Philly Music Fest: The Dillinger Escape Plan

The Dillinger Escape Plan story begins eleven years ago in suburban, Northern New Jersey when Weinman, Pennie, Minikakis, Doll and Fulton got together to play the music they wanted to hear. An old cliche, yes, but the sounds racing and raging through the heads of these five was unlike anything metal or hardcore had heard previous and instead of settling for an approximation of what they were hearing internally, DEP pushed themselves to the limit, ensuring they played what they envisioned. First, a self-titled EP; then the Under the Running Board EP, their Relapse debut and quite frankly the most unrestrained and invigorating seven minutes of your life. Calculating Infinity followed, an album that commanded, and still commands, respect and reverence from press and the public. It scored accolades from the moment it was released, obtaining a strong showing in Terrorizer magazine's top albums of the 90's, despite its September, 1999 release date and was recently inducted into Decibel magazine's Hall of Fame. After that, Irony is a Dead Scene, before the band's second album, Miss Machine, a diverse offering that tempered their complex sonic mathematics with stream-lined electronic-based compositions. Ire Works comes on the heels of Pennie leaving to join the ranks of Coheed & Cambria. On the surface, this probably seems like an egregious, soul-ripping blow, one that could understandably be cause for some form of towel to be thrown in.