IRONY IS A DEAD SCENE

This recording,in my opinion is DEP's best!!These lunatics after escaping from the asylum foynd shelter in the kind shelter of the arch-paranoid,lunatic,totally crazy Mike Patton!!and the result?When good dogs do bad thinks is the best DEP song ever,pig latin is a vulgar show of raped latin music,Hollywood squaresis a hyper-fast hysterical gig,and come to daddy is something more tahn sick.Patton once more shows how unique vocalist he is using his voice like an instrument screaming,singing,whispering ,and screaming again,and of course the DEP's stand in an equal high level.A must buy realese!!

This is a pretty good record and a great collection of songs which feature the vocals of the multi-talented Mike PATTON, his only appearance with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. Mike PATTON's influence on this record is definately noticable but does not at all smother the band's classic sound that I've come to love.

For the most part, I wouldn't go further than to say that these songs are "pretty good," though "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things" just may be the band's best track ever. It's amazing vocal work and 'Pattonisms' during the first half and the epicness that follows in the latter half make for such a fun listen that one can't help but scream along to "RUN AWAY!" That said, the only nuance I have with this album are actually because of Mike PATTON, and that is the chorus to "Hollywood Squares" which for some reason can irritate me when I'm paying close attention.

"Pig Latin" features more interesting vocal work that Patton fans will be sure to enjoy and "Come To Daddy" is a cover of the popular Aphex Twin song. This cover works surprisingly well and I think the drummer Chris PENNIE is to thank for that! His playing is similar to that of an electronic drum machine's yet it still retains that human quality. "Come To Daddy" is also much more fun when one is familiar with the original song.

This EP is definately worthy of any Dillinger Escape Plan fan's collection, but 'newbies' to the band may not appreciate it's novelty so much.

This is just a four song EP, but quite a pack for one. Like Calculating Infinity, this one is dominated by total insanity, aggression and complex instrumentations, but there are also some fresh new elements here added by Mike Patton. He does a good job here, beside screaming and shouting he does pretty wide-area singing and stretches into some unbelieveable vocal things. DEP grows into new, more melodical dimensions on this record. These new things make the whole thing seem even more twisted than on Calculating Infinity. Hollywood Squares and When Good Dogs Do Bad Things represent the "traditional" way of DEP combined with inventive melodical elements. Pig Latin is more like a basic metal formula, but some funny vocal parts and cool chords make it special. Come To Daddy is the only [&*!#]ty track. The same thing is played over and over again and it gets just so [%*!#]ing boring. Besides, the song has no wonderous vocal things. But overall, I think this is the best record to start listening to DEP, because it has something to get to for people not familiar with such (progressive?) brutality as this.

This is a really interesting EP. Dillinger Escape Plan have always seemed like a band Mike Patton would have been interested in, and so this is a great collaboration. I love the insane time signature changes, obscurity and unsurity on these tracks, as it makes it exciting and interesting. The best tracks are "Hollywood Squares" and "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things". They represnt some great metal, prog and avante garde elements. The cover of Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" is quite random, yet interesting and perhaps comical. DEP and Patton are two artists who were made to collaborate and they certainly didn't waste their opportunity to work together. Shame a full studio album wasn't created, but this is still a very good piece of work, and probably the best highlight in DEP's discography!

I would advise caution when first listening to this album as it certainly is not a standard metal album. This one will go down well with fans of Fantomas and Mr Bungle.

with the addition of Mike Patton, they can do no wrong. This is my personal favorite of all of their releases thus far; the songwriting has more variety and instrumentation is more diverse. It is short and sweet. Plus it does not get bogged down in the rather repititious (after a while) approach that Calculating Infinity has (hey it's a groundbreaking album in many regards, but has not aged well- others have done it better, namely the bands Lye By Mistake, and Into The Moat, even Ion Dissonance). It is interesting to note that DEP has divided so many people, they seem to be a love or hate band. I think this disc is hands down the best, with the best songwriting (they don't overdo the morse-code riffs on this one), the Patton vocals add that special (Midas)touch, and overall it obviously influenced their later material, but seriously, they peaked on this one.......

so really; is this the only one you need? I would say so, unless you love the morse code riffage done into the ground..... ;)

It is also interesting to note how many "clone" bands have sprung up after the success of the band....but in my opinion, the previous bands I listed do it better than DEP.....check 'em out!

While searching for a permanent vocalist, The Dillinger Escape Plan made an EP with creative genius/vocalist Mike Patton. Also, as the band has been plagued with constant lineup changes since they formed, Liam Wilson is now on board playing bass, who is still a member today.

The music on this is disc is already miles beyond the group's debut, Calculating Infinity, and it is safe to assume that Mike had a lot to do with it. Fortunately, the band would keep many of the quirks of this disc in their future music.

Three of the four tracks are original pieces, which are all fantastic. Running the gamut from metal & hardcore to avant-garde with constant twists and turns and parts that will make you giggle to yourself, these new pieces prove to be very stimulating. The other is a cover of Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy;" a strange cover of an already strange song, but it's pretty neat. The band has made some interesting covers since this one, as seen on the Plagiarism EP, but this one is the most bizarre and interesting.

The Dillinger Escape Plan has a fresh take on the sound they pioneered with each release, and with this release, the band really start to work magic. If only there were at least a couple more songs on this!

AMAZING. Take Dilling Escape Plan's odd time signatures and amazing complexity and mix it with Mike Patton's awe inspiring genius and you have a very interesting experimental disk that though is only roughly 20 minutes will take you through so many emotions and leave your head spinning. Worth the price of admission just for When Good Dogs Do bad Things. Perfect.

Let me start by saying that I've never been a fan of the Dillinger Escape Plan since their monotonous and over the top style, plus the ever changing vocalists, don't really appeal to my senses. But an exception had to be made once I heard that Mike Patton stepped behind the mic and added his unique blend sampling into the mix.

This 18-minute EP delivered everything that I could hope for from such a lethal collaboration. Ever since the first few seconds of the brilliant opener, Hollywood Squares, I knew that this was going to be one wild ride! It's true that the material on Irony Is A Dead Scene is completely dominated by Patton which can be hassle for anyone expecting the more regular mathcore style that the Dillinger Escape Plan is famous for. But I'm sure that even the fans should appreciate this collaboration since it opens so many new doors for the band to explore on their future releases.

Pig Latin continues the brilliance that began on the opening track but the obvious nods at System of A Down-styled shouts drops this track down one notch even though the second half of the composition was a great departure to the realm of Patton! When Good Dogs Do Bad Things is basically a longer version of Pig Latin but with even more creative energy inserted by everyone involved. The atmospheric section, two minutes into the track, is easily the best moment of this EP with perfectly placed guitar work adding even greater effect to the occasion. It's a pity that this collaboration didn't result in more original material since the cover of Come To Daddy feels pretty repetitive and adds nothing new to the original version except for the additional experimental sounds that don't do anything for me.

Minor misstep towards the end aside, Irony Is A Dead Scene still remains a refreshing take on the the formula that both Mike Patton and the Dillinger Escape Plan can be proud of. I definitely recommend all fans of experimental metal music to check out this EP!

***** star songs: Hollywood Squares (4:08) When Good Dogs Do Bad Things (6:01)

**** star songs: Pig Latin (3:31)

*** star songs: Come To Daddy (4:23)