Periphery has officially announced that Mark Holcomb of Haunted Shores will soon be a permanent member of the band.
“We are happy to announce that Mark Holcomb will be joining the Periphery ranks as a full-time guitarist,” says guitarist Misha Mansoor. “He toured with us [on] our headlining run of Australia, our ‘Frak The Gods’ U.S. headliner and our two shows opening for Dream Theater, and we feel that we have found a perfect fit for us both live, and in the studio…We are extremely excited to have him on board, and can’t wait to show you all the cool new music we have been working on together,”
Halcomb will officially become a full-time member of Periphery once the band has commenced its Europeon tour with progressive metal heavyweights Dream Theater. “Since we made arrangements for the tour before Mark was inducted, our good friend Nolly (Red Seas Fire) will be filling in on the European tour opening for Dream Theater. However, that will be the last tour we do with a fill-in guitarist, as Mark will join on full-time after that!”
Halcomb, who is a long-time friend of the bands said, “I couldn’t be more excited as not only have these guys been great friends of mine for a long time, but I consider every last one of them musical siblings in a sense,” says Holcomb. “Each of us brings something different to the table, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish.”
The decision to take Halcomb on board, comes after Periphery and guitarist Alex Bois parted ways in July this year, in what the band described as a “…truly a sad day for Periphery.”
While the loss of Bois may be a sad day in the bands history, in no way has it affected their constant push to the top. Bassists Thomas Murphy says that including Holcomb in the band is a definite step in the right direction, “We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the band now that he has joined.”
Periphery and Dream Theater tour dates:
Jan 23 – Helsinki, Finland – Icehall
Jan 25 – Stockholm, Sweden – Hovet
Jan 26 – Oslo, Norway – Valhall
Jan 27 – Copenhagen, Denmark – KB Hallen
Jan 29 – Poznan, Poland – Arena Hall
Jan 30 – Berlin, Germany – Columbialle
Feb 01 – Zwolle, Holland – IJsselhallen
Feb 02 – Dusseldorf, Germany – Mistubishi Electric-Halle
Feb 03 – Paris, France – Le Zenith
Feb 05 – Hannover, Germany – AWD Hall
Feb 06 – Offenbach, Germany – Stadthalle
Feb 08 – Glasgow, UK – Clyde Auditorium
Feb 09 – Manchester, UK – Apollo
Feb 10 – London, UK – Wembley Arena
Feb 12 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rockhal
Feb 13 – Stuttgart, Germany – Liederhalle
Feb 14 – Wettingen (Zurich), Switzerland – Sportzentrum Tagerhard
Feb 17 – Budapest, Hungary – Arena
Feb 18 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
Feb 20 – Pordenone, Italy – Palasport
Feb 21 – Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum
Feb 22 – Perugia, Italy – Palaevangelisti
Feb 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau St Jordi
Feb 25 – Madrid, Spain – Palacio Vistalegre
Feb 26 – Lisbon, Portugal – Coliseum