The Dillinger Escape Plan, XCOMM, et Squid Pisser

The Dillinger Escape Plan formed in 1997 from the remains of lead guitarist Ben Weinman’s previous punk band, Arcane. The group is based out of Morris Plains, New Jersey, United States and in addition to Weinman originally consisted of vocalist Dimitri Minakakis and drummer Chris Pennie.

The members recorded their first demo under the name Dillinger Escape Plan and with it attracted offers from Now or Never Records. The label eventually went on to issue the mastered version of these tracks on their self-titled EP. The name stuck and the band continued recording and performing live under their new alter ego.

The group toured to promote their new EP and immediately gained a strong cult following with their ramped up performances, which often climaxed into violent outbursts. Their show was emblematic of their music: unpredictable and attention grabbing. In fact they developed such a reputation that they had several bites from other record labels one of those being Relapse Records, through which the band signed a multi-record recording contract.

Their first release through the label was their 1998 EP “Under the Running Board”. Though it initially had only 3 tracks, it was re-issued 10 years later, featuring an additional 10 tracks, including a Black Sabbath cover and several live recordings. This EP in a sense acted as a promotional tool to get fans revved up for their studio debut “Calculating Infinity”.

By this time the band’s sporadic but technically sophisticated sound started to crystalize. It was still spread across multiple influences: dadaist noise rockers (Boredoms), thrash metal instigators (Anthrax and Megadeth), hardcore punk legends (Minor Threat and Black Flag), and sludge metal/grunge hybrids (the Melvins); however, their sound constantly remained focused and purposeful.

Their debut was received with widespread acclaim in both underground and commercial circuits. One professed fan was Faith No More’s Mike Patton, who asked the group to open for his band Mr. Bungle. The group went on from there to play several other gigs including dates with Warped Tour and festivals such as Metalmeltdown.

Following these extensive tours the band went through several line up changes, most notably which included the lost of their vocalist Minakakis. By this time Weinman was the only original member.

In 2002 the revised line up released a 4 track EP “Irony Is Dead”, which contained a revisiting of the Aphex Twin track “Come to Daddy”. This EP featured guest vocalist Mike Patton, but by the time their sophomore album “Miss Machine” was released Greg Puciato took over as the group’s vocalist. This album proved to be their most pop oriented release to date as well as their most commercially successful. The group went on a two year tour to support the album, headlining many of the shows themselves, but occasionally opening for acts like Megadeth and System of a Down.

After their long lasting tour the band tied over their fans with the 2006 EP “Plagiarism”. As the title hints at, it is an EP largely built around covers. Some of the selections make sense such as Nine inch Nails’ “Wish” taking into account the band’s influences, but others like Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” seem to come out of nowhere.

Their relatively lengthy draught of studio albums ended in 2007 with the release of the critically and commercially herald “Ire Works”. The album featured the single “Milk Lizard” and referenced literary figures such as Arthur C. Clarke, Henry Thoreau, and Richard Dawkins.

Dillinger Escape Plan continued the trend of releasing one album every three years with “Option Paralysis” coming out in 2010 and “One of Us Is a Killer” finding a release in 2013. The former of the two reached No. 78 on the Billboard 200 and was voted the No.1 album on Pitchfork’s reader’s poll, and the latter was promoted by a North American tour opening for Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails.