Bisbaye - Gestalt

     There's all kinds of alliteration going on here today, as I've got a mathy Metal Monday from a Canadian instrumental band out of Montreal. Enough for you? I thought it would be. I am, however, going to apologize right now to today's band Bisbaye for not getting the accents right on their name -- there's a circumflex over the 'a', and an aigu over that 'e', if you're counting.

     Best not to though, because you're going to need to wrap all of your brain power around tracks like "Gestalt", the eight-minute title track from Bisbaye's latest release Gestalt. Both the track and the album display an incredible degree of musical proficiency, as well as well an incredible degree of musical madness. Think a proggy instrumental version of Dillinger Escape Plan and you'll at least have a starting point from which to approach Bisbaye. Start with "Gestalt", and if you dig that one, you'll be right at home for the rest of the record.

Wednesday: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Paranoia Shields

     The Dillinger Escape Plan's One of Us is the Killer is going on two years old now, so at glance it might seem like some things ought to be starting to happen in Camp Dillinger right about now -- and maybe they are. But it would also appear that the guys aren't quite done with Killer just yet.

     Last week we had the strange and potentially unsettling video for "Paranoia Shields" unleashed upon us, and whatever you might think of this particular visual treatment of this song, you can't deny its power as a reminder of how great this album is. I've been moderately into Dillinger since their classic Calculating Infinity, but the one-two punch of Option Paralysis and One of Us is the Killer really cemented my affection for what admittedly isn't always the easiest band to get your head around.

     I hesitate to recommend "Paranoia Shields" and One of Us is the Killer as a more "accessible" (the buzzword typically used of newer Dillinger) inroad to the the Dillinger catalogue, because that almost sounds like the newer stuff is somehow dumbed down or something. It's not. Dillinger is still Dillinger, and it's still light years ahead of so much of what's out there, so get with the program already and check 'em out if you don't know them yet.

Friday: Visions - Autophobia

     Work continues on the upcoming sophomore disc from mathy British tech-core outfit Visions, who (according to Facebook) are looking to hit the studio in September. So while we're waiting for a follow-up to 2011's Home, let's check out another of its tracks to hold us over.

     Your Friday rager from Visions is "Autophobia", one of those showcase songs that encapsulates what a band or album is putting down. In this case, it's mathy metalcore with an emphasis on nimble riffing, and it reminds me a little of a somewhat more metal-oriented Dillinger or Every Time I Die. It's anybody's guess whether it'll be at all representative of new material, but for the time being it's a sweet sampling of what Home has to offer, so check it out if you don't know Visions already. Then hold your breath for September and fresh album news.

Strange Changes - Prancer

     Was yesterday's "tech" Tuesday just not tech enough for you? Today's cover will fix that right up... in a manner of speaking.

     Before you get your knickers in a twist, no, today's song isn't a tech death cover or anything. It is, however, a much more... technically ambitious, shall we say, cover of a song by a band that is also generally anything but straight forward. I do hope you like jazz though...

     Tonight you're looking at a pretty wild free-jazz-feeling live cover of The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Prancer" from last year's One of Us is the Killer by a band called Strange Changes. Dillinger's version is out-there enough for some people already, so add in horns and keyboards and then give this group of talented jazz players a little room to move, in the form of extended solo instrumental sections, and you've got a cover that can only be described as controlled chaos.

     Things travel a little far afield before Strange Changes is done, but the song remains pretty recognizably "Prancer" for most of its seven-and-a-half minute running time, a commendable feat. If jazz isn't your thing, you might initially be turned off by this cover, but if Dillinger is your thing, I'm willing to be you've got the mental musical capacity to handle everything Strange Changes throws at you. Either way, I urge you to open your mind and give this one a shot. I think you'll be glad you did.

Thursday: Killer Be Killed - Melting of My Marrow

     It hasn't been all that long (three weeks and change, by my count) since I've featured a Killer Be Killed song, but I've been jamming their record a bunch in the last week or so and it's growing on me like a weed. You really should check them out if you haven't already.

     It's certainly not my usual cup of tea -- proggy, techy, that kind of thing -- but the combination of Max, Greg, Troy, and Dave has something to it that's grabbing me and shaking until I bang my head. It's just plain solid, straight-forward metal, and sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered.

     It's hard to top that mean main riff from "Snakes of Jehovah", the last Killer Be Killed song I posted, but if you're looking for another stand-out moment or track I'd direct you to "Melting of My Marrow", which has some cool vocal work from Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato. It's great stuff, so check it out.

