THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

The Dillinger Escape Plan went further on with their experimental side with the release of their third studio album 'Ire Works' in 2007, an album that is as menacing as it is gripping and intense. Accomplishing a virtually perfect mixture between the raw, heavy and energetic playing of their earlier releases, and the more complex, eclectic side of their music, the one that could probably be seen as the metalcore rendition of jazz fusion - the mixture of these seemingly incompatible worlds is 'Ire Works', an adventurous and unorthodox heavy album that takes in strong influences from alternative and electronic music.

The album definitely contains some of Dillinger's best material, both in terms of complexity and aggression on the one hand, and stylistic diversity and experimentation, on the other. Playing around with sound design and armed with an impeccable sense of groove, the band also deliver some very memorable choruses in what turns out to be some of their more "commercially acceptable" songs, so to say. These would, of course, be 'Black Bubblegum', 'Milk Lizard', 'Dead As History' and the closing track 'Mouth of Ghosts'. Puciato shines as a great metal vocalist with a very fine range, while Ben Weinmann allows himself to jolt around with a variety of textures and techniques; the album features several shorter tracks that are quite uncommon yet technically impressive and obviously well-constructed in the studio. A great listen all throughout, some of the band's most eclectic material, and all this on an album whose cover uncannily resembles that of 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

Without a shadow of doubt we can say that The Dillinger Escape Plan reinvented metal music with the release of their second studio album 'Miss Machine' in 2004, a scorchingly heavy release that dared to experiment with a variety of influences from industrial to fusion, and while traditional prog fans might recoil in horror at the sounds of the grizzly vocals and manic, dissonant instrumental playing, 'Miss Machine' is truly a brilliant piece of heavy music that has influenced virtually all subsequent movements in the genre, including the likes of djent and necessarily the currently quite popular metalcore. The blatant aggression and fiery rage of the music of Dillinger is here counterbalanced by a very daringly experimental approach and the inclusion of several intriguing passages that would easily resonate with jazz fans is an additional flavor to the otherwise cathartic playing; there is also an apparent use of electronics and programming that add another layer to the music, one that possibly pertains to the influence of Nine Inch Nails. It is important to say that this album saw a lineup change in the addition of Greg Puciato on vocals (coming from an industrial band) and bassist Liam Wilson, and that it serves as a follow-up to a now-legendary 2002 EP with Mike Patton on vocals.

Dense and chaotic, 'Miss Machine' is really out there to challenge the common ideas about heavy music with its vigorous rage and technical proficiency, the album meanders between scorchingly heavy riffs and more controlled, experimental passages full of feel and a desire to expand the scope of the band's sound. An intense and demanding listen that sits at about forty minutes, at the root of its sounds one would necessarily find the spirit of progressive, much like a contemporary Gentle Giant, each release by Dillinger is full of exploration, power and ingenious approaches to writing music. Look no further than the angular album opener 'Panasonic Youth', a dangling and unhinged piece of metalcore whose shattering sounds set a menacing tone for the entirety of the record. The more acceptable chorus of 'Highway Robbery' is followed by a beautiful fusion instrumental part, while the engineered soundscapes of the gloomy 'Phone Home' reminisce a lot about what Nine Inch Nails had been doing some years prior, with the singing voice of Puciato lying somewhere between an enraged Trent Reznor and a ludicrous metalcore version of Mike Patton. Other really strong examples of the band's capabilities and fusion of styles are the menacing tracks 'Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants' and 'Unretrofied', virtually the most reasonably constructed song on the album, and the one with the most accessible direction. 'Miss Machine' is among the groundbreaking metalcore albums of the early 2000s, one that has a truly progressive underlying spirit, marking a shift in the band's style towards more experimental territories.

The Dillinger Escape Plan is a solid band. Whether you call them metalcore, mathcore, progressive metal, whatever, they are a great band. Ire works is album number three for by this band. It's also the third studio album by the band, how apt. No worries, this album is loaded with technical, experimental metal that is sure to please the progressive fan.

A standout track for me was Black Bubblegum. Why? There is two things: 1. The singer sounds almost exactly like Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails. 2. The song is slower and more akin to progressive rock, or at least a lighter progressive metal. Black Bubblegum is a neat song, as it sounds different from the rest of the songs on Ire Works. I also like the album art. Something about it catches my eye, it also looks very prog, mathematical. The rest of the album is classic Dillinger, that is, screaming, crazy technical metal that I enjoy, as should you.

