Math Plus Music Is A Great Thing: Dillinger Escape Plan "One Of Us Is The Killer" Review

  

Have you ever listened to a new album from a band that you love, and it was exactly what you wanted, but still managed to surprise you?  That’s exactly how I felt throughout my first playthrough of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s “One of Us is the Killer,” and it was one of the greatest listening experiences I have ever had.  All bands change with time, sometimes for the better (yes, I prefer newer, more progressive Iron Maiden than their classic 80’s sound, deal with it), and sometimes, unfortunately, for the worst (Finger Eleven.  “Paralyzer” sucks, and if that is the only song you have heard from them, I legitimately feel sorry for you).  Dillinger manages to progress enough in the right direction, yet still retaining their sound that makes them one of the most unique bands on the planet.

For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the New Jersey math/metal/punk/jazz/all around kick-ass band, let me state that they are certainly not for everyone.  The constant changing of time signatures and tempo, dissonant chords, jazz-infused breakdowns, and screeching vocals are more than enough to turn the average listener off, just as it did for me back when I first heard them.  However, even if you can’t enjoy the music, you have to appreciate the musicianship and thought that went into crafting this release.

The album opens up with the single “Prancer,” which contains classic elements from Dillinger’s entire discography, but is a bit more “structured” than previous releases; and before I go any further, I want to point out that the sequencing on this album is PERFECT.  Each song melds flawlessly into the next, while still retaining their own identity.  I’m not sure if Weinman had this in mind when he wrote them, but the album flows better than anything I have ever heard.

The next track is “When I Lost My Bet,” featuring frenetic guitars, jazzy drums, and chaotic vocals, but implements them in a way I haven’t really heard the band do before (it also has a filthy music video).  The title track is more of a “traditional” sounding song, but with a Dillinger twist.  Sure, it uses clean vocals and power chords, but Billy Rymer peppers in blast beats seemingly at random, and the track takes a heavy twist towards the end.

(Try watching this and eating spaghetti.  I dare you.)

The rest of the album continues to follow these trends, with being either insane-yet-refined ("Hero of the Soviet Union" and "Paranoia Shields"), or catchy with math elements peppered in ("Crossburner"), all melding seamlessly together.  "Ch 375 268 277 ARS" is the band's first instrumental track I have enjoyed since "Calculating Infinity," and is, in my opinion, even better.  The closer, "The Threat Posed by Nuclear Weapons" is a perfect way to end the album, throwing in every element previously discussed, but without seeming convoluted or aimless.  This track also features some of the best lyrical work on the album.

"One of Us is the Killer" grabs you brutally by the face proceeds to rape your ears for its entire forty-minute duration.  Long-time listeners will have nothing but praise for this release, and it could possibly convert a few new fans out of anyone who is open-minded enough to give it a serious chance.  This is though-provoking music, not because of the lyrics (which are great, don't get me wrong.  Greg Puciato is one of my favorite lyricists of all time), but because every song sucks you in and makes you ask yourself how anybody could construct this kind of chaos and make it sound so good.  I wouldn't say that there are many perfect albums out there, but this one is certainly among them.

10/10

"Man of Steel" Trailer 3

“What does the ‘S’ stand for?”

Okay, it’s that time of year where a steady stream of movies that I actually give a shit about are going to be released in theaters, and not a single one has me more excited than “Man of Steel”.  When I heard that Christopher Nolan was going to be producing this, based on David S. Goyer’s script (both of “The Dark Knight” trilogy fame), the fanboy in me went crazy.  When Nolan announced he wanted Zack Snyder (one of my favorite film-makers, so suck it, haters) to direct it, the fanboy in me LOST HIS FUCKING MIND.  In my opinion, Superman has never been done justice on the big screen, and this is the perfect team to get the job done.

