| Dissociation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 14, 2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Steve Evetts [3] | |||
| The Dillinger Escape Plan chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dissociation | ||||
| ||||
Dissociation is the sixth and final album by American metal band The Dillinger Escape Plan. It was released on October 14, 2016 by Party Smasher Inc. Alongside the announcement of the album, the band revealed it would be their last, breaking up after the album's touring cycle.
In August 2016, a press release titled "Is this the end of The Dillinger Escape Plan?!", [4] The Dillinger Escape Plan announced that their new album, Dissociation, would be released on October 14, the band said that the record is "potentially" their last ever release, and that they will shortly be heading into a "extended hiatus", [5] In a Noisey interview, guitarist Ben Weinman described the "extended hiatus" as a natural destination for the band rather than the result of a dispute, with the band members intending to avoid "pulling a Seinfeld and [instead] go out while we're still on top .. I don't like the idea of slowing down or doing it less often, I like to just dive in full-force and take things to the extreme because that's what this band has always been about." [6]
Around the time of the announcement it was unclear whether the band was breaking up or taking an extended hiatus. [7] However in an interview with Metal Hammer Magazine vocalist Greg Puciato spoke about the use of the term "Extended hiatus" saying, "Extended hiatus' would lead people to believe that we think we're gonna come back. We're breaking up. We're not going on an extended hiatus." [8]
In July, 2015, Weinman announced during an Australian interview that the band will return to the studio in November to record the follow-up to their 2013 album One of Us Is the Killer . [9] [10] When asked about the sound of the album Weinman said "It doesn’t sound like anything in our catalogue production-wise. Calculating didn't sound like any record I had ever heard, it sounded cold and weird. In that respect, it's kind of a bookend to Calculating." [11]
Greg Puciato had chosen the title Dissociation as early as mid-2013. Around three-quarters in the making of the album, Weinman and the singer discussed and eventually decided to finish the band, a situation which coincidentally matched the album's title and some of its themes addressed, such as personal loss and separation. [12] Later on, Puciato had to explain that the overall lyrics of Dissociation did not refer to the separation of the band. [13]
Before composing the songs, Puciato listened to their instrumental hundreds of times, in different environments, until a "breakthrough" happened which usually involved a short verse, and after that his writing naturally progressed. [14] As with previous albums, he approached the lyrics from a personal perspective and they reflected issues he dealt with at the time, reason as to why several songs came from "a position of vulnerability." He described this process as difficult, and likened it to "jamming your finger down your throat and throwing up and seeing what's there. Then you take these chunks and form them into whatever you're working with." [12]
The opening track, "Limerent Death", was recorded with a Shure SM58 microphone with a 1176 Peak Limiter compressor. On the bridge before its short outro, Puciato repeats the verse "I gave you everything you wanted/You were everything to me," increasingly louder and distorted for more than a minute, in what Revolver called the attestation to his "full sacrificial commitment to his craft." [15] Deliberately, this phrasing was the last part recorded for the album, with the singer intending to evoke an "emotional exorcism" in a single take. Once finished, he ended up on the verge of passing out and vomiting. [12] Weiman referred to "Limerent Death" as "one of my all-time favorite DEP songs, I feel that this song is one of the rare instances where all the members are feeling, and conveying, the same energy from start to end. A sharp focused dagger plowing its way through thick heavy walls." [4] In a December 2017 fan poll, the song would be elected as the best vocal performance by Puciato. [15]
The last song, "Dissociation", is an electronic ballad accompanied by string quartet SEVEN)SUNS. [16] The track was based on a drum loop that Weinman and drummer Zach Hill had created in the mid-2000s, whereas its melody was created by Puciato in 1999, when he was nineteen years old, and both pieces coincidentally fitted with each other. The singer described the creation of the song as "com[ing] full circle". [17]
The band announced the album's release date of October 14, 2016 alongside premiering the track "Limerent Death" on BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter. [4] On September 27, 2016 the band released the second and final single from the album "Symptom of Terminal Illness". [18] On October 14, the album was released on the band's own label, Party Smasher Inc. [5]
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. [19] Thirteen people in all were injured, and while none of the band members were gravely hurt, they "narrowly survived" the incident. [19] [20] In April 2018, rhythm guitarist Kevin Antreassian revealed he had two fractured vertebrae and, as a consequence, played with a back brace for a month. [21] Puciato tore a quadriceps, which he did not treat immediately and worsened, and in an extensive 2018 interview with Kerrang! the singer 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. [13] Fans raised over $20,000 in a week to the band following the crash. While dealing with this and other incidents, Puciato wrote extensively and took thousands of pictures during the tour, which helped him to go through that period. [13] His writing and photographs were eventually released as the book Separate the Dawn, released on February 12, 2019, on the second anniversary of their bus accident. [22]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100 [23] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [24] |
| Exclaim! | 10/10 [25] |
| Kerrang! |  [26] |
| PopMatters |   [27] |
| The Line of Best Fit | [28] |
| Metal Injection | [29] |
| Pitchfork | 6.9/10 [30] |
Dissociation received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 86 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [23]
All tracks are written by Greg Puciato and Ben Weinman [31]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Limerent Death" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Symptom of Terminal Illness" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Wanting Not So Much to as To" | 5:23 |
| 4. | "FUGUE" | 3:49 |
| 5. | "Low Feels Blvd" | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Surrogate" | 5:05 |
| 7. | "Honeysuckle" | 4:22 |
| 8. | "Manufacturing Discontent" | 4:22 |
| 9. | "Apologies Not Included" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Nothing to Forget" | 5:15 |
| 11. | "Dissociation" | 6:14 |
Dissociation personnel according to liner notes. [32]
Production
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [33] | 14 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [34] | 78 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [35] | 99 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) [36] | 80 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [37] | 177 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38] | 100 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ) [39] | 5 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [40] | 32 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [41] | 60 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [42] | 47 |
| US Billboard 200 [43] | 31 |
The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of dissonance, odd time signatures, polyrhythms and unconventional drum patterns became a staple of their sound, although later albums incorporated more melody, and influences from a range of genres. The band's lineup shifted numerous times throughout its existence; by the time the group dissolved, Weinman was the only remaining founding member. The final lineup also included longtime members Liam Wilson on bass, Greg Puciato as lead vocalist, and Billy Rymer on drums, alongside then-newcomer Kevin Antreassian on rhythm guitar.
