The Dillinger Escape Plan

There is nothing like a bit of Tuesday night metal to break up the working week and this was one show that had more than enough brutality to go around.

Last time Southern metal rockers Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster were at Fowlers they were headlining to a much smaller crowd than they were faced with this time around. The Alabama locals began their set with a soft musical introduction which eventually built up to ‘Raised by the Tied’ from the group’s second record, the aptly titled II.

The start of the show played victim to a bad mix as ‘Darkest Of Kin’ and ‘Tough As John Jacobs’ left the crowd non-responsive besides a few cheers and yells. The group pushed on with ‘Last Train Coming’, ‘Listen Close’ and 'Memories of the Grove' during which bass player Roman Haviland flipped his instrument around to reveal a 'Clap' sign to which the crowd obliged.

As the audience warmed up, the mix became better and the last few songs ‘Dry The River’ and ‘Caution: Dangerous Curves Ahead’ became set highlights. The conclusion began with some country rock slide guitar before ‘Step Up (I’m On It)’ from the latest release III ended the set on a high.

The room filled instantly when the lights dimmed and The Dillinger Escape Plan’s introduction began, a sample of various sounds and clicks featuring a voice repeating the words “This is how the world ends”.

An accurate statement considering the power force of sound that followed as the band exploded into ‘Panasonic Youth’, the opening track from 2004s Miss Machine, backed by blinding on stage lights which only revealed the band members as silhouettes.

Without missing a beat the barrage of sound continued with ‘Fix Your Face’ and ‘Milk Lizard’ from 2007s Ire Works, the latter a clear crowd favourite which was executed brilliantly. The set than took a step back to the band’s early material with ‘Sugar Coated Sour’, the opening track from the debut Calculating Infinity, before jumping forward to ‘Chinese Whispers’ from the newest release Option Paralysis.

Singer Greg Puciato then casually proclaimed “You remember us, we’ve been here before,” before launching into ‘When Good Dogs Do Really Bad Things’, one of the heaviest moments of the show.

The highlight of the set followed as axe man Ben Weinman traded his guitar for a piano and the band played an amazing version of ‘Mouth of Ghosts’ during which every member performed their individual dynamics perfectly to produce a brilliant piece of music.

Those who claim The Dillinger Escape Plan make a bunch of noise and have no talent would have been silenced at this point. The sing-along section followed with ‘Black Bubblegum’, before another new song ‘Room Full of Eyes’ and crowd favourite ‘Sunshine the Werewolf’.

The complete Dillinger catalogue was on display as the band moved back and forth between albums with ‘Good Neighbour’ followed by ‘Lurch’ and ‘43% Burnt’, during which both guitarists duelled with frantic riffs and strong choruses.

The show ended with the single from the new record, ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, which arguably sounded even better live than it does on the album, and the band destroying gear, pulling the drum kit apart and throwing road boxes into the crowd.

The length of the set may not have been comparable to the price of the tickets but the performance certainly was. The Dillinger Escape Plan once again did what they do best, came, saw, conquered and destroyed, and no one was left unhappy.

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