|
Review Navigator   FeaturesContestsReviews
| Dillinger Escape PlanMiss Machine2004 Relapse 
 Review by: Aubin See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
dillingerescapeplan.com (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on July 20th 2004
After listening to what feels like a thousand different records - all of which led me to wonder how many of these bands employ Adam Lazzara - I was becoming increasingly cynical about the ability of recent music to affect me in any meaningful way. And certainly, I count Calculating Infinity among my absolute favorites, so I approached this long awaited release with a mixture of anticipation and skepticism. The addition of a new singer, the third (of sorts) for the band, as well a five year delay between full lengths left me a more than a little nervous about the future of one of my favorite bands. Of course, the first and most noticeable difference between Calculating Infinity and Miss Machine is the addition of Greg Puciato, and I must confess that as much as I loved Dimitri's contributions to the bands first EPs and full length, Pucciato more than adequately fills his role, adding more versatility than Dimitri ever attempted. From the undeniable power and rage on “Panasonic Youth,” and “Van Damsel” to the melodic and dynamic range he demonstrates on the Latin-inspired “Unretrofied,” Greg manages to both impress with his mastery of both Dimitri's scorching scream, as well as his contribution, a powerful and dynamic tenor. Any doubts I had about his ability to function as a replacement were quickly quashed as I progressed through the eleven song disc, only his first record with the band. Despite the bands reputation as progenitors of “math-core” - a reputation they could easily have rested on for the next decade - Miss Machine is possessed of an unmistakable progression and once again demonstrates why the band is one of the most innovative forces in modern music. While their potent combination of hardcore, grind, jazz and industrial music was already incredible, the addition of melodic elements and further progression down a variety of new avenues leaves this record as a unique experience. The rhythm and explosive power of “Highway Robbery” progresses seamlessly into a burst of a melodic chorus before breaking down into a pseudo-drum and bass bridge; while “Phone Home” takes The Downward Spiral's “The Becoming” and morphs it into a dark and addictive tour de force. But all this technical mastery could become a dry academic exercise into music theory in the wrong hands; Don Caballero's instrumental noise, jazz and metal make for a unique and influential mix, but the result is often sterile and impersonal. Luckily, The Dillinger Escape Plan never falls into the “noodling” trap, allowing its considerable instrumental and vocal prowess to serve as a vehicle for the songs, not as the songs themselves. While some may complain that Patton's contribution with the band (the wonderful Irony is a Dead Scene) had too much of an influence on the band, I'm not clear on why the influence of arguably the best vocalist in contemporary music would be considered as a strike against the band. Greg certainly takes some cues from the multi-faceted vocalist, most certainly in the melodic chorus of “Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants” which sounds like Faith No More filtered through progressive hardcore, but ignoring the singular influence that Patton's projects like Mr.Bungle and Fantomas undoubtedly had on the band would be a missed opportunity. If nothing else, Miss Machine has renewed my faith and all but erased the auto-tuned annoyances of those other bands from my memory. And while bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan rarely receive the mainstream success of those bandwagoneers - usually having to make do with the adulation and admiration of musicians and critics - Miss Machine is that special kind of record which rests precariously on the apex of accessibility and importance. Without a doubt, one of the finest records released this year, and almost certainly the best heavy record since, well, their last one. People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