The first trailer for “Man of Steel” was a brief teaser, that really only established the tone, and that this would be a much “darker” and “grittier” Superman than we’ve seen before.  The second trailer released with “The Hobbit” and showed a bunch of new footage.  Again, this kept with the vibe of the teaser, and established that Kal-El, A.K.A. Clark Kent, would be feeling very much like an outcast on this planet he learns he is not from.  And now here we are, a mere two months away from the film’s release, and the third trailer has dropped, and I can only think of two words to accurately describe it:

HOLY SHIT.

Is this Earth, or the ill-fated planet of Krypton?

Zack Snyder’s visual flare is apparent right off the bat, as the opening shot is Jor-El watching some sort of battle on Krypton set to a somber piano tune.  After this, we see him and his wife, Lara, sending their son to Earth to avoid some sort of cataclysmic doom.  This raises a serious question about the fate of Krypton: will it be destroyed by its dying sun?  Or will some other disaster (like a civil war, as the opening shot suggests) ravage the planet?  Goyer and Nolan have both stated that they found a way to make Superman more “relatable”, and Snyder has recently told Entertainment Weekly that there will be no kryptonite “Man of Steel” (Yay!  Seriously, his allergic reaction to a rock was getting sort of tired), so will this key moment be another departure from classic Superman lore?

I'd be pissed if Superman got a cooler outfit than me, too.

Another piece of evidence that leads me to believe this is a brief shot of Michael Shannon as the villainous General Zod, who vows that he will find Jor-El’s son, right before (I assume) being banished to the Phantom Zone.  Maybe he blames the El family for whatever calamity destroys Krypton?  As a side note, I must add that Shannon acts perfectly psychotic as the deranged general.  He probably won't utter Terence Stamp’s classic line “Kneel before Zod”, but I don’t think this iteration is going for campy, cheesy fun.  This guy seems all business, and hopefully, we have another great villain on our hands.

Another possible divergence is whether or not Clark will work for the Daily Planet, and what his relationship with Lois Lane will be.  We get a voice-over from Amy Adams about her search for Clark (or Superman, it is not clear which), where she asks how you find someone who “has spent a lifetime covering his tracks.”  Perhaps this is only about Clark’s god-like alter ego, but that remains to be seen.  We know that Perry White is in the movie, and that Lois is a journalist of some sort, but who knows what his affiliation with the fictional publication will be.

Shirtless dudes and fire... for the ladies.

The rest of the trailer shows of some snippets of excellent set pieces, including explosions, alien warships, and Superman beating the piss out of Zod while flying over Metropolis.   It ends with Lois interrogating Superman in some sort of military facility (perhaps they are preparing to turn him over to Zod?), and she asks what the “S” on his chest stands for, to which he replies, “it’s not an ‘S’.  On my world, it means ‘hope.’”  Not only does he deliver that line like a badass, but it may prove that he will not be referred to as “Superman” at all in the film, sort of like how Selina Kyle was not referred to as “Catwoman” in “The Dark Knight Rises.”  Again, this would not be that surprising, seeing as the film-makers are going for a more "grounded" story, and nobody under the age of 45 uses the word "super" as an adjective anymore.

Some closing comments I would like to make is that Henry Cavill looks perfect as the Man of Steel.  So what if they ditched the signature hair-curl and the red tighty-whiteys, I think the suit looks great.  The score sounded perfect and, if used this effectively in the actual movie, will really help hit some of the emotional notes that I’m sure “Man of Steel” is striving towards.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go watch this on repeat for two months, er, uh, I mean, go study some thermodynamics.

“Man of Steel” opens on June 14.  You can watch the trailer over and over in glorious HD here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY

Bullet For My Valentine Returns

It’s been almost three years, but the Welsh rockers are back with their brand new album, Temper Temper.  The band’s last release was 2010’s Fever, and although reception was generally positive, some critics were disappointed that the band was straying away from their more metalcore roots and progressing towards more of a hard rock sound.  So, with this new release, does Bullet continue to move in a hard rock direction, or do they take a few steps back to please some of the longtime fans?

