Album Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan ‘Dissociation’

For nigh on 20 years mathcore titans The Dillinger Escape Plan have been leading a frantic and chaotic charge through the metal world, laying waste to venues with the insanity of their live performances and to ears with their blisteringly technical metal. Earlier this year the band announced their next release ‘Dissociation’ with it’s lead single Limerent Death, but fans’ joy was short-lived and bittersweet.

Soon afterwards lead guitarist Ben Weinman confirmed it would be the band’s last album before an indefinite hiatus. An uproar stole through the metal world at the news, and expectations for ‘Dissociation’ have been pushed astronomically high, with many fans taking ‘indefinite hiatus’ to mean a breakup. So how does ‘Dissociation’ hold up, both as an album and as the potential swansong of such an iconic band?

‘Dissociation’ is the The Dillinger Escape Plan at their best – insane time signatures, frantic drumming, and vocal acrobatics from frontman Greg Puciato feature heavily throughout, offering a slab of mathy metal that will leave long-time fans fully satisfied. What really sets ‘Dissociation’ and its creators apart from their heavy metal contemporaries is their willingness to experiment and deviate from the expected.

‘Dissociation’ takes on a frantic and at times baffling feel.

Experimentation is rampant throughout the album and pays off in every instance, particularly in Fugue. A slow and menacing instrumental, the band’s power rears its head a third of the way through, completely throwing the listener but still completely personifying The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Experimentation aside, the dynamic ebb and flow of ‘Dissociation’ is phenomenal. The Dillinger Escape Plan manage to cram more dynamic changes into a single song than many bands seem able to fit on an entire album. Limerent Death baffles the listener with insane blast beats and technical riffing one minute, and Puciato’s trademark shriek cutts across the track and switches to a melodic section with quiet guitars and softer vocals the next. As a result, ‘Dissociation’ takes on a frantic and at times baffling feel.

Despite its lack of filler tracks, which is an impressive feat in itself, ‘Dissociation’ features a few obvious standouts including opening number Limerent Death. The next standout is second track Symptom of Terminal Illness. The song stands out for a completely different reason than its predecessor, unlike much of ‘Dissociation’. After an ominous intro, Symptom of Terminal Illness builds slowly before launching into a huge stadium-worthy chorus. Rather than a stock-standard rock chorus, the refrain features subtle minor chords, lending it a sense of unease that permeates the rest of the song.

‘Dissociation’ is a perfect summation of what The Dillinger Escape Plan was, is, and will always be – pioneers of their genre, recklessly experimental, titans of the metal world, and one of the standout bands of their generation.”

The mellow style allows Puciato to showcase his clean voice, which is arguably one of the best in modern metal. The ebb and flow of the track sees the quiet and ominous riffs meet with a huge stadium chorus, keeping the listener on their toes and wanting more.

Following up the already ball-bustingly heavy Honeysuckle, sonic assault Manufacturing Disconnect manages to edge out its predecessor for the title of heaviest track on ‘Dissociation’. Its outright ferocity coupled with Puciato’s tortured scream make it a quintessentially Dillinger track. The slow-fast dynamic really accentuates each part, from the heavy rush to the slower drawn out sections, creating a roller coaster track that doesn’t disappoint.

The last standout on ‘Dissociation’ is the album’s title track and album closer. Being the possible last Dillinger track ever, the bar is set high…and the band did not disappoint. Rather than the all-out audio assault that’s much of the album, Dissociation takes the slow and haunting road. With its sombre orchestral intro leading into odd synth instrumentation, Dissociation acts as a funeral dirge for the mathcore titans. Its solemn instrumentation and haunting refrain of “Finding a way to die alone” make Dissociation a fitting end to a perfect album.

The Dillinger Escape Plan have smashed it out of the park on their most likely swansong release. ‘Dissociation’ is a perfect summation of what The Dillinger Escape Plan was, is, and will always be – pioneers of their genre, recklessly experimental, titans of the metal world, and one of the standout bands of their generation.