The band’s lineup has changed multiple times over the years, in part due to a variety of injuries. Guitarist Ben Weinman and former drummer Chris Pennie have been present in many of the lineups. After the departure of vocalist Dimitri Minakakis in 2000, the band held a nationwide search and selected Greg Puciato as the new lead singer. The band has since released five full length albums with Puciato on vocals: 2004’s Miss Machine, 2007’s Ire Works, 2010's Option Paralysis, 2013's One of Us Is the Killer, and 2016’s Dissociation.
Early years (1996–1998)
The band’s beginnings can be traced back to a hardcore band called Arcane. Prior to Arcane, Adam Doll, John Fulton and Chris Pennie played together in the bands Samsara and Malfactor from 1992–1997. Managed by longtime friend Tom Apostolopoulos and guitarist Ben Weinman, Arcane recorded a self-titled demo under the name The Dillinger Escape Plan which Now or Never Records offered to release on CD. Shortly before their first tour under the new name, guitarist Derek Brantley left the group and was replaced by John Fulton.
The band gained notoriety in the hardcore scene for the intensity of their performances. This notoriety drew the attention of Relapse Records representatives, who attended one of the band’s shows in Pennsylvania, ultimately resulting in the signing of a multi-record deal. The band recorded Under the Running Board on Relapse, but shortly after its release, Fulton left the band.
Calculating Infinity (1999–2001)
The three-song EP release served to bolster anticipation for their 1999 full-length release, Calculating Infinity. Before the recording of Calculating Infinity, bassist Adam Doll was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The accident was a minor fender bender, but because Doll had leaned over to pick up a CD beneath the stereo, the accident caused a small fracture in his spine, inducing paralysis. Guitarist Weinman played both guitar and bass on the album, though liner notes credited Doll as providing a great deal of help.
Shortly before touring began for the new album, former Jesuit guitarist Brian Benoit auditioned for the band, taking the place of the departed John Fulton; Jeff Wood, former M.O.D. bassist took the place of the injured Adam Doll. Calculating Infinity was met with great acclaim from both underground and mainstream press, even drawing the attention of former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, who asked Dillinger Escape Plan to tour with his band Mr. Bungle. Over time, their notoriously intense shows grew more so, incorporating samples, a light show, fireworks, fire breathing, and other antics.
After several months of touring, including appearances on the Warped Tour and March Metal Meltdown, the band and Wood parted ways, with Wood moving on to his own project, Shat. Liam Wilson, also the bassist for Starkweather, took his place. In 2000, Now or Never Records re-released the band’s self-titled EP with added bonus tracks. Later that year, the Minakakis parted ways with the band.
Irony Is a Dead Scene (2002–2003)
Without a vocalist, The Dillinger Escape Plan began a nationwide search for a replacement via their website, releasing an instrumental version of “43% Burnt” from Calculating Infinity and inviting prospective vocalists to record and submit their own vocal tracks.
It was during this time period the band found itself in a transitory period, with no set future course. Among the band’s lead hopefuls was Andrew Field-Pickering of Redline and The Chase fame.
While the search was underway, vocal duties were handled by a number of the band’s friends, including Sean Ingram of Coalesce and Mike Patton, who agreed to help the band produce an EP. The plan to record with Patton was in place before a replacement vocalist had been found. By the time Mike Patton had recorded vocals and the EP was released, the band had been touring with Minakakis’s replacement, Greg Puciato, for nearly a year.
Released in August 2002 via Epitaph Records, Irony Is a Dead Scene featured Weinman, Pennie, Benoit, Wilson, and Mike Patton on vocals, with ex-bassist Adam Doll helping with keyboards and samples. It marked Doll’s last appearance with the band. The four-song EP contained, among others, a cover of IDM artist Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy”. Buddyhead Records released a limited vinyl version.
Miss Machine (2004–2005)
In late 2001, Dillinger Escape Plan met Greg Puciato, one of many would-be vocalists who had submitted a recording to the band. Puciato included both a faithful version of “43% Burnt” (in the style of Calculating Infinity) and the same song with his own personal spin. The band offered him the job after two practice sessions. He accepted, first appearing at the 2001 CMJ Music Festival in New York City. Soon after, Puciato and the band recorded two songs for a Black Flag tribute compilation.
In 2003, the band appeared on the soundtrack for the motion picture Underworld with the song “Baby’s First Coffin”, their first original song with Greg Puciato on vocals. They also recorded a cover of “My Michelle” for the Guns N’ Roses tribute album Bring You To Your Knees, released in March 2004.
In July 2004, Relapse Records released the band’s first full-length album with Puciato, entitled Miss Machine. Miss Machine sold 12,000 copies its first week, becoming the band's biggest-selling release. The album polarized the Dillinger Escape Plan audience; some fans were critical of the band’s increasing artistic and musical departures from their earlier efforts, while others preferred them.