Before I get into the details of this release, I should state that the first two songs I heard off of Temper Temper were “Riot” and “Temper Temper”.  While the title track was catchy enough, and had that Bullet sound I was looking for, “Riot” was a huge letdown.  The monotonous guitar playing, the uninteresting lyrics, everything about this song screamed “filler”.  I began to fear that Temper Temper would be full of dull tracks, a problem that almost plagued the band’s second release, Scream Aim Fire.  Fortunately, that was NOT the case, and despite a few gripes, the band delivers on a huge scale.

Temper Temper opens with the song “Breaking Point”, starting the album off with a band.  Matt Tuck’s guttural screams are peppered throughout, and the driving, heavy beat Bullet is known for is put on full display here.  The only downside to this track is the lyrics.  In fact, before I go any further, I should probably address this, as it is the one negative constant throughout the album.

Bullet For My Valentine has never been known for their lyrical prowess.  Their lyrics have ranged from adequate to awful over their four album career, using the same rhymes and clichés just a tad too much.  Some of their themes are a little ridiculous, too (targeting “smack-talkers”?  Really?!  Is this a rap album?), but the lyrics are not what draws me to this band.  For a more “mainstream” metal act than most of the other artists I listen to, Bullet has always displayed insane musical talent, creating catchy and sometimes intricate riffs and solos.  As long as that remains, present (which for the most part, it does), I will not harp on the lyrics too much.  Now, back to the album.

“Truth Hurts” is the second song, and features some of the aforementioned shoddy lyrics.  However, the guitar riffs are as solid as ever, and the overall feel of the song harkens back to their sound from The Poison, with elements from their newer work peppered in.  “P.O.W.” is one of the album standouts, and one of my favorite Bullet songs, period.  It is very reminiscent of Fever’s “The Last Fight” (The standout on that album, in my opinion), albeit at a slower pace.  Fans, old and new alike, should not be disappointed with this track.

Next up is “Dirty Little Secret”, featuring a softer verse, building into a heavy, frantic chorus.  Padget’s guitar playing is excellent here, featuring some great solo-esque segments.  “Leech” sounds like it is straight out of The Poison, which is great for long-time fans.  It’s nice to see a track that recalls the band’s roots amidst all of their newer-sounding material.

Bullet has always excelled on their slower, softer songs, and “Dead to The World” is no exception.  Again, don’t expect some Dylan-worthy lyrical content here, but you’ll definitely be ready to break out the lighters if they ever play this live, and seamlessly shift into punching your friends in the face for the songs heavy climax.

“Saints and Sinners” is the only real forgettable track on Temper Temper, and at times almost sounds like an Avenged Sevenfold song.  If the band decided to drop this one completely and keep it at a 10 track album, I would be perfectly fine with that.  The guitar solo is the only real redeeming quality of this track.

The last two tracks round out Temper Temper with possibly the strongest finish on a Bullet album to date.  “Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)” sounds exactly like you would expect it to, which is fucking awesome.  “Leech” may sound like it is out of The Poison era, but this one is.  The slow builds, screeching vocals, thrashy interlude, crazy guitar solo, it’s all here.  Every time I put this track on, I can’t help but smile (and bang my head, of course).

Lastly, we have “Livin’ Life (On The Edge of a Knife)”, one of my personal favorites.  The hooks are insanely catchy, the guitar riffs are damn near perfect, everything about this song makes sense as to why Bullet chose to close Temper Temper with this song.

With all things considered, Temper Temper does suffer from some of the same issues that have plagued every Bullet For My Valentine release, but for the most part, gets way more things right then it does wrong.  Longtime fans who were disappointed with Fever will be happy to see a resurgence of the older sound, and newer fans will have nothing to complain about, either.  If you are into metal or hard rock, you owe it to yourself to check this album out.

8.5/10