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The Dillinger Escape Plan was a band from Morris Plains, New Jersey, United States. The group originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie. The band performs a fast-tempo, technically proficient style of heavy music popularly known as mathcore. The band recorded their second EP with Relapse Records in 1998 entitled Under the Running Board. A year later, this was followed by the album Calculating Infinity Read more on Last.fm
I suppose I understand the dissent, but Ire Works is my runaway favorite DEP record. They finally understood that being the craziest band on the planet did not at all mean trying to be the craziest band on the planet.
While Calculating Infinity and the EP with Mike Patton were watershed creative moments in heavy music, Ire Works is something else entirely. It’s jazzy, poppy, fun, and yet brutally heavy – it’s like a masterclass-turned-kegger from the coolest professor in the music school. I hear records like this and think “Man, if we lived in a society where we were socialized to challenge and stimulate ourselves aesthetically like in the old world, there could be such cool conversations around records like this.” This is pop music for savants, stalwarts, and agents of chaos.
Short Review: This album was akin to growing up with Indiana Jones and getting excited about The Crystal Skull, only to see said film and pull a “face palm”. I do agree that they’re a step ahead of the pack but, this record sort of made me shrug.
Ire Works was disappointing, but DEP is still years ahead of so many other bands.