The Dillinger Escape Plan deserves some more love on this website, in my opinion at least. You can rip on them for their first album, or the fact that their music is very aggressive and demanding but you have to remember that they make some really solid metal, and prog of course. I love this band even though It took me a second to get into them. (look at my review of One of us is the Killer) I love this band and their music and I'm sad that they don't record or tour anymore but their music never gets old, which is always a good thing. I wouldn't start with this album if you're getting into the band, that would be One of us is the Killer but that doesn't mean that Ire Works isn't good, because it's great.

Calculating infinity is one of the masterpieces of mathcore whether you like it or not. A lot of people just call it "noise" , and they are right because it is noise, but the album is more than that. Calculating infinity is just as important to metalcore and mathcore as it is to progressive metal and experimental metal, because it's not only loud, but it is beautiful. The jazz-like experimentation and time signatures also exist. The musicians are undeniably great at their instruments, just like jazz musicians. While people can dismiss the album by calling the lyrics meaningless (only because they're screamed most of the time) and just noise, it is more than just that, and it does take some good ears to listen to it just like other mathcore albums, you will find meaning and gorgeous music that lies under the barrier of screaming and "noise." 4.5 stars.

After the fiery maelstrom of pure chaos and fury that was Calculating Infinity, The Dillinger Escape Plan calmed down a bit on their second full length album Miss Machine, incorporating a more eclectic range of sounds into their material, with elements of alternative metal and post hardcore being woven through. Despite this, at its core, this is still another wild, mathcore album that simply cannot sit still for even a moment. Overall I genuinely prefer this to Calculating Infinity as well due to the fact that this feels more consistent and focused, without long stretches of time in which nothing of particular interest seems to happen, along with the more eclectic nature of this keeping the album fresh throughout.

One of the first things that immediately became apparent to me upon listening to the album was how much more revolved around clean, catchy hooks, songs like Highway Robbery balancing out fast paced, chaotic madness with a downright infectious chorus, ultimately being more reminiscient of a Mike Patton project than Botch or Converge, bringing in a far more lighthearted tone to the album, despite how heavy it is. With that said, the first 2 tracks of the album excellently shows off the more complex, violent sounding side of the band. Panasonic Youth frenetically switches between blindingly fast instrumentation and a more high pitched, distorted and groovy sound over the course of its 2 minute runtime until the bass becomes the main focus of the song, bringing in a powerful and catchy riff in amongst the screams and manic drumming. Sunshine The Werewolf continues down this path but with far more focus on extremely fast, yet precise shredding over the hardcore guitar chugs of Panasonic Youth, providing a distinctly different feel with an extremely impressive climax. This ends up stripping away all the aggression to create a more sinister tone, as Greg Puciato's screams become progressively more distorted and visceral, ending in an explosion of fury, the impact accentuated by the excellent use of a horn to really grab the listener's attention.

If there's one issue with this album, it's that there can be times where this can go into more generic mathcore territory rather than going all out and all over the place, but this is almost always an issue that's made extremely minor due to the fact that even these songs still carry enough energy and heaviness to work decently, despite being far less memorable. This is made even less problematic when the album will always be able to pick itself back immediately, such as following Van Damsel with the wonderfully odd, electronic tinged alt metal song Phone Home. While the album's lack of focus could definitely be seen as a downside in some respects, this is a rare case where I think the aggressive desire to change things up regularly ends up really adding to the album, like some kind of haphazardly sewn together... thing, not unlike the album art itself, bringing a unique feel to it that works exceptionally well in my eyes. Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants exemplifies this in multiple ways, not only sounding more along the lines of a more violent Faith No More song than a Dillinger Escape Plan one, but also by managing to be an absolute highlight, the vocals seemingly switching between a range of emotions so quickly. The vocals can go from eerie and sinister, to an upbeat, overall happy sounding hook, to furious screams in the space of 5 seconds without causing the song to suffer for it, all tied together with some downright awesome guitar and drum work that's able to consistently shift from melodic to rhythmic focus at the drop of a hat, perfectly adding impact to multiple sections in ways that are incredibly satisfying, making for one of the most entertaining alternative metal songs out there to me.

