IRONY IS A DEAD SCENE

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.

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!

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)