Well I'm a few years late to the party but I had to drop a comment because Miss Machine is unbelievably awesome Definitely in my top five favorite albums. Awesome. awesome great cd i still love it this sounds like powerman 5000. not good. dillinger lost everything that made them special. score is also for jerbangs at their shows..... steve this sounds like powerman 5000. not good. dillinger lost everything that made them special. score is also for jerbangs at their shows..... steve Man the album art is cool:) And this album is fucking too awesome, you can't ever get tired of it!! Each time i listen to it, I hear something new and I've got the album for near a year! and the drummmer... the drummer is crazy!! The album art kinda sucks but the cd is amazing. one year later and i still care about this record. Excellent! As a bigger Bungle fan than Patton fan, and an avid LinknPark hater, this album does have Patton written all over it, which is cool. But it also does have a couple Park like moments. these guys are good, but they need to cut down on the steroids this is awesome shit! I must admit, was a bit skeptical of DEP at first. I thought they may have been just one of those bands that scenesters pretend to like to be cool and such. Alas, after purchasing this album and thoroughly listening to it three times in a row all the way through (seriously), i found myself a new favourite band, move over leatherface!! alot of these people like this band, but ya know what i think they are fucking horrbile, their music sounds like they dont even know how to play. it sounds out of fuckin control miss machine = good mushroom trip Greg's a pretty funny guy - I saw em live and he said "Fuck The White Stripes, why the fuck would you pretend your wife is your sister? What the fuck is that?". That's before I got brutalised by a gang of huge bastards. Yeah man this is so Linkin Park. I love when Greg starts busting out the mad ill rhymes. This album is great. 'Nuff said. it will kick your ass love the druming. he is one of the best Honestly, I was never a huge fan of DEP in the beginning, someone introduced them to me along with Candiria. The EP with Patton though, and this new one especially, have changed my mind about them. My GF loves them, and I feel good that I gave them another chance thanks to her. Greg's a great vocalist. This record rocks, buy it or die. dude... DeP!? this band is crazy ass fucked speed hyped jazz scaling guitar flying hardcore shit.... this band deserves respect and to the people who dont understand.... Great disk; definitely worthy of a 10. I recently ordered the new Mastodon album from Relapse. I think I'm going hardcore. Half of the songs sound like Linkin Park? I don't think Linkin Park with their three guitarists will ever create a moment, let alone a song or a record, that parallels DEP. This was nothing like calculating infinity (which i loved) or pretty much anything else they have done, but it still sounds like DEP even if its not as crazy and theres not guitar all over the place. But hey it still kicks the shit out of that radio crap. Calculating Infinity is a great album, but how is this "progress" when half of the songs sound like Linkin Park? there are a few songs that I like less than others, but this cd is totally sweet. I get to see DEP play with Every Time I Die and Zao. it's gonna rock!! new DEP interview http://www.peta2.com/ot/o-dep.html best comment ever to the spirit of dillinger story Very solid album. Some of it is a little bit too nu-metal and Nine Inch Nails for me. I respect NIN and DEP, but I never was into the whole industrial thing. But I bought it, and I enjoy it. 10. But it wasn't always going to be. Just got the album today...Miss Machine fuckin' rocks! And the DVD that comes with it is great! One of the best albums of the year...if not the best. If you don't check this out you are fucking stupid. DEP has created a masterpiece that will not soon be followed. Caculating Infinity was nothing less than this album, but Miss Machine is explosive and consistant. Go buy it, help DEP move out of their parent's houses. dude, my band can kick this band's ass. cant beat the dvd that comes with it either I didn't really know what to think of DEP before, but there'd been a lot of hype of over this record... does no one think track ten is so bland and as bad as or worse than any linkin park? Amazing. "I'm gonna get this today, and listen to it while playing NFL 2K5...its no Madden, but $20, damn thats hot." but is it any good? This album is a touch raw. Needs a bit of work hahaha...calculous...hahaha "This is the real fusion of math, hardcore, and grind." did anyone actually think this would get anything less than a 10? blah blah Awesome record! One of the best metal/hc bands around. Couldn't have said it better myself. It's not Calculating Infinity Pt. 2 but it takes the first full length, the stint with Patton, and some new twists, to make this a very enjoyable record. i have a friend who thinks patton is god, apparently mike patton has had some sort of hand in every heavier rock band of the 90s Panasonic Youth is a Bombgasm of a song wow, since when is having a Patton influence a bad thing? my only complaint is that for some reason, and this may be a mix up, they let linkin park write and maybe even perform track ten . otherwise a great album "Why do people post reviews of bands that no one has ever heard of and that no one will ever hear of? This score is for Mike Patton. pretty good, but i still wish theyd been able to hold on to