Sunday: Botch - Transitions From Persona to Object

     Remember earlier, in my post for yesterday, when I mentioned a band called Botch on my way to arriving at yesterday's band Minus the Bear? For the benefit of those of you who were perhaps a little lost, lo and behold, today you're getting a Botch song. History class is now in session.

     Your Sunday song is "Transitions From Persona to Object" from Botch's second and final LP We Are the Romans, released all the way back in 1999. Do its jagged dissonances sound a little different from Minus the Bear or, say, Russian Circles, to name just one of the other post-Botch bands? Good ear.

     It's a testament to the diversity of influences and tastes swirling about in Botch that so many different bands came out of its demise. Even if Dillinger Escape Plan-esque mathy mayhem isn't your cup of tea, Botch still holds an influential place in post-hardcore history, so get educated, son.

Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.

     In yesterday's song post, I talked briefly about how "catchy" doesn't have to be a bad thing to call a metal band. It can, in the right circumstances, be a perfectly fine thing, and if you mix "catchy" and some "weird" together, it can be a perfectly great thing.

     I've written about Italy's Destrage before, but since then I've spent a lot more time with their latest disc Are You Kidding Me? No. and have come to the conclusion that it'll be criminal if this record doesn't end up on some Best of 2014 lists at the end of the year. There's a decent chance it'll land on mine, but for now I'm just going to urge you to check these guys out, and facilitate your doing so by featuring another track from this killer album.

     I'm honestly hard-pressed to pick the right song to feature from Are You Kidding Me? No. "My Green Neighbour" feels perhaps the most singley (and I mean it is the album's single), but I've already done that one. Album opener "Destroy, Create, Transform, Sublimate" does a great job of kicking things off with a bang and setting the tone for the rest of the record, but I think I have to go with the album closing title track as your Song for this evening.

     "Are You Kidding Me? No." opens punky and techy and even a little mathy, like some hypothetical super jam featuring members of Protest the Hero and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Things go a bit further down the math-prog rabbit hole before taking a turn for mariachi oom-pah town before ultimately resolving into some very neo-classical sounding shred. All in all, it's a good encapsulation of the confident wackyness to be had on Are You Kidding Me? No. and a good encapsulation of why you should give Destrage a listen.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Happiness is a Smile

     There's been a bit of connectedness to the last two of posts, a bit of a thread that's led me from one to the next. Antemasque led to Killer be Killed, both via the general concept of supergroups and via the specific involvement of drummer David Elitch, and now today Killer Be Killed is going to get me to The Dillinger Escape Plan by way of vocalist Greg Puciato.

     Dillinger has a new song out, one which hitherto has unfortunately only been available as a 7" at shows. But lucky for us the band has put an album-quality version on Youtube so that those of us who can't catch the band on its current tour can at least check out the new track. Thanks Dillinger!

     Have a listen to "Happiness is a Smile", which is a little less frantic than perhaps is usual, but it's still undeniably Dillinger. (The version below, unfortunately, is a live one and not the studio-quality one that appeared online recently. Boo-urns, Youtube function of Blogger!)

Friday: Killer Be Killed - Wings of Feather and Wax

     Since I mentioned them in "yesterday's" post about supergroup Antemasque, and have really talked about them before, I figure it's high time I give the figurative fifteen minutes to Killer Be Killed.

     Why? Let's do the math. Troy from Mastodon + Greg from The Dillinger Escape Plan + David from The Mars Volta + Max Cavalera from Sepultura and Soulfly = reason to be intrigued. That's a formula to get interested in right off the bat, and it doesn't hurt that the couple of songs that've been released so far aren't half bad either.

     You're probably way ahead of me on this one, but if maybe you've heard about this project and are still on the fence or something, have a listen to "Wings of Feather and Wax" from Killer Be Killed's debut self-titled album, due out next month, and see if you dig.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Farewell, Mona Lisa

     It occurred to me the other day while driving and listening to some Dillinger Escape Plan that my favourite songs by Dillinger are those that showcase the power of Greg Puciato's voice. Spastic energy and jagged mathcore riffing are perfectly well and good, but the tracks I dig the most seem to be the ones in which Greg shows off his pipes.

     Case in point: Option Paralysis opener "Farewell, Mona Lisa", which features some almost crooned choruses and devolves into a breakdown of an outro that pairs such purty singing with Greg's feral shriek. It's tasty stuff, and it further cements my theory that Greg is a big reason why I'm more into newer Dillinger than older stuff (much to the chagrin of Dillinger purists, I'm sure).

     Have yourself a sample of Puciato right now, and then have yourself some sweet dreams.

