Artist: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Album: Option Paralysis
Genre: Mathcore
Label: Season Of The Mist

The Dillinger Escape Plan pride themselves on their unrelenting ability to push boundaries and cover a vast amount of musical territory with their pure, unpredictable induced soundscapes. They hit the pinnacle height of their career with their groundbreaking release, Calculate Infinity, which remains indisputably an essential to the technical-metal genre. While most bands try to regurgitate their most promising work, The Dillinger Escape Plan continued to press and even further heighten their chaotic blend of mind-numbing arrangements and hardcore rage. After grasping the fact that they were sitting on the edge of a breakthrough, they decided to part ways from the constraints of their longtime label Relapse to forge ahead on their own, only to later sign with French label, Season Of The Mist. Deliberately pushing their own limits and shattering preconceived genre standards, the mathcore legends are back to further expand their sound and branch out to new innovative realms on their fifth studio album, Option Paralysis, on Season Of The Mist with collaboration of their own label Party Smasher.

Exhibiting a myriad amount of aggression while maintaining a counterbalance of melodic additions on Option Paralysis further proves this is one of their most developed and polished album to date. The artistic and creative force this album embodies matches up, if not exceeds their previous masterpiece. “Farewell, Mona Lisa,” kicks the album off by displaying the barbarous battle plan the rest of the album follows. In the midst of five minutes The Dillinger Escape Plan unleash a full range of tempo changes and dynamic mood variations with their ever changing buildups and breakdowns. One minute you’re struck with blistering-paced, abrasive riffs and screeching vocals while the next minute you’re swaying to melodic exchanges and clean singing. Successor “Good Neighbor,” trails with the same vigorous dexterity in mind. “Gold Teeth on a Bum,” slows things down a bit with a sludgy feel with moments of acid rock influences.

Throughout the duration of twelve years The Dillinger Escape Plan have underwent multiple lineup changes and are down to only one original member. One of the newest additions is drummer Billy Rymer and he proves he carries a lot of the intensity on the record.  Rymer especially showcases his unflinching prowess and technical speed on “Endless Endings.” Flourishing piano and electronic lines continue to play a big role in the expansion of their execution.  The stunning piano ballad, “Widower,” was an unexpected change of pace and offered a pleasant relief from the barrage of noisecore. Avant-garde pianist, Mike Garson, most notable for being David Bowie’s keyboardist, joins the band and unravels a haunting, passion-fueled composition that ascends to a powerful rock anthem.

Closing track “Parasitic Twins,” is a clear example of their pattened extremity and original songwriting skills. The song begins by creating an eerie aura that’s built by string arrangements and subtle key lines. Guitarist Jeff Tutles takes over lead vocals and his contribution is powerful and adds considerable depth. Option Paralysis includes a variety of emotional extremes filled with anger, hurt, and fear. “Parasitic Twins,” in particular touches on the anguish of lost love. Angelic vocal harmonies repeating, “Then you just gave our love away, you just let go,” bring the album to a heartfelt close.

The Dillinger Escape Plan’s versatile ambush of hammering percussion and twisted jazz-oriented and orchestrated time signatures produce an enticing auditory experience. Option Paralysis is comprehensively brilliant and each tangled note is meticulously constructed with unwavering determination. The Dillinger Escape Plan journey on a road less traveled on as they deliver a chaotic adrenaline rush alongside monumental strides of intoxicating melody.

Score: 9.5/10

Review written by: Nerissa Judd

• Author
• Recent Posts

James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

Latest posts by James Shotwell (see all)

• 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
• Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
• UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015