 | Tracklist:
1. Panasonic Youth
2. Sunshine The Werewolf
3. Highway Robbery
4. Van Damsel
5. Phone Home
6. We Are The Storm
7. Crutch Field Tongs
8. Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants
9. Baby's First Coffin
10. Unretrofied
11. The Perfect Design
| Ranking: #99 for 2004 | |
| | other reviews | PeteyThePistol (5)
Miss Machine is the quintessential Dillinger Escape Plan album.... | Matt Conrad (4.5)
The peaks and valleys of this album are as extreme as the music itself.... |
On 59 Lists
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8 of 9 thought this review was well written
The Dillinger Escape Plan:
Greg Puciato - Vocals
Ben Weinman - Guitar
Brian Benoit - Guitar
Adam Doll - Bass
Chris Pennie - Drums
After The Dillinger Escape Plan's first major label release, Calculating Infinity, many fans of the band were disappointed to hear singer Dimitri Minakakis had parted ways with the band. Moving in a different direction, Dillinger collaborated with the highly prolific and experimental vocalist Mike Patton on the Irony Is A Dead Scene EP , while at the same time posting a no-vocals version of "43% Burnt" on their website and accepting recordings in order to find a new singer. Dillinger's fanbase took another hit from the experiment, with many saying that they had lost their roots and were becoming mainstream.
With Miss Machine, it would seem Dillinger isn't bothered by the absence of loyalty from much of their fanbase, and are in fact moving to alienate many of their original fans. This album is more accessable than anything DEP has done before, even though it is still far from what you would hear on the radio.
Greg Puciato fills in as the band's vocalist and is a welcome addition; he's just as willing to use his wide array of screeching and screaming as he is to break out in singing, and he excels at both. The lyrics are arguably better than the ones found on Infinity, especially on tracks like "Panasonic Youth" and "Phone Home". Some moments are a bit cheesy (notably parts of "Unretrofied"), but they're not anywhere near pop-band proportions. He also has a tendency to sound a lot like Mike Patton in sections ("Phone Home"), which I personally enjoy and welcome.
There are many mainstream moments on this album. "Unretrofied" and "Phone Home" are notably more laid-back than the usual blastbeats and grind, and there are more various breaks and soft sections. The grind and offbeat time signatures are still readily apparent, however, especially in "Sunshine The Werewolf" and "The Perfect Design". Most of Machine is an amalgamation, though, with "Baby's First Coffin" and "We Are The Storm" mashing together the relaxed and abrasive perfectly.
Also, I got a limited edition DVD with this album. I was mildly dissappointed that the video for "Panasonic Youth" wasn't on it, but the sheer amount of live videos made up for it. It includes a "Making Of" piece and basically a catalogue of live songs from every moment in their discography, performed by the current band roster. Not bad.
While DEP has embraced writing more melodious music, they are nonetheless resolute in maintaining their style. Some may be put off, but it is simply the nature of the music - Dillinger makes offbeat grindcore at it's best, and on this album, they somehow manage to complicate the formula even more. It may not beat the highlight, Calculating Infinity, but it is really a different record altogether, by a much more mature band.
Recommended Tracks: "Panasonic Youth", "Van Damsel", "Phone Home", "We Are The Storm", "Baby's First Coffin"
Overall Rating: 4/5
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
This is my review spot kiddos.
Digging: Brother/Ghost - Black Ice | | |
I've never been such a big fan of Dillinger, and I haven't yet heard this album, but I've heard a couple of tracks from it on promo CDs (Baby's First Coffin and Panasonic Youth). One thing I've noticed so far is the vocals; so far I really don't like Greg's vocals, and much prefer Dimitri's.
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[QUOTE=Bartender]I've never been such a big fan of Dillinger, and I haven't yet heard this album, but I've heard a couple of tracks from it on promo CDs (Baby's First Coffin and Panasonic Youth). One thing I've noticed so far is the vocals; so far I really don't like Greg's vocals, and much prefer Dimitri's.[/QUOTE]
You haven't heard it yet because it was released today. :smoke:
I like Dimitri, but he felt too much like a one-trick pony. The closest thing I ever heard to Dimitri singing was his talking during a few brief moments on some tracks. I couldn't imagine him doing more than two albums like that.
I suppose Greg's vocals are in a class of their own, though. If I had my way, Mike Patton would always sing for them. :cool:
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I never thought of Dimitri's vocals like that, but even so, it's not so much that I wish he was on this album, but that I just don't like Greg's vocals.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yes Patton gave this band it's brief moments of sanity.. 
Digging: Do Make Say Think - Other Truths | | |
[QUOTE=pixiesfanyo]Yes Patton gave this band it's brief moments of sanity.. [/QUOTE]
Ha, it's MUCH more sane on this album. On a lot of the tracks, anyway... some are just all-out crazy.
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I
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I hear DEP on the radio The college station played Pig Latin the other day
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Great review. I don't have any money right now, so I have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.
[QUOTE=pixiesfanyo]I hear DEP on the radio The college station played Pig Latin the other day[/QUOTE]
DINGAH!
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Good review, I will check it out.
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[QUOTE=cbmartinez24]I
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I got this album today, and so far I like it a lot. But not as much as the EP.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
geeze you're fast, I was just about to do this review too, nice review. personal favorites Baby's First Coffin and The Perfect Design. I saw them live today at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey (www.vvinyl.com). It was truely incredibly insane. The ended with sugar coated sugar from Calculating Infinity :]
Digging: A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head | | |
[QUOTE=IsItLuck?]geeze you're fast, I was just about to do this review too, nice review. personal favorites Baby's First Coffin and The Perfect Design. I saw them live today at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey (www.vvinyl.com). It was truely incredibly insane. The ended with sugar coated sugar from Calculating Infinity :][/QUOTE]
Be glad you didn't. Me and DFelon have had dibs on it for months.
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And believe me, you don't want to mess with those guys. The last guy that stole a review from Subtle and DFelon... well let's just say he's sleepin' with the fishies.
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We're crazy. We'll take you out. I'll use my grindcore guitar skills and DFelon will get all Draculacore on your ass.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Plus you guys are ninja pirates
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It's true. Look forward to DFelon's review, too.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Sunshine the Werewolf makes me erect
| | | Album Rating: 4
[QUOTE=SubtleDagger]We're crazy. We'll take you out. I'll use my grindcore guitar skills and DFelon will get all Draculacore on your ass.[/QUOTE]
Damn skippy.
I'm still digesting this album all. It's really good though. My review will come soon. Also, the forums were down so it wasn't letting me post my CTTS review in full and now I have to go workout and play tennis until nightfall. I'll be back.
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