Following the controversial release, Dillinger Escape Plan began a two-year touring cycle, headlining tours of their own or occasionally providing support for acts such as Slipknot, System of a Down, and Megadeth. These tours were replete with injuries; in late 2004, guitarist Benoit suffered nerve damage (brachial plexus neuritis) in his left hand, and other than a short return to the stage in 2005, he has not played with the band since. Former Fenix TX guitarist James Love ended up playing most shows in the late 2004–2006 period. In 2005, the band was forced to drop out of Dave Mustaine’s “Gigantour” slightly early due to a rotator cuff injury guitarist Weinman sustained in a car accident, despite the best efforts of the bands touring masseur, Jason Hamacher (of Frodus Conglomerate International).
Plagiarism (2005–2006)
In June 2006 the band released both an iTunes exclusive EP of cover songs entitled Plagiarism. The title is a reference to the fact that four of the EP’s six tracks are covers faithful to the original songs. And their first DVD, a short accompanying piece to Miss Machine (entitled Miss Machine: The DVD).
Four shows before the end of the 2006 tour with Coheed, Weinman flew home for undisclosed personal reasons and the band played on for a while as a quartet.
In late 2006 the band contributed a track to We Reach: The Music Of The Melvins, a compilation tribute to The Melvins [6]. It would be their last recording with drummer and founding member, Chris Pennie.
Ire Works (2007–2009)
Ire Works was produced by Steve Evetts at his studio Omen Room in Los Angeles. Drums were recorded at Sonikwire Studios in Irvine, California. On June 15, the band announced the departure of Chris Pennie (now with Coheed and Cambria). Gil Sharone of Stolen Babies handled drum duties for the album. Ire Works was released on November 13, 2007. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #142 with 7,000 copies scanned but was later corrected when it was revealed that Relapse somehow forgot to scan the pre-release album sales, which made the first week total actually around 11,000.
Also missing from the new lineup was guitarist Brian Benoit who had left the band due to injury. Although assured his place in the band is secure should he ever be able to perform again, Jeff Tuttle (formerly of Heads Will Roll and Capture the Flag) will be taking his place on stage for the foreseeable future. Tuttle, however, does not make an appearance on the record.
Option Paralysis (2010-2012)
Option Paralysis is the fourth full-length studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on March 23, 2010. After having fulfilled their contract with Relapse Records (and reportedly dissatisfied with Relapse's handling of their previous album, Ire Works), the band released the album through Party Smasher, Inc., their own new imprint in collaboration with French record label Season of Mist. It marks the first Dillinger Escape plan release to feature Billy Rymer on drums since Gil Sharone left the band in January 2009 due to the frequent touring schedule and to focus on his brother's band Stolen Babies.
One of Us Is the Killer (2013-Present)
One of Us Is the Killer is the fifth full-length studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on May 14, 2013. The album is the second release under their Party Smasher, Inc. imprint, as well as release through Sumerian Records. Sumerian Records. It is also their second recording with drummer Billy Rymer.
Dissociation and disbandment (2015–2017)
In May 2015, Kevin Antreassian, a former member of New Jersey progressive metal band Knife the Glitter and former guitar student of Ben Weinman, became the new rhythm guitarist of the band replacing James Love.[62][63] In July, Weinman announced during an Australian interview that the band would return to the studio in November to record the follow-up to One of Us Is the Killer.[64][65] In the following year, BBC Radio 1 premiered the band's new single "Limerent Death", which would be featured on their sixth studio record Dissociation.[66] In an interview with Noisey, Weinman said the Dillinger Escape Plan would stop performing,[67] with Puciato later saying "we're breaking up".[68] Puciato was quoted saying that the band still enjoyed writing, recording, and performing together but "we started to reach what felt like a thematic conclusion to our band", comparing the decision to a filmmaker who enjoys the current film he is creating but cannot continue the process indefinitely.[69] Weinman said, "we are going to do the cycle for this album and that's it."[67] Dissociation was released on October 14, 2016, through Party Smasher in partnership with Cooking Vinyl.[70] In 2019, the singer acknowledged this album as the first part of a trilogy, followed by his 2019 book Separate the Dawn (written during their last tour), and finished with The Black Queen record Infinite Games.[71]
On February 12, 2017, during their European farewell tour, The Dillinger Escape Plan was involved in a vehicle crash after a truck collided with their bus near Radomsko, Poland. The truck driver, who ended up seriously wounded, pleaded guilty to falling asleep while driving.[72] Thirteen people in all were injured, but the band members were not gravely hurt.[73] Revolver reported that they "narrowly survived" the incident.[72] In April 2018, Antreassian revealed he had two fractured vertebrae and, as a consequence, played with a back brace for a month.[74] Puciato tore a quadriceps, which he did not treat immediately, and later revealed that he began to suffer from serious mental health issues during this tour, including panic disorder and hypochondria, but following the accident, his symptoms became "almost unlivable" and had to receive treatment.[75] Fans raised over $20,000 in a week to the band following the crash.[76]
