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The Dillinger Escape Plan

Ire Works

Written by: PP on 15/11/2007 04:07:01

I feel the anticipation rising... ohh yes, this is the review for The Dillinger Escape Plan's long awaited follow up to 2004's "Miss Machine", "Ire Works". This is a review of a band, which in its relatively short career has influenced countless bands by releasing a couple of seminal albums despite numerous lineup changes. Especially "Miss Machine" was an incredible piece of metal, so intricate and precise in its riffs and ensuing chaos that it was dubbed "math metal", a definition which still stands valid today.

The anticipation for this record has been immense. Forget about a marketing campaign, just with word of mouth the band could sell over 100k of this record, which presumably will be the case in not so distant future. It really is that freaking good. Granted, it might not be "Miss Machine" and it might be even more experimental and versatile in sound, but it's still pretty god damn good.

Just to re-define the word "heavy" in the minds of the band's old and new fans alike, "Ire Works" begins with the absolute monster "Fix Your Face", the track that's probably most reminiscent to the uncontrollable rhythms of "Panasonic Youth" from their last album. It's the kind of song that if you put it loud enough, your neighbor would probably call the cops suspecting that you're having a mini-scale world war III inside your apartment building. And as if to state "we weren't joking around with the first track", the band slaps on "Lurch", with some of the most complicated guitar this band has composed to date. This all whilst frontman Greg Puciato gives you no mercy; his vocals are remorseless, relentless, and brutal in the very meaning of that word. These two tracks were perfectly placed, reminding their fans not to worry, they haven't abandoned their insanely structured mathcore which the band became famous for.

The reminder was necessary, because the following tracks are something we've never heard from The Dillinger Escape Plan before. "Black Bubblegum", for instance, is the poppiest track the band has written to date. It expands even further from Miss Machine's "Unretrofied", with a clearly defined chorus and no sign of manic screaming. It's good that the first two tracks prepared the fans with a brutal assault, because this way they'll be happy for the breathing space this song offers. However, while the song sounds awesome at first, you quickly become annoyed at Greg's experimental vocals and the squeaked backup vocals alternating on the background. Luckily, it's the only track that's only half-decent on the record.

"Sick On Sunday" is a frenzied electro-industrial mess, remotely resembling what The Sound Of Animals Fighting did on parts of "Lover, The Lord Has Left Us" - although this one has cleverly placed breakdowns and screamed vocals. All-instrumental "When Acting As A Particle" is even stranger, featuring some string instruments and a daunting atmosphere. It works as an interesting build up to the impending destruction from the first second of "Nong Eye Gong", which slams you back to the ground. Hard. "When Acting As A Wave" is a similar interlude, again acting as a build up to the insane "82588", which in turn is heavy enough to counter-balance the trumpets and the melodic chorus of "Milk Lizard", one of the best tracks on the album.

By now you'll surely have felt the vibe this record's giving off. It's got some really experimental stuff that'll undoubtedly take you by surprise, it's got some ear-bleeding mathcore that leaves no fan of heavy music cold, and it's got more of the melodic verse-chorus-verse type music destined to be played at shows like the Headbanger's Ball. Basically, the record is the logical progression from "Miss Machine", taking many of its strengths but also bringing in new, unforeseen elements. However, coming off a release like "Miss Machine" isn't easy, and although "Ire Works" doesn't come close into being as seminal, it does a pretty god damn good job.

Download: Party Smasher, Fix Your Face, Milk Lizard
For the fans of: Botch, Poison The Well, Converge
Listen: Myspace

Release date 13.11.2007
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Provided by Target ApS