THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

When I first heard this album I was reminded of a man I saw on a street corner shouting his brains out through a megaphone. There was conviction and a sense of desperation in his voice, but in all honesty I couldn't decipher a single thing he was saying, and neither could anyone else passing by either. Oblivious to the bad acoustics and cheap megaphone, he railed on and possibly warned us about something, but in actuality he was wasting his entire afternoon since no one could hear him if they even cared.

Calculating Infinity has that aspect, but it also has a ton of musical energy to compensate for the relentless shouting about "stuff". Frantic and aggressive, the music lunges with ripping fast rhythms between hardcore, metal and even some grind influences while retaining a technical tightness usually reserved for technical metal and prog bands. The focus is mainly on the tempos and time signatures, thus the drummer is easily the most important member here, and does a fine job keeping busy while anchoring this whole project. The songs themselves are mostly noisy and violent pieces that can suddenly at any time shift into moments of jazzy fusion or just sheer ridiculous head-scratching weirdness for a brief spell for no apparent reason than to keep the listener guessing.

Meanwhile, far off on the horizon, a little penis wiggles in the wind.

The important thing about Calculating Infinity is that despite the seeming randomness to it all, I never get bored by the experience. Granted the vocals took some getting used to as they don't veer much from that constant yelling with occasional 'whispery' passages to add variety, and some of the atonal chugging sections begin to wear out their welcome just before the music shifts into something with hints of melody or a slow atmospheric passage...one never knows what will happen next. It's a fun record to be enjoyed by those into raucous music that has its roots in hardcore music while brandishing their instruments like seasoned aces with a fixation on time signatures and polyrhythms. Later on, the band would branch out towards more experimental realms and a better variance of vocalizations, but here is the group at its basic foundation, what they are essentially known for above all else.

When I was getting into Between The Buried and Me around 2008/09, a lot of people came up suggesting I should listen to The Dillinger Escape Plan, so I got a few of their albums and really never got it. It all seemed too chaotic and insubstantial. And then hearing the release of this album, I decided to give it a shot. I'm really glad I did.

Looking at it now, it's the culmination of everything they decided to do after Calculating Infinity, refined, then refined again, because what I failed to notice in Miss Machine was a lot of experimentation going on along the lines of Faith No More, and it really works for them. Especially in songs like Gold Teeth On A Bum and Chinese Whispers where very melodic vocal parts are seamlessly intertwined with the frantic mathcore they're known for.

In terms of listenability this is definitely one of their easiest listens yet, but it still isn't for one who isn't accustomed to mathcore or metal in general. Greg Pusciato has a great scream and a great melodic voice, highlighted especially well in the album's climax, Widower.

Now as for Widower it is by far the best song on the album. So much so that it really deserves its own paragraph. It starts off with a light piano accompaniment from Mike Garson(who also did work for Smashing Pumpkins and David Bowie) and Greg almost crooning his lines. And then the rest of the band come in. The mood tenses up as the pianos take a back seat and the vocals grow heavier. Eventually it reaches it's climax and everyone goes all out with the piano just staying out for the climax of not only the song, but the album itself. They quickly calm down to just piano noodling in about a minute, before one last outburst reminding the listener of what exactly they're listening to.

The band itself is absolutely flawless although I'd hesitate to call each one out on their merits. They really all work together in a cohesive unit, no one really outshining the other, while turning together on a dime when the music calls for it.

Overall as a mathcore album you really can't go wrong with this, and if you're considering buying a DEP album, this should definitely be your first stop.

"Miss Machine," The Dillinger Escape Plan's pseudo-concept album about stalking, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder occupies an uncomfortable space in the band's discography, and with good reason. Having not yet abandoned the vicious havoc of "Calculating Infinity" but not quite moved into the full experimentation of "Ire Works," "Miss Machine" is an album that tries to have its cake and eat it too, and it is rarely, if ever, successful at doing so.

Atmosphere is the key thing that this album lacks: It's typically slamming away with all guns blazing, with little regard for delivery. As technically proficient as these musicians are, they have a habit of tripping each other up, one guitarist trying for clean melody while the other attempts a staccato mathcore assault,and they rarely gel together well. Greg Puciato is another big problem, since his vocals are rarely driving or brutal enough to really carry across the vile subject matter of the lyrics. Seriously, a lot of this wouldn't be out of place on a Tyler, The Creator album but he barks through it like it was just another typical hardcore album, when he's not doing painful Mike Patton impressions. It's for these reasons that "Sunshine the Werewolf," "Phone Home," "The Perfect Design" and "We Are the Storm" are by far the best songs on the album: They have the most extreme subject matter on the album, but they're also the songs where the band starts treating that fact like an asset rather than shoving it into the background, using sudden time signature changes and bleak atmospherics to bring across the vicious horror contained within the songs. These are the songs where The Dillinger Escape Plan is heavy enough and mean enough to bring their gruesome vision to life, and it's a shame that they couldn't maintain that level of conviction throughout the album's (rather sparse, it should be noted) 40 minute run time.