On September 5, The Dillinger Escape Plan were honored at the 2017 Association of Independent Music Awards. The band received the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" prize at the ceremony at The Brewery, Clerkenwell.[77]
The band's final show took place at Terminal 5 in New York City on December 29, 2017, with Code Orange and Daughters as support acts.[78] The band also played two additional shows on December 27 and 28, before the final show. For the first show the band announced that they would be joined by Mike Patton to perform their collaborative EP, Irony Is a Dead Scene and were supported by God Mother.[79] On the December 28 show, the band was joined on stage by original frontman Dimitri Minakakis, and he performed several early Dillinger Escape Plan songs. Minakakis also sang with Puciato during the encore performance of 43% Burnt.[80] Minakakis appeared again on the last night, whereas former guitarist Brian Benoit joined them for parts of the December 27 and December 28 shows. Original bassist Adam Doll joined as well for the final night, playing keyboards on their last song "Dissociation".[81]
Post-Dillinger Escape Plan activities (2018–present)
After the Dillinger Escape Plan disbanded, the members remained active in music. Puciato continued touring with his electronic band The Black Queen throughout 2018[82] and has plans to record as Killer Be Killed for a second album.[83] Weinman became the rhythm guitarist for Suicidal Tendencies in 2018.[84] and is the manager for Grammy award-winning artist Kimbra,[85] while also running an animal sanctuary from his home in NJ.[86] Wilson formed the progressive metal band Azusa with members of Extol and Sea + Air and released their debut album in November 2018.[87] He has also been playing bass occasionally for Devin Townsend. In September 2019, Rymer reunited with Weinman while playing a series of shows for Suicidal Tendencies as a fill-in for Dave Lombardo. He has also been performing as the touring drummer for Ho99o9,[88] and has joined the band thoughtcrimes.[89] Antreassian owns and operates Back Room Studios in Rockaway, New Jersey, which operates as a full recording studio and rentable rehearsal space.
Puciato released the poetry and photography book Separate the Dawn on February 12, 2019, marking the second anniversary of the band's bus accident in Poland. It was written during the last Dillinger tour and released through Federal Prisoner.[71]
Manufacturing Discontent
The Dillinger Escape Plan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fortunate to be in this state
Firing on a boredom innate
Chewing on a ticking grenade
Listening to the comforting shade
Instinctive
I'm supporting a string of destructive habits
Crumbling from a sudden dead weight
Here lies me
Now what's the meaning
Here lies me
Now what's the meaning
Oh won't you tell me
Now won't you tell me the point
I was trying to find myself
I wasn't looking for you
But you gave me the point
I was trying to kill myself
What else was I
What else was I gonna do
I had a pretty good time
I had a pretty good time
A long goodbye
Ascension to demise
A vow to break
A lesson for the wise
I was put here to survive
Why is your burden mine
Holding space for this
There's a place we must have missed
And they're open real late
And I believe that we should go
As a consolation
But directions are unknown
Tonight would be the perfect time for us to reach the peak
It takes a lot to try to care
The truth's below the surface, beneath the deep
When you live on the thinnest air
And even condescension comes with a fee
Slow to care
Slow to care
Now you tell me the point
I was trying to find myself
I wasn't looking for you
Looking for you, looking
But you gave me the point
I was trying to kill myself
What else was I gonna do, gonna do
I had a pretty good time
The lyrics of "Manufacturing Discontent" by The Dillinger Escape Plan appear to be about the struggles of life and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. The first stanza sets the scene of someone who is feeling trapped and bored, as though they are chewing on a ticking bomb. The second stanza reveals that the singer is grappling with destructive habits and fighting against their own inner demons. The third stanza shifts to a sense of resignation, as though the singer has come to accept their place in the world and is awaiting some kind of resolution. The fourth stanza contains a plea for someone to show the singer the point of life, as they feel lost and directionless.
The repetition of the line "Now what's the meaning" throughout the song highlights the singer's existential crisis, as they struggle to understand what their purpose is in the world. The sense of resignation and defeat in the final stanza suggests that they have given up on finding meaning and are simply seeking some kind of escape from the pain and suffering of their existence.
Overall, "Manufacturing Discontent" is a dark and introspective song that grapples with themes of loneliness, depression, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.