Despite the fact that this was a very large departure from the style of Calculating Infinity, toning down the chaos and complexity while ramping up the eclecticism, I believe that this was a change that worked exceptionally, leading to an album that, while messier in some regards, particularly in how unfocused it can occasionally feel, also manages to be far more refined in terms of the actual songwriting, the track being extremely distinct and largely high quality. The blending of post hardcore and alternative metal elements into the mix makes this a far more accessible album, without sacrificing a lot the core ferocity and madness that the band had put forth with their previous full length album and EP, leading to an extremely entertaining listening experience overall.

Best tracks: Panasonic Youth, Sunshine the Werewolf, Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants

Weakest tracks: Van Damsel, We Are The Storm

Verdict: While unfocused and messy in some respects, this is an extremely fun mathcore album that fuses some more accessible qualities in order to bring out some of the best of both sounds. While definitely not an album for everyone, if you're into this sort of heavier music and/or are a big fan of Mike Patton's work, this album will likely have something for you.

It took me a second to get into this band, due to the fact that they have a metalcore edge to them. I was never a fan of that kind of music but they were considered a prog metal band, so I gave them a chance. When I listened to this album it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I honestly consider it a nice piece of work and I think it would not hurt much to give this record a spin. I will most likely look into this bands other material, and I think that they sound great on this album. If you want a different take on progressive metal, then go ahead and give this band a try, or at least this album. I look forward to see what else this band has in terms of music because the band members are quite talented at their respective instruments.

'Ire Works' continues from where 'Miss Machine' left off, applying the more melodic approach to their music while still being as angry and aggressive as ever. The album also experiments much further than previous efforts, with some tracks focusing on pure mathcore while others add an extremely distinct electronic element to them, while others are a completely different beast, being alternative metal along the lines of Faith No More. This diversity makes the album an extremely interesting listen making you question what the next track has in store, and never dropping this unpredictability throughout.

The album starts off with an immense one-two punch with 'Fix Your Face' and 'Lurch'. Both of these songs follow the traditional style of TDEP, filled with extremely raw anger and incredibly violent instrumentation, with complex changes, yet sounding making to simply freaking out on all of them. Even in these two songs, particularly 'Fix Your Face', there is still some clear sign of the more melodic approach, with moments using very clear guitar riffs for a few moments before returning to the regular chaos of the music. 'Black Bubblegum' is the equivalent to 'Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants' or 'Unretrofied' of this album, with a heavier leaning on an alt-metal sound, being a fun, catchy, accessible song. I do really enjoy this song both despite how simple and especially out of place it sounds, as I find the chorus to be greatly enjoyable. The middle portion of the album, form 'Sick On Sunday' to '82588' follow a very similar concept, each being very short experiments with electronics, making for some really cool sounding songs. 'Sick on Sunday' has a really cool, glitchy effect to it, akin to that of breakcore. This song honestly reminds me of something by 'Igorrr' in terms of the frenetic drumming combined with the vocal performance. 'When Acting As A Wave' is the other highlight of this section, messing around with time signatures and rhythm to an extreme degree, making for an extremely strange, yet entertaining listen that makes full use of the technology at play. 'Milk Lizard' is one of the most entertaining songs on the album, despite the simplicity and less prominent aggression of it. I really enjoy the main riff with the horns backing it up, which then leads into a really great chorus. This is easily the catchiest, most enjoyable song by the band, and while I know that this isn't what this band is about, it doesn't change the fact that it's a downright great song. 'Party Smasher' is another standard DEP track without too much that stands out about it, but it still is a pretty fun track with some awesome breakdowns.

The final three tracks are my personal favourite part of the album, having some melody while also being really great and experimental, rather than just catchy and fun. 'Dead As History' has a sublime, atmospheric intro, with a quiet electronic beat to it with what seems like female operatic vocals in the background. This song then develops into an awesome use of electronic music with rock, while the vocals have an eerie sound almost similar to that of Jonathon Davis from 'Korn'. The song goes through various changes, with a great chorus that then transitions into some great use of piano as your can faintly hear chugging of guitars. 'Horse Hunter' moves from style to style with reckless abandon, starting off sounding like a regular mathcore song, before breaking down into jazz, all before focusing more on atmosphere, with some decent falsetto vocals. My favourite part of this is the last minute, which features Brent Hinds from 'Mastodon', completely stealing the show with a great vocal hook that really makes the song something special. 'Mouth Of Ghosts' proves to be one of the best songs the band has made, having a really beautiful intro that leads into a great Latin section. The song builds upon itself more and more as it progresses, with the lead up to the vocals adding a great deal of subtle elements, such as the at first quiet maracas. The percussion in general is quite impressive here, and this is a great closer in general.