The Arusha Accord - Last Rise of the Fallen King

     Whether or not it's a bad word in your household, the "metalcore" umbrella can cover so much ground, can't it? Case in point: when first hearing British band The Arusha Accord, my initial thought was "OK, some tasty strain of metalcore then..."

     But there's so much more going on with The Arusha Accord than some chugga chuggas and some screamed vocals. They're techy, proggy, and even mathy -- think a little Dillinger-esque, maybe some The Safety Fire, or some early Architects -- but they've also got some cleans and harmonies in there that leather-clad metal purists might deride as "emo" -- a heavy, techy, Silverstein comes to mind.

     It's a well balanced mix of tech and melody that makes The Echo Verses an interesting listen from start to finish. That finish is where we're stopping today, with album closer "Last Rise of the Fallen King". It opens with a very Toolish guitar and bass part, and it only gets better from there.

Exotic Animal Petting Zoo - Through the Thicket... Across Endless Mountains

    I won't force you to conjure up the same unfortunate mental picture of bands fucking and impregnating one another as I did a few days ago with my lineage of Son of Aurelius, but I want to play a similar game this evening. So this I'm going with a cooking analogy.

     Start with the melodic sensibilities and mild experimental streak of Death Before Disco as your base, then add a healthy dose of the angularity and spastic chaos of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Now to temper that Dillinger mathcore insanity, thin the mixture out with a dash of the slightly more straight ahead hardcore/post-hardcore of Every Time I Die, and voila! You've got a little something called Exotic Animal Petting Zoo.

     I've posted about these guys a couple of times before, but my opinion of them has risen since I picked up a copy of sophomore disc Tree of Tongues, so I figured it's time to give them the spotlight again. I can't quite pin down exactly why, but this band feels like a spiritual successor to At the Drive-In. Maybe the "recipe" above doesn't accurately convey this, but the combination of chops and manic energy possessed by Exotic Animal Petting Zoo just keep reminding me of the now-defunct ATDI.

     Any way you slice it, however, they're a band you should know about. Check out "Through the Thicket... Across Endless Mountains" from the aforementioned Tree of Tongues and start getting familiar with Exotic Animal Petting Zoo post haste.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us is the Killer

     I've been rocking the new Dillinger Escape Plan record all day, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who's taken a shine to One of Us is the Killer since its release a couple weeks ago. How about you?

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - When I Lost My Bet

     Getting ready to go to sleep anytime soon? Drifting off to dreamland too easy for you? Need a bit of a challenge, something to keep you up at night questioning your sanity? The Dillinger Escape Plan is here to help.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer

     It's already almost the Ides of March (Classics reference, FTW!) so by this stage of the game the Interwebs has likely already made you aware of the fact that masters of mathcore mindfuckery The Dillinger Escape Plan have a new disc ready to unleash on the now-suspecting masses, One of Us is the Killer, out May 14th.

Song of the Day: Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug

     Recently I've read a couple of things about the place of electronic music within heavy music (in particular an excerpt from an interview with The Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato in which  he talks about the overlap of electronic music and metal) and I thought a song of the day would be the... ahem, perfect opportunity to remind everyone how electronic music and heavy music should overlap.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Widower

     A couple of days ago, when posting Gojira's "Liquid Fire" as the Song of the Day, I mentioned that these Frenchmen have pulled out of Heavies TO and MTL to rejigger their schedule, and that they've been replaced by The Dillinger Escape Plan. Either way this affects Saturday, and since I'm going on Sunday, I won't see either band. But I can still make you listen to them with me!

Song of the Day: Gojira - Liquid Fire

     Day 2 of Heavy TO prep here, and today I'm going to go with one of the bands that was originally on the bill but has had to back out -- there are in fact two now. If you've been following the Randy Blythe story at all you know that Randy is still in jail in the Czech Republic, so any summer dates Lamb of God had scheduled, such as Heavy TO and Heavy MTL, have been cancelled. In Flames have awesomely taken Lamb of God's spot at both shows.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Gold Teeth on a Bum

     Today we're going to go a little weird and wild. I'm not a huge Dillinger Escape Plan fan, but it seems the further I get into techy, progressive metal, the better I'm able to understand bands like this. Of course it doesn't hurt that The Dillinger Escape Plan have gotten at least somewhat more accessible over the years (and not in the "radio-friendly, watered-down" kind of way, just the "not-a-constant-mindfuck" kind of way). Their most recent album, Option Paralysis, might be their most accessible yet, with a bunch of really good songs on it, including this one.

     Your song for today is "Gold Teeth on a Bum" by The Dillinger Escape Plan. Enjoy.