THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
Igl Aronesh
By: Brent Mittelstadt
Practically overnight, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN went from being underground heroes to a household name. Sparked perhaps by a collaboration with ex-FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton, the band’s well-deserved fame is undeniable following 2004’s critically lauded Miss Machine. Having spent much of 2005 and part of 2006 touring in support of Miss Machine with high profile acts such as AFI, the band's popularity has grown exponentially, but a much needed stint away from the road was in order to write the lady's successor. Though the band has been quiet about the follow-up so far, we caught up with guitarist and founding member Ben Weinman to get the scoop on their upcoming slab of genre-defying metal, Ire Works.
Described as "more emotional" than Miss Machine, Ire Works looks to explore the ironic and troubling relationship between humanity and technology. "Humans have always been programmed by both nature and nurture, for the first time we are living in an age where we are being programmed by things that we originally programmed - computers, machines, cell phones, etc." explains Weinman. While a technologically based record will undoubtedly raise alarms for many fearing a turn for the industrial worse, Ben assured us that while the songs are futuristic, they are not futuristic in "that stupid techno metal way." Rather, Ire Works will be just as organic as and more personal than DILLINGER's past material. And, as always, in true DILLINGER fashion, it promises to be “all over the map.” A one dimensional theme record about robots and the apocalypse, this most certainly is not.
Working with longtime co-conspirator Steve Evetts, the band is well along in the recording process of Ire Works. According to Weinman, “The writing process for this record was much more focused. Being home a lot over the past two years has benefited the writing process a lot. I am realizing more and more that touring and putting on this front that you have to be the hardest working and touring band in the world is stupid. I know now that if we stop for a year to write a record, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you take care of your personal life and get along with the people you are making music with.”
The time off seems to have had just that effect, as DILLINGER are reportedly as close knit as they have ever been. “Liam and I are friends now. We never really talked before we started writing this record, and now we like go eat together. I didn't even know a vegan could go out to eat. Now I'm trying all kinds of berries and leaves. There are some strange properties in some of them, little natural nuggets of the earth. Wait till you hear some of the bass lines. Liam is really ripping it on this record.”
The care taken in perfecting the new record is apparent with a glance at the band’s website. Updates detailing the writing process show a band that is rehearsing endlessly as a unified entity, one that is greater than the sum of its parts. They are ‘living and breathing’ this record, not just slapping down some tracks in Pro-Tools and calling it a day. Even as DILLINGER moves further away from the math metal scene it helped create, the unflinching DIY work ethic that made them underground legends carries on.
2004 was a year of polarization for the DILLINGER fan base, with fans split between those that embraced the band's newfound experimentation and those that disliked the downplaying of their math metal roots. Asked about Ire Works' potential for dissonance, Weinman was quick to say that, "This may be the first DILLINGER record that doesn't piss off too many of ours fans. Putting out a record like Miss Machine has really weeded out the kids who don't accept our diversity and experimentation. Whoever is still with us won't be disappointed and whoever left is really missing out." Integrity is a rare thing to come by into today's metal scene, and DILLINGER has it in spades. Does the band care about living up to the expectations of fans? "Fuck no. If we cared about the expectations of the music scene we wouldn't be us."
Since news initially surfaced about a new album in late 2006, the band has been dropping cryptic hints and teaser trailers sprinkled with new material via MySpace and YouTube. By keeping things mysterious, the hype machine has effectively been turned on its head. As fans try desperately to descramble anagrams for any scrap of new information, their hunger is fueled by bits and pieces of new material scattered among web-isodes, recording diaries, and even a driving blog that details the epic cross-country journey undertaken by singer Greg Puciato and bassist Liam Wilson involving 50 hours of nonstop driving, Dyer’s Eve on repeat, and multiple speeding tickets.
Concrete details about Ire Works are few and far between as Weinman remains surprisingly tight-lipped. Are they intentionally keeping details scant to drive the hype sky high? It seems unlikely. Perhaps it is the insatiable expectations of fans that are the true culprit? Undoubtedly aware of clichéd marketing gimmicks, Weinman explains their covert nature: “Part of us feels like we owe our fans information. We really try to connect with the kids who are into DILLINGER as much as possible because we really feel like they are our people, the cream of the crop. At the same time we are kind of private as a band. We don't want to promote things that are really irrelevant in the big picture. At the end of the day it’s kind of just like, “Hey our record is out. Check it.”” Regardless of their intentions, the fact remains that nothing short of brilliance is expected from thousands of fans collectively clenching their teeth until this September.
While the hype machine keeps itself churning on the hopes and dreams of loyalists worldwide, the band remains in relative seclusion in Seal Beach, CA recording their next magnum opus. How much of the cryptic information released thus far is true remains to be seen. Many will undoubtedly be saddened to find that the originally announced title, Greetings Captain Planet: It Is I Wheeler, Volume 45 Episode 32Q: An Audio Guide to Eternal Celibacy, is false. Igl Aronesh, an anagram that will “answer many of the recent questions” surrounding Ire Works, remains elusively out of anyone’s deciphering grasp.
Even now, as September rapidly approaches, the mystery continues in full swing. The current line-up remains unknown, although Ben did not hesitate to confirm that at least one member has changed. Questions about guest musicians were answered ambiguously, leaving the possibility for another Irony is a Dead Scene caliber cameo open. Asked to describe the new record in ten words or less, Weinman perfectly summed up everything we know about the record to date: "Go by the board, chock-a-block and copper-bottomed!"
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN’s new album, Ire Works will see a fall release date through Relapse Records.
|
|
|