There are a couple of issues I have with this album however, despite it being mostly great. My one issue is that some of the middle section is quite unmemorable, particularly '82588', which I find offers very little to the album, being by far the least memorable pure mathcore songs, and don't even find the second, quieter half to be particularly interesting. My biggest issue with this album is definitely the confused tone that it has, which while on one hand, plays nicely as a strength in terms of it being unpredictable, keeping you on your toes throughout, it also has the issue that certain songs, most notably 'Black Bubblegum' end up being incredibly jarring. Other than this, there aren't any major problems to speak of, since this album is great for the most part, with even the strange tone of it to not be anything big enough to drop the album for.

I really like the further experimentation present on this album, and find the eclectic nature of it to make it a highlight of 'The DIllinger Escape Plan's' discography, displaying their ability to create good music of many differing styles. I find the electronic influence to also be quite admirable here, as it is utilised in such a way that fits perfectly into what is trying to be created. While this is nothing like the completely unhinged violence of 'Calculating Infinity', it's still an extremely high quality album that I greatly enjoy.

Best Songs: Milk Lizard, Horse Hunter, Mouth of Ghosts

Weakest Songs: 82588, When Acting As A Particle

Verdict: A more accessible album by TDEP, that while tonally off at times, is still an extremely enjoyable listening experience that touches upon a wide variety of styles. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys extremely heavy music yet also doesn't mind to have an extremely varied listening experience. For those who don't enjoy heavy music, I'd recommend listening to Black Bubblegum, Dead As History and Mouth Of Ghosts, as these tracks are more than suitable for a somewhat wider audience.

There's a certain point where music can build up too much of a head of steam and simply become a malformed mess of half baked ideas and botched compositions. This is the fate of Dillinger Escape Plan's second album, Miss Machine, released in 2004. Myself never a fan of the band, I will admit their early albums set some standards. Unfortunately such influence does not excuse the honestly poor quality of Miss Machine. The cover alone explains everything wrong with this album; a jumble of angst-ridden songs that try so very hard to be aggressive that it falls backwards into the silly category. Not to mention when placed alongside the band's other (mediocre) discography, this honestly disquieting work sticks out like blood on snow. Any talent the band could show unfortunately does not translate well here. Uncomfortable and unenjoyable, this album is one for only those who seek the roughest listening experience possible.

Calculating Infinity is the perfect example of an album that takes the rulebook of its genre(s) and throws it out completely. It's the flawless melding of brutality and sophistication, of anger and despair, of hardcore euphoria and jazz-driven mathematics. And the members of The Dillinger Escape Plan were certainly aware of what they were doing too. Guitarist and figurehead Ben Weinman was once quoted as saying on The Independent:

"Calculating Infinity was us effectively ripping up the music theory book; if someone said 'don't harmonise with a second, it just sounds out of tune', then every single lead we did, we'd harmonise with a second. It sounded disgusting, but we did it".

This music is controlled rage, but just because it's controlled doesn't mean it's sterile or edgeless. The complex, labyrinthine arrangements are given plenty of vocal ammunition through Dimitri Minakakis' tortured, chilling screams. And I'll certainly give the band credit: they don't mess around when it comes to storming the gate early. "Sugar Coated Sour" is both a phenomenal thesis statement of the album's sound and practically a war cry for any listener interested in joining the band for this unique event. The dissonant guitar harmonies, impossibly precise drumkit grinding, and furious wailing are incredible markers of what you'll be hearing throughout this brief experience. About 90% of Calculating Infinity is a mixture of blinding speeds, jaw-dropping technical prowess, and the rare moment of unsettling reflection. Those calmer sections are a great way for the band to show their vast range of influences as well, such as the incredible polyrhythmic prog-oriented bridge of "43% Burnt" or the avant-jazz chord progressions of the slow melodic (?) section of "The Running Board." Even more curious are the few interludes that mark the record, leaning more on the avant-garde side of its identity. The title track and "*#.." are enjoyable Meshuggah-esque ditties that rely on strange rhythms and little diminished guitar "pops," while "Weekend Sex Change" combines sampling, depressive guitar melodies, and incredible drum soloing into one fascinating fusion.