Ultimately, what brings down "Miss Machine" is its total lack of focus. Is it a horrifying spiral into the mind of a sexually depraved madman? The lyrics say so, but the actual music tries to convince the listener that the musicianship itself is first and foremost. That said, once you're aware of the album's concept, it becomes impossible to look at the album as just another mathcore record and you start to wonder why the themes weren't either more thoroughly integrated into the tone of the music or dropped altogether. It's certainly an uncomfortable album, but not in the way the band members wanted it to be. "Miss Machine" ends up drawing your attention in so many different directions that it starts to seem like the band itself didn't end up making the most of any of the things it wanted you to pay attention to.

Non stop, no break, out of breath, crazy.

The Dillinger Escape Plan is well known for being the most obviously recognizable "mathcore" band: broken down, it's absolute insanity. Crazy riffs played at insane speed backed by insane rhythms with eccentric vocals, melodies, and just about everything else insane in the music. Farewell, Mona Lisa is no different. The band has no trouble dishing out numerous time signature and tempo changes, intense chord progressions, and just an overall sense of insanity. And when I say time changes, this isn't your average 4/4 to 3/4, this is dabbling in the x/16 to x/32 to x/8 to something else ridiculous within only a few second. Musically,The track includes a highly avant-garde feel to it, fusing a lot more jazz influence into the music than usual "plain ol' metal". Of course the crazy up and down the neck shredding is present, with plenty of tasteful part changes. Overall, the track is a great track. 3 stars.

This is the band's second EP and is quite representative of their early sound. Although the EP only lasts 7.5 minutes, there is plenty to discuss about the three short tracks here, and reviewing them is not as easy as initially thought.

The sound of the band (at least in these early days) can be roughly described as hardcore/thrash played in an extremely technical/progressive manner. I could only compare them to Meshuggah, and especially to more "chaotic" albums such as Chaosphere. There are influences from both the American (Slayer) and the Swedish scene (At The Gates) - the latter evident in Sandbox Magician. On top of these, there are few glimpses of jazz and fusion and also some more alternative/nu-metal elements resembling to Deftones (Abe the Cop). Generally the tempo is dominated by blast beats, interrupted by short pauses or slow thrashy riffs.

None of these was apparent in my first listen, which I regarded as mere "noise", but a few repeated spins have somewhat changed my mind. There are plenty of moments to take with you and as the EP progresses, it becomes better. I find this EP both annoying and great at times, as the thought of any type of structure between the challenging riffs is completely out of the question.

The Running Board is definitely difficult to digest and should be approached with caution... Although there are pieces of brilliance, they do not really add up for me as a "package" but should definitely appeal to fans of extreme prog metal in the vein of Meshuggah.

'Option Paralysis' - The Dillinger Escape Plan (7/10)

Although undeniably a greatly talented group of musicians, the work of US mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan is a very love-it-or-hate-it entity. With chaotic and atypical chord structures, discordant noise and plenty of rhythmic experimentation to go around, the band certainly makes no effort to appeal to every listener. Throughout their career, they have polarized audiences with their unique blend of experimental metalcore, and 'Option Paralysis' will be no exception to this. Blending some of the noisiest and most frenetic guitar work you're likely to hear this year, with concise songwriting and a dynamic vocal delivery, my ears were slow to warm up to the Dillinger Escape Plan's latest work. But if anything, 'Option Paralysis' proves that whatever your first impression of this group may be, they certainly warrant an educated listen before passing final judgement.

The album takes very little time getting started. A few tranquil chords ring as a vanguard to 'Option Paralysis's very barrage of sound. Mathematically complex guitar experimentation bursts throughout under the unsettling and screechy screams of vocalist Greg Puciato. However, between the chaotic noisy intensity are quite a few melodic sections. While I'm still not a fan of the screams that the Dillinger Escape Plan employs, the clean vocals are quite skilled and effective, although they can sound a bit nasal in parts. Despite making a name for themselves based on their erratic and amelodic delivery, the more mellow sections of the album are very melodic and beautiful. Even in the more accessible parts of the album however is an experimental nature, which lends a challenging listening experience throughout.

While the genre of mathcore demands a very particular sort of listener, 'Option Paralysis' should be given a chance, even by those that do not historically care for the style much. With that being said however, this is certainly not an easy listen, and requires a few listens even just to become enjoyable. While not every experiment on 'Option Paralysis' works, and some of the erratic guitar work can get annoying after a while, I have certainly been impressed by this band's effort here. A very unique sounding project.

