is a live staple for "Blood Eagle."

It feels like you're cheating a little bit with something like the Axe-Fx, like when it comes to programming lasers, pitch drops, all kinds of trickery that you feel like you shouldn't be able to get away with live. Not only do they become a reality with these units, but it's something that we comfortably rely on and that we take for granted. The ease at which we're able to do some of these things—I forget how that's not necessarily normal. So, for us, there's no stress in trying to emulate the studio tricks we use live because we tour with exactly what we use in the studio.
Mark Holcomb Watch from 6:00

4. Lead Tones

Watch from 7:36

Mark’s lead tones are smooth and sustaining, cutting through the mix with delay, reverb, and modulation effects. Writing solos in non-standard tunings is challenging, but Mark excels at creating memorable lead lines.

It's pretty much the same lead tone I use for every Periphery solo I have during the set. I tweak little things here and there depending on what kind of solo it is. I change the BPM, obviously, for whatever song or for whatever tempo we're using for that song. The biggest pain in the ... about this part or the solo is writing a solo in a tuning that's not standard or a typical drop tuning. Like, having to figure out the vocabulary... this is a lick that works, this is another lick that works, let's chain them together and see how they sound.
Mark Holcomb

Periphery - Satellites (Drum Playthrough)

5. Satellites Tone

Watch from 9:24

For "Satellites," a cleaner, less vintage live tone showcases a different side of Periphery.

When we first dialed in these tones, I think Jake was the one who kind of spearheaded the tones for this song. It's not one-for-one the album tone. I think for that we used some old vintage pedals that Misha had in the studio, but the live tone became something of its own. It's a little cleaner, less vintage sounding, but nonetheless a really beautiful tone. We spend so much of our set playing just full-on metal at you, and 'Satellites' is the second to last song in the set. I'm just really proud of showing off that side of our band every night.
Mark Holcomb

Mark Holcomb’s Signature Guitar

The SE Mark Holcomb Signature Model

This guitar is pretty different right off the bat, obviously a brand new color. I was a fan of the original purple that we had, but I kind of wanted something that would just be a completely different looking guitar but still be black and still be stealthy.
Mark Holcomb

Pickups

“Another huge change about this guitar is the brand new Seymour Duncan pickups that we’ve put in there. The idea behind the new set of pickups was to dive deep and send ideas back and forth with Seymour and PRS to sort of try something new and iterate to see if we can make something better even if the answer is no, just the attempt was exciting enough. So here we have the Seymour Duncan Scarlet in the base position and the Seymour Duncan Scourge in the travel position.”

Specs

Mark details, “Spec-wise, it's the same 25 and a half inch scale length, 24 frets, string through body, satin neck. The feel—I'll never play anything else on stage as far as I'm concerned. I have so much pride in helping develop with PRS and it's literally every spec that I want on a guitar. It's amazing that we can still iterate upon all the wonderful things that we've done and yeah, it's my new workhorse.”

Thanks for joining us, guys. This has been really fun. We'll catch you on the road, wherever that may be.

Mark Holcomb Watch from 11:18

Periphery - "Wildfire" (Partial Guitar Playthrough)

Periphery Tone Tour

Misha Mansoor - Periphery

Misha Mansoor of Periphery takes us through his all-new Axe-Fx III tones for their 2024 tour!

Marc Holcomb - Periphery

Mark Holcomb of Periphery takes us through his all-new Axe-Fx III tones for their 2024 tour!

Jake Bowen - Periphery

Jake Bowen of Periphery takes us through his all-new Axe-Fx III tones for their 2024 tour!

More on Mark Holcomb

For more on Mark, check out the video below with Mark Holcomb and Ola Englund. Also make sure to follow Periphery online.

Coffee with Mark Holcomb

Follow Periphery online

For more insights on using the Axe-Fx III and other Fractal Audio Systems products, visit the Product Page, Fractal Audio Wiki, or Forum. To purchase your unit, head to our shop and for in-depth learning, check out Cooper Carter’s Complete Fractal Audio Master Class Series.

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