The most impressive thing about Calculating Infinity is that both sides of its bipolar personality are so natural and well-represented. Many of us are aware of the various rumors surrounding the album's recording, most famously the decision to roll dice to determine each time signature. But it's strange to think that for something so, ahem, "calculated," that every bit of hardcore aggression and raw emotion can still come out in full force. Just listen to that utterly insane intro to "Jim Fear." It doesn't give us a moment's notice to prepare for the full-on assault of scorching fretwork and deranged screams, but everything manages to be very planned and pre-staged all the same. That whole song really comes together when you reach the next section and hear the complex runs across the fretboard in unison with the rabid drums, and that concept of "controlled anarchy" comes into play. Wanna know why it all works? Because the insane technicality and the angular "prog-meets-punk" riffing ensure that each emotional catharsis is earned. The Dillinger Escape Plan somehow have the ability to turn technical prowess into atmosphere, weaving in and out of disturbing musical passages; Dimitri is simply icing on the cake with the chaos he spews over it all. But each emotional release works because the band members are incredibly skilled at building us up to those moments. Much like Converge's Jane Doe, there's a respect and care that's given to each weird transition and tempo shift despite the hell being unleashed on top of the songwriting.

At the end of the day, Calculating Infinity is simply a mesmerizing paradox; it combines mathcore, hardcore punk, free jazz, avant-garde metal, and progressive metal, and somehow manages to treat them all as equals. If you want sophisticated songwriting and complex instrumentals, this album is essential. And if you just want to [%*!#] everyone up in the moshpit, then it's still essential.

Dillinger are a band that I've had a mixed relationship with in the past. I've always been interested in these guys from day one, but no matter what they did, there was always something about them that turned me off them, especially album wise. Their first few releases, a bit too crazy for my liking, slowly became slightly slowed down on their 2nd full length 'Miss Machine'. Now this is when things started to peek up for me interest wise. The guys decided to take a better approach at songwriting, with a lot of progressive influences throughout. The follow up, Ire Works was my favourite album of theirs a while, mainly because it was almost like 2 albums, with the crazy side and the more melodic side being almost separate and very noticeable Sadly, 'Option Paralysis' really wasn't my cup of tea. The ideas where strong and the sound was good, but it just seems that a lack of songwriting was the big problem. Other people love the album it seems, but it it really wasn't my thing.

Really the big problem I've always had with these guys is that they at times are like 2 bands...a mathcore band and a progressive metal band, who switch whenever they feel like it. The 2 could never really gel well, or at least they have never been able to mix them with success. But on this album...they've accomplished this.

Yea, I heard a lot of good things about this album, so when I finally got down to listening to it, I was very happy that everything that I wanted to hear on a Dillinger album is here.

The sound of the band is still similar, but this album really shows of how the songwriting has progressed and changed. The songs, instead of being crazy collections of discords, drum patterns and odd time signatures are now cohesive collections, with amazing build ups and changes of tone throughout.

One of the oddest quotes I heard about this album was from my brother, who basically said 'it's their most extreme but also their most accessible', and in many ways I agree with him. The album is definitely accessible with the popiness of some songs and the accessibility of the whole album, but...this is a very dark album. Instrumentally, it is to the point of almost injury inducing, with the bass and drums acting like a hammer to brain, while the guitar drills your gums. Greg's vocals are like every bad and angry comment spat at you like a snake shooting it's venom.

The album opener 'Prancer' and lead single really is a highlight for this band. I think anyone who has heard this song has wanted to buy the album straight after listening to it.

'When I Lost My Bet' flows perfectly from Prancer, in fact I thought it was the 2nd part to Prancer. A song based almost on a swing beat with stabs of staccato flourishes. As the song progresses it completely explodes.

The albums title track is a 'Dillinger' ballad. A slower and more melodic song, but definitely one of the highlights. A rather catchy and surprisingly powerful song.

Another major part of the album is the track 'Paranoia Shields.' A very dramatic and changing song with a very powerful performance from Greg.

One of the albums highlights has to be 'Crossburner.' The album's longest song, this one is packed full of drama and some heart wrenching vocals from Greg.

In conclusion, this is definitely the band's best album and their shining moment. These guys are like wine...it takes a while for them to really expose their flavours, so leaving them out for a few years will make them taste better. These guys have received a lot of attention in the past, and because of this release I think they should receive more. These guys have reclaimed their status as one of the worlds most interesting groups, most adventurous, both live and in the studio.

8.8/10