A long time ago, someone said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Chances are that dude is dead (actually, it was Nietzche and he’s been dead for years), but those seven little words have not only become a modern philosophical and medical catchphrase, but a signpost to life for The Dillinger Escape Plan. That’s because despite a multitude of major incidents and setbacks that would have most other bands either releasing substandard, unfocused material or disbanding and retreating to the comfort of the 9-to-5 world, Dillinger have continually defied the odds and returned more powerful with each and every impediment. With their newest album, Ire Works, they’ve overcome yet another hardship and, almost unsurprisingly, have followed it up with a career-defining recording. You can’t kill The Dillinger Escape Plan. And they only get stronger.

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. Pennie was a founding member, Weinman’s right-hand man in the song writing process and achieved respect from both the underground and mainstream drum world. Undaunted, DEP re-grouped with the dynamic Gil Sharone (Stolen Babies) manning the drum throne and have found themselves to be a more efficient machine than ever before.

With Ire Works, DEP continue to push the envelope. Where Calculating Infinity was an irascible, combustible technical tour-de-force and Miss Machine juxtaposed the band’s explosive tech-metal song crafting with dark, mature melodies, Ire Works is all about channeling the collective experience and a lot of, well, ire. And, as Ire Works proves, all attempts to kill The Dillinger Escape Plan end up as fodder for a good story, more fuel for their undying flame and a monumental album.


– Kevin Stewart - Panko