After loving their last album, Ire Works, I jumped at the chance to get their new album.

And did it match up to their previous...

No, and to be honest I was a little disapointed.

This album wasn't bad, and it wasn't really good either.

These guys became too enraptured in becoming weird and playing off beats and going mental (something modern prog bands are doing too much these days), and they lost their songwrting abilities (well they have some).

If you wanna hear these guys, buy Ire Works, it's really good, and maybe on a one off get this album just to complete a collection.

1. Farewell, Mona Lisa - Very frantic and quite eerie. In the intro has a black metal vibe to it. Love the middle section. 9/10

2. Good Neighbour - Love the melodic death metal influence. Incredibly frantic with a lot of time changes and off beats (ooh what a suprise). 8/10

3. Gold Teeth On A Bum - Greg's vocals are amazing in this song. Pretty ok chorus. 8/10

4. Crystal Mourning - Some more black metal influences with some of the riffs. A bit too frantic. 7/10

5. Endless Endings - Again very samey and frantic. 6/10

6. Widower - Amazing piano work. Quite cheesy but also quite beautiful. Great change in dynamics and amazing vocals from Greg. 9/10

7. Room Full Of Eyes - Very noisy, but a bit samey. Nothing really different. 6/10

8. Chinese Whispers - This song does have a jazzy edge and a pretty cool chorus. 8/10

9. I Wouldn't If You Didn't - This song does have some interesting twists and turns. Great change in dynamics. 8/10

10. Parasitic Twins - Intro is pretty eerie. Great vocals. Has quite a poppy vibe with the falsetto vocals and the overdubs. 9/10

CONCLUSION: No real exceptional songs and a lot of randomness. If I were you, I would buy their other albums, before even thinking of buying this one.

This being my first Dillinger Escape Plan album, I didn't really know how to accept them, but I had enough practice with Sikth, Protest The Hero, Fall Of Troy & The Locust to know what I was up against.

And yes, this is an amazing math metal album.

Very crazy and frantic, but also great songwrtiting, and at times great chorus.

This seems to be their best album, but only have 2, so don't take my word for it.

1. Fix Your Face - Has a crazy Mastodon meets Mudhoney vibe. Pretty cool middle section. 9/10

2. Lurch - Quite discordant and very frantic. 8/10

3. Black Bubblegum - Very cheesy but works well. Incredible chorus. I have a feeling the song is about their former drummer Chris Pennie, who decided to leave them and drum for Coheed & Cambria. 10/10

4. Sick On Sunday - Obvious Aphex Twin influence. Love the dynamic changes. 10/10

5. When Acting As A Particle - Has quite a sinister atmosphere. Pretty spooky. 9/10

6. Nong Eye Gong - Quite jazzy. Very frantic. Short and sweet. 8/10

7. When Acting As A Wave - Mixes polyrhythyms with Aphex Twin noise. Pretty amazing. 10/10

8. 82588 - Some very frantic guitar work. Alot of disjunct fretwork. Very weird middle section. 8/10

9. Milk Lizard - Amazing song with a brilliant chorus and some werid instrumental choices. Pretty cool video. 10/10

10. Party Smasher - Great change in dynamics. Alot of crazy moments. 8/10

11. Dead As History - Another Aphex Twin like intro. The flute and piano sections sound like King Crimson. Pretty cool chorus. 9/10

12. Horse Hunter - Love how the song changes from crazy Math metal into lounge jazz with distorted guitars. Great lyrics and vocals. 9/10

13. Mouth Of Ghosts - Pretty cool laidback song. Love the build up. The piano work in the middle is amazing. 9/10

CONCLUSION: Not a masterpiece, but one great album.

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)

Well, that's strange. First I though that I won't like this album, but it seems that because I was curious enough to give it two more chances, I began to like it. First of all, this album shocks everyone with screaming vocals, but to say it in nutshell, what is hidden behind them gives this big value. Complex line of melody/rhythm/pace, whatever you call it.

Oh, by the way, this kind of music really needs proper headphones, or very good sound system, because otherwise you wouldn't catch all these little elements that makes this special, interesting and worth of listening. I suppose that fans of Death Prog Metal will like this, there are many similarities. But I'm slowly getting into this kind of music so this is becoming more and more interesting to enjoy it all.

There are tracks like Chinese Whispers or Parasitic Twins that are quite different, not using this kind of harsh sounding vocals, but instead being more of a dark Prog ballad than anything else.

4(+), basically it's very worth of attention, as long you as you overcome the vocals and fast pace. But in this case you don't like this kind of music, you won't be here, will you ? Maybe you will, who knows.

Cat get little bit tiresome after some time, as he keeps screaming and screaming. Yes, I'm aware that this is big part of this music, but don't listen to this too much in a row, that's all.