mike patton on a side note why hasn't anyone reviewed the new Zao album i agree with mr. steve jones on this one Why do people post reviews of bands that no one has ever heard of and that no one will ever hear of? "So....Only Crime...that CD didn't actually come out, right?" You'd definitley love them What a bunch of untalented ass-clowns. They should just change their name back to A Flock of Seagulls and play that new-wave shit that they were famous for in the 80s. "I'm glad there's so many closed minded idiots who don't like this band. It lets the intelligent music lovers see this incredible band in small venues still. THANKS MORONS." I saw these guys do an in-store at vintage vinyl the day Miss Machine came out. It was crazy seeing them in such a small place. Greg actually jumped off the stage and was screaming while standing on top of the rows of cds. I think I saw the manager shit his pants. Ridiculously awesome Where did things go wrong? bwah. awesomeness. i've been pretty excited for this one. i'm still in my "getting used to it" phase (ie the first 8 or so listens), because i hate making snap judgements about records because so many that i love weren't ones i liked at first. however, i'm starting to really get into this one, and it's possible i'll like it as much as calculating infinity eventually. gerg's vocals are taking a bit to get used to, but i'm starting to like the changes his vocals have made to the band. so for now i'll give this record a tentative thumbs up. Crap, this shite has nothing to do with punk, i dont care how "technical" it is, im sure all the "im hipper than you punks will say they love it just because everyone else does. Total crap-oldpunker- I want this album so bad! It will be out on July 27th here in Montreal! Perfect CD. I'm gonna get this today, and listen to it while playing NFL 2K5...its no Madden, but $20, damn thats hot. I'm glad there's so many closed minded idiots who don't like this band. It lets the intelligent music lovers see this incredible band in small venues still. THANKS MORONS. I don't "get" this album or this band. You amuse me "anchors", thanks, oldpunker- Kirby is right Scott, you shouln't miss a Dillinger show under any circumstances, take your mom. Dude, I miss Chicago's DEP date b/c I'm not in town, and then I miss it again becuase I already got tickets for Tsunami Bomb and the Lawrence Arms. not my cup of tea but I understand why it's liked. Crap, this shite has nothing to do with punk, i dont care how "technical" it is, im sure all the "im hipper than you punks will say they love it just because everyone else does. Total crap-oldpunker- This is a situation where you should take your mom to the show Scott. great review aubin. i might have to actually go out of my way to check this out now. Only Crime is out... it came out last week. I can get into the Blood Brothers. I can't get into this...at all. Scott, there is a solution: TAKE THEM If one word could describe their music, I would say it represents desperation, like someone clawing to get out of a room that is filling up with gas, fighting for their life. The Dillinger tour is playing here on July 30th. I was sooooooo excited to go. Then my Mom calls and tells me that she and my sister are coming to visit me that very same weekend. Like most others I'm sure, I had a feeling they would progress to include more melody, and it works damn well. This is definitely a progression, and a solid album, but I've always felt Dillingers live show was the best showcase of their technical prowess, and it gives them the opportunity to live out that penchant for covering Justin Timberlake they have. One of the musically best bands of our time What's with the 4/4 time pop-punk songs on this album?! Great review. not perfect .. i like mr bungle and all, but mike patton's influence over this band is the only flaw in an otherwise perfectly constructed group. this band sucks when they try and ape him. but yea, i like the addition of melody to their sound. it's good. Excellent review, Aubin. Don Caballero reference and succesfully anointing Mike Patton as god give you many plus points. these guys fucking blow...sure, they're original and their music is difficult to play, but they're completely unlistenable....but i haven't heard this album, maybe they changed a bit my stupid record store didnt get this in. i'm picking it up tomorrow. cant wait I am not a fan of this album. The artwork is pretty bad and it seems like Patton's influence is all over the album. I'm about 8 songs through, and loving it. The DVD is pretty cool too. This score is for 'Calculating Infinity' which I really wanted to like, and ended up just hating because it just wasn't as revolutionary as people seemed to think. They will never be as big as the Blood Brothers, but definitely are about a hundred times better. This CD is pretty fucking amazing. |
