Review: In the transitional period after their complex, chaotic debut, 'Calculating Infinity', departure of founding vocalist Dmitiri Minikakis, and before the arrival of hyper terrifying frontman Greg Puciato, mathcore legends Dillinger Escape Plan were at a loss.
Still not content on a suitable permanent vocal replacement yet refusing to simply sit on their hands in the interim, the 'Irony Is A Dead Scene' EP served as a creative outlet turned fan favourite and cult classic, thanks in no small part to the enlisting of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Dead Cross (etc.) vocalist/absurdist extraordinaire Mike Patton.
The weirdness and sickly, sexy snarl Patton imbued into the dizzying arrangements and audible assault would leave a lasting impact on the Dillinger trajectory from then on, with a much more tempered focus on industrial, groove and ambient nuances, while cuts would never stray too far from live sets.
The fact that at their three New York farewell shows, the band even performed the EP in its entirety with Patton joining them on stage, speaks volumes to the credence, regard and influence these four tracks would have on the remainder of their career for decades to come.
Also, while 'When Good Dogs Do Bad Things' may be the centrepiece, the cover of Aphex Twin's 'Come To Daddy' needs to be heard to be believed, even just to hear founding drummer Chris Penney figure out that percussion on a live kit.
A four-track EP, yes, but also one of the most intrinsic pieces of the Dillinger catalogue.
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