THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN MACHINE

Dillinger Escape Plan may be having its coming out party now, but the band continues to employ a machine-like tour approach.

The Dillinger Escape Plan’s latest effort, Ire Works, has been given the top Heatseekers position for Billboard’s independent band chart. The album was released earlier this month on Relapse Records, and the band will be heavily promoting the album with a jam-packed schedule.

Dillinger, who have dealt with an inordinate amount of member changes and injuries, says that the newer members have all been fans of the band at one point, and they put pressure on themselves to carry the Dillinger torch.

“The three of us are all, technically, new members at some stage. I always say that I feel like I have to be true to my fifteen-year-old self or something. As a fan I have a responsibility to keep up the Dillinger legacy, or whatever. So I kind of have to remember what it was like when I first joined, and kind of think what was going on through everybody else’s head at the time. There were so many other different things at different times. I think ultimately I remember what it’s like, and I hope the fans understand that I’m trying to carry the torch for them as a fan. [Original member] Ben [Weinman] never got to see the band, but all of us had the opportunity to watch the band.”

The band talked about being a well-oiled machine with sum greater than its parts. Bassist Liam talked about this machine spitting out parts and members falling by the wayside.

“Well, one guy left because he had a nerve, he had a hurt hand. He couldn’t do it. I don’t know how much of that is a physical thing, where it’s like, ‘Man, we just toured his ass off and he just couldn’t do it anymore. We just broke him.’ So many times we joke around when we’re on tour, like, ‘We’re a well oiled machine’ after a couple of weeks of touring and maybe his machine just broke. [Ex-vocalist Dimitri [Minakakis], it was so many issues there where he had so many other things he wanted to to. We just felt like things were separating. Chris just up and quit, and that’s the first time anyone’s ever done that, so it’s a very taxing band.”

Vocalist Greg for Dillinger Escape Plan talks about how they survive the grueling schedule that epitomizes life in the band.

“You know, we all eat healthy. We all have some sort of work-out, whether it’s whatever Liam’s way into Yoga, I work out a lot, Ben does nothing and it shows. He sometimes has to push his head up with his hand to lift his head. But it’s more about drive. For us we’re all so driven. We’re all the type of people that if you put an obstacle in front of us. We’re going to beat it, no matter what — even if it’s going to take a lot out of us we’re going to beat it because we never… We’re that kid, like, if you beat him at something he just wants to play again and again. All five people in the band are that type of person.”

Dillinger Escape Plan has dates booked from December 2 in Toronto, Ontario through December 22 in Williamsville, New York. The Jazz-Metallers take a break for Christmas, but they hit the road hard with dates starting January 10 and running non-stop through February 14. The band then heads overseas for a string of dates.