The Dillinger Escape Plan: The Dillinging

The Dillinger Escape Plan: The Dillinging

Daylen DeKeyrel

The Dillinger Escape Plan, an American experimental mathcore band formed in 1997, from New Jersey. Going through a lineup throughout the timeline of their work. Releasing six studio albums within their discography. Well known for their odd time signatures, chaotic, and melodic jazz sequences. The band would always change their general tone, but never got too far away from their iconic sound. So infamous that the term dillinger, or dillinging is a way to describe similar genres of music. Inspiring bands today, their legacy is unforgettable. Here is the ranking from their albums worst to best.

 

Calculating Infinity (1999)

This is TDEP‘s debut album with the leading vocals in his only appearance in the band’s discography. They knew their sound from the start, but the melodic vocals weren’t present. Instead of vocals, it’s just pure jazzcore at some points. I am not a big fan of this record overall, but it has some amazing tracks nonetheless. The track “43% Burnt” put them on the spot with their iconic sound, and defined them. The vocals from Dimitri Minakakis fit TDEP, but presume that everyone else would agree the new voice of The Dillinger Escape Plan was going to transcend them even higher than before.

7/10 Highlight tracks: “43% Burnt” and “Weekend Sex Change”

 

Ire Works (2007)

Their most well known album on here. Ire Works was the first Dillinger album I thoroughly listened to and loved. The most diverse and experimental. Some tracks are just glitchy sound time signatures, and one track that has a perfectly bittersweet ending. “Black Bubblegum” and “Milk Lizard” are some of the most popular songs they’ve ever made. The subtle jazz elements are here as always, and that’s an aspect that is unique to their discography. The highlight track “Milk Lizard” plays a horn in the background and it’s perfect. Greg Puciato falsetto is amazing throughout the bangers that are “Black Bubblegum” and “Milk Lizard” A personal favorite album based on nostalgia, but not their best by an overall means.

8/10 Highlight tracks: “Black Bubblegum”, “Milk Lizard”, “Dead as History”, and “Mouth of Ghost”

 

One Of Us Is The Killer (2013)

This album has some of the best tracks in the discography. Then why is it still their fourth best? That is because their every album after this have an even better set of songs. Their most consistent album in my opinion, because every track is worth a listen. One Of Us Is The Killer has an amazing atmospheric tone throughout. By far the most atmospheric compared to any other record. “Prancer” as an opener is one of their best, and “One of Us is the Killer” is an amazingly composed song. That track is so loved that it’s their top track on spotify. “Crossburner” being a heavy and perfectly dillingered secondary closer. The album has many of my favorite tracks. As I opened this review I noticed that the tracks I disliked don’t deserve the hate I gave it compared to other albums with a similar issue. Every track is at least good, overall this is an amazing record.

8.5/10 Highlight tracks: “Prancer”, “One Of Us Is The Killer”, “Nothing’s Funny”, and “Crossburner”

 

Option Paralysis (2010)

From this point on every record is similar in ranking, and this is my new personal favorite Dillinger record. Then it’s fourth place? It does what Ire Works does, but better. The best Dillinger song ever is their opening track, “Farewell, Mona Lisa.” “Widower” is everything I love about the melodic Dillinger sequences. They have experimental tracks in the middle, but they sound incredible. Every track is worth a listen, but the highlight tracks are most obviously the best. One of their best closers “Parasitic Twins” is the perfect amount of experimental. Out of all the albums I’d do an in depth review of this record just note how good it really is. “Farewell, Mona Lisa” opens with the classic Dillinger openings and transitions into my favorite set of vocals in any Dillinger song. Beyond that I’d be reviewing the whole record, which gives a point of how good this and these records are at this point.

8.5/10 Highlight tracks: “Farewell, Mona Lisa”, “Widower” “Chinese Whispers”, and “Parasitic Twins”

 

Miss Machine (2004)

The first album with Greg Puciato, and the entire album reinvents Dillinger. Even if it’s still the hard mathcore band with jazzy elements we know and love, this is not Calculating Infinity. From the opening track that transitions into the second track. To the three in one song, “Unretrofied.” This album starts the new beginning of Dillinger perfectly. I presumed this album wasn’t as good as Ire Works, but I dare to say it’s miles better in some aspects. Overall this album is incredible and similarly to and unlike Option Paralysis, every track is experimental but perfected making it worth listening to the whole record. The opening track, “Panasonic Youth” gets right into the record and perfectly transitions with “Sunshine the Werewolf.” “Sunshine the Werewolf” has some of my personal favorite lyrics in the album. “Baby’s First Coffin” is my absolute favorite track, yet it’s tied with “Unretrofied.” The bridge for “Baby’s First Coffin” is one of the grooviest melodies, and lyrically is a masterpiece. Only drawback to the record is that the closer “The Perfect Design” isn’t as good as I want it to be. It could be the best record if they kept that great perfection of the previous tracks. Sadly it’s ironic that “The Perfect Design” doesn’t perfectly close the album. This record is a piece of history for this genre, and it holds up perfectly.

9/10 Highlight tracks: “Sunshine the Werewolf”, “Phone Home”, “Baby’s First Coffin”, and “Unretrofied”

 

Dissociation (2016)

Their final album that they would ever release. The most emotional album of all, and for good reason. Being everything Dillinger is and adding beautifully sorrowful and melancholic themes to represent the album. This album was named before the band considered going on their definitive hiatus. Officially disbanding after their tour of Dissociation and finally escaping. This album is depressing with themes best to leave it there to say it all. Every single track is a highlight track in my opinion. The opening track “Limerent Death” takes the crescendo to another level. The instrumental “Fugue” is oddly an absolute vibe, and “Symptoms of a Terminal Illness” is one of their cleanest sounding songs that has the signature mathcore. “Nothing to Forget” is a combination of “Limerent Death” and “Symptoms of a Terminal Illness” descriptions and it’s my second track of the record. “Dissociation” is the closer, and it’s the best closer for a band. No other band could say farewell so well. From the theme to the length of this album, this album is almost perfect for my ears. I comfortably believe this is their best record, and that will stay forever.

9.5/10 Highlight tracks: Every track throughout is a highlight in my personal opinion, but these are my favorite tracks; “Limerent Death”, “Apologies Not Included”,  “Nothing to Forget”, and “Dissociation”

 

The winding up of their chaos to the unwinding melody of sweet jazz. There is nothing that can come close to them. (A certain band might similarly interest me) They are all perfectionists, and every album can represent that. Greg Puciato is hands down one of my favorite vocals of all time, and an idol of mine. One of the only bands to make me want to listen to instrumentals only. That may be contradicting what I said about Puciato, but that only proves how well composed their music is overall. By far one of my favorite bands of all time, it’s sad to note that the chances of them coming together and making another album are never. With my ranking of The Dillinger Escape Plan covered it’s on to Between the Buried and Me, the greatest progressive metal band period. They’re so good in fact they’re a band I’ll have to dive into with multiple articles. First off, is to review the beginning of their discography. After going in depth with all their discography I’ll be ranking each album, and giving the treatment Between the Buried and Me truly deserves.