Miss Machine is the second studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan released in July 2004 through Relapse Records. It is the first album by the band to feature vocalist Greg Puciato and bassist Liam Wilson. Miss Machine marks a change to a more experimental style by the band.
Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes. Early mathcore lyrics were addressed from a realistic worldview and with a pessimistic, defiant, resentful or sarcastic point of view.
Gregory John Puciato is an American musician best known as the former lead vocalist and lyricist of the metalcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan. In addition to being a solo artist, he currently fronts Better Lovers and the Black Queen, and is a member of Killer Be Killed, in which he also plays guitar. He also performs backup vocals on Jerry Cantrell’s solo tours. In 2018, Puciato and visual artist Jesse Draxler co-founded the art collective and record label Federal Prisoner.
Benjamin A. Weinman is an American musician, most notable for being the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the mathcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP). He is the founder and sole constant member of the DEP, he is currently playing rhythm guitar with the crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies and lead guitar in the progressive rock supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra.
Christopher Aaron Hornbrook is an American drummer and a founding member of metalcore/post-hardcore band, Poison the Well. He also is working with Dhani Harrison and Killer Be Killed and The Black Queen singer, Greg Puciato. From 2014 to 2018, Hornbrook was also a member of Senses Fail.
Plagiarism is an EP by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on the iTunes Music Store on June 13, 2006.
Ire Works is the third studio album by American band the Dillinger Escape Plan. The album was released in the UK on November 5, 2007, in the US on November 13 through Relapse Records, and in Japan on November 28. The album was their last album on Relapse. The album is Gil Sharone's only album with the band and their first without founding drummer Chris Pennie. Lead guitarist Ben Weinman plays guitar alone on the record, due to Brian Benoit's injury. The album is described as mathcore, post-hardcore, and metalcore, incorporating a wide variety of influences including electronic music.
The discography of The Dillinger Escape Plan, an American mathcore band, consists of six studio albums, six extended plays (EPs), two split EPs, eight singles, one video album, 15 music videos and seven other appearances. Formed in Morris Plains, New Jersey in 1997, the band originally featured vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, guitarists Ben Weinman and Derek Brantley, bassist Adam Doll and drummer Chris Pennie; Brantley left after two shows and was replaced briefly by touring guitarist John Fulton, who himself left in 1998. In 1997 the band released its self-titled debut EP on New Jersey independent label Now or Never Records, after which they were signed by Relapse Records who issued their second EP Under the Running Board in 1998. The EP charted on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 194.
Option Paralysis is the fourth studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on March 23, 2010. After having fulfilled their contract with Relapse Records, 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 Dillinger Escape Plan's first release to feature Billy Rymer on drums, since Gil Sharone left the band in September 2008 due to the frequent touring schedule and to focus on his brother's band Stolen Babies.
Billy Rymer is an American musician, most notable for being the drummer for The Dillinger Escape Plan from 2009 until the band played its final shows in December 2017, and again since December 2023.
Omen is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was recorded in November 2009 and was released first in Japan on May 18, 2010, and on May 25, 2010, in other parts of the world. It was released on May 24, 2010, in parts of Europe. It is the last album to feature bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nunez, who were replaced by Asesino frontman Tony Campos and former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade in mid-2011. At just over forty and a half minutes, it is the band's second shortest album; the shortest is Archangel at thirty-six and a half minutes.
One of Us Is the Killer is the fifth studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on May 14, 2013. One of Us Is the Killer is the band's second release under their Party Smasher, Inc. imprint. The CD was released as a standard version that can be picked up at most record stores, and a limited version with a scratch-off cover that can only be bought at Best Buy containing two bonus tracks.
Killer Be Killed is an American heavy metal supergroup founded by Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato and Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera in early 2011. The lineup also features Mastodon bassist and co-vocalist Troy Sanders and Converge drummer Ben Koller. The band had slowly been working on material before announcing its name in October 2013, along with their signing to Nuclear Blast. The group's self-titled debut record was released in 2014. In September 2020, the group returned with a new single, and released their second album Reluctant Hero in November of that year.
"Honey Bucket" is a song by American rock band Melvins. The song was released as the third single from their fifth album, Houdini (1993). It is the fifth track off the album.
The Black Queen was an American electronic supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2015. It was founded by lead singer Greg Puciato, keyboardists and guitarists Joshua Eustis and Steven Alexander.
Fever Daydream is the debut studio album by American electronic band The Black Queen. It was released independently on January 29, 2016. The album was released in Australia under Universal Music Australia and was initially limited to 1,000 copies.
Party Smasher Inc. is an independent record label founded by Ben Weinman of the Dillinger Escape Plan in 2009. In May 2016, Party Smasher partnered with Cooking Vinyl for global distribution. The label is named after the Dillinger Escape Plan song of the same name on their 2007 album Ire Works.
Child Soldier: Creator of God is the debut solo album by American musician Greg Puciato of the Black Queen and the disbanded the Dillinger Escape Plan, released through his own Federal Prisoner record label. It was originally set to be released on October 23, 2020, but due to a leak, Puciato decided to release it three weeks early on October 1, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)