Line by Line Meaning
Discarded a broken escape
I have given up on the idea of escaping my current situation which is already broken beyond repair
Fortunate to be in this state
Although my state of mind is alarming, I feel gratified to possess such a heightened sense of awareness
Firing on a boredom innate
I am struggling to break free from my innate tendency to feel bored and dissatisfied with everything around me
Chewing on a ticking grenade
I am constantly on edge, feeling like I am about to explode at any moment due to the overwhelming stress and anxiety that I am constantly chewing on
Listening to the comforting shade
I find solace in the darkness and shadows, where I can hide from the harsh realities of life
Instinctive
My actions and emotions are driven purely by instinct, as I struggle to control my impulses and desires
I'm supporting a string of destructive habits
I am aware that my habits are leading me down a destructive path, but I feel unable to break free of them
And fighting more that I care to admit
I am battling with my demons on a daily basis, but I am afraid to confront and acknowledge them for fear of what they may reveal about myself
Crumbling from a sudden dead weight
The weight of my burdens has become too much to bear, and I am collapsing under their weight
Here lies me
This is a metaphorical image of myself reaching the end of my life, with nothing to show for it
Now what's the meaning
I am contemplating the purpose of my existence and what I have achieved in my life
Oh won't you tell me
I am seeking the guidance and wisdom of others to help me make sense of my situation
Now won't you tell me the point
I am pleading with someone, anyone, to explain the meaning of my life to me
I was trying to find myself
I have been on a journey of self-discovery and self-actualization, trying to figure out who I truly am
I wasn't looking for you
I am not looking for someone to save me or solve my problems, but rather for someone to provide me with guidance and insight
But you gave me the point
Despite my reservations, I have found guidance and a sense of purpose from someone unexpected
I was trying to kill myself
I was engaging in self-destructive behaviors and thoughts, and contemplating ending my own life
What else was I gonna do
I felt that I had no other options or ways out of my situation
I had a pretty good time
Despite the struggles and hardships, I still managed to enjoy parts of my life and have some positive experiences
A long goodbye
I am approaching the end of my life and preparing to say goodbye to the world
Ascension to demise
I am rising to the occasion and facing my mortality head-on, accepting my eventual demise
A vow to break
I am making a promise to myself to break free from my destructive habits and live a better life
A lesson for the wise
My experiences and struggles have taught me valuable lessons that I hope others can learn from
I was put here to survive
I believe that my purpose in life is simply to endure and survive as best I can
Why is your burden mine
I am frustrated and resentful that others expect me to carry their burdens as well as my own
Holding space for this
I am making room in my life for the struggles and challenges that come my way
There's a place we must have missed
I feel like there is some hidden place or solution that I have overlooked in my search for answers
And they're open real late
This is a reference to bars or clubs that stay open late, suggesting that the solution to my problems may involve escapism or hedonism
And I believe that we should go
I am suggesting that someone join me in my pursuit of this elusive solution
As a consolation
I am seeking temporary relief from my struggles, even if it is just a brief distraction or escape
But directions are unknown
Despite my efforts to find the solution to my problems, I am still lost and directionless
Tonight would be the perfect time for us to reach the peak
I am suggesting that we make the most of the present moment and attempt to achieve our goals before it is too late
It takes a lot to try to care
I am acknowledging that caring about my problems and taking action to solve them is a difficult and taxing process
The truth's below the surface, beneath the deep
The real truth and meaning behind my struggles lies hidden beneath the surface, under layers of denial and self-doubt
When you live on the thinnest air
My life is a precarious balancing act, where the slightest misstep could mean disaster
And even condescension comes with a fee
Even when people try to help me and offer me guidance, there is often still a cost or price to pay for their assistance
Slow to care
I am slow to open up and to trust people with my problems and struggles
Looking for you, looking
Although I initially resisted seeking help from others, I am now actively searching for someone to provide me with guidance and support
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gregory Puciato, Benjamin Weinman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Bouchie
Conan's a legend for having DEP on. And look at him, he's vibin!
d Bass
have you heard the lyrics in this song though?
Daniel Becerra
This and At the Drive-in on Conan are fucking legendary
noBear Adventures
Conan will always stand at the top of the late night game for me for this and always supporting Faith no More when they had a new album out. You just know he has great taste in music. And used his platform to give exposure to the bands he wanted to break. Gotta respect that
WhitePony1990
For sure, him and Letterman always had/have bangers. TBF, Kimmel and Leno surprised me a couple of times with acts like APC or M83 but Letterman has consistently had quality bands on
Evan Gray
David Letterman was also really good with stuff like that. Now people just want to see acts they already know, and complain if they've never heard of the musical guest.
Maxolydian
This is the energy every live band should aspire to achieve. You can just see how much the music matters to them. They’re having more fun than the audience
MD F
My fav band ever
TheDillinger123
To be fair, if Greg walked out on stage and he said he had some songs he wants to play and you're going to sit there and listen to them. I'm going to sit there.
FortyFive
Not to mention this is the most restrained performance this band ever performed.