The Dillinger Escape Plan Are Returning Down Under to ‘Fix Your Face’ with OG Vocalist Dimitri Minakakis
December 27th, 28th and 29th 2017 at Terminal 5 in New York City, the mathcore prodigy known as The Dillinger Escape Plan performed their final three farewell shows after an astonishing 21-year-career including six studio albums, four EPs, two split EPs, and numerous awards from prestigious publications and global associations. Their legacy is still beyond celebrated with Metal Hammer editor Merlin Alderslade stating: “The Dillinger Escape Plan aren’t only one of the most influential heavy bands of the last 20 years, but one of the single most important forces to ever grace our scene.”
During these crowning exhibitions (there were three in total), numerous “reunion” guest appearances took place – Mike Patton from Faith No More joined the trailblazers to showcase their collaborative EP Irony Is A Dead Scene in an unpredictable turn of events. On the 28th, original DEP vocalist Dimitri Minakis entered the mix to burn down the house with Dillinger’s earlier tracks and a duet with Greg Puciato on ‘43% Burnt’. For the swan song spectacle of such a pivotal outfit, this was undoubtedly a prestigious pinnacle – but as the seminal song titled reads: ‘Clip the Apex… Accept Instruction’.
Almost six years later to the day, The Dillinger Escape Plan lived up to their composition entitled ‘Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants’ – a reunion was announced at the No Values Punk Festival in California in June 2024, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic debut LP Calculating Infinity and Dimitri Minakis was to be the voice of the DEP legion. More shows were executed including three consecutive nights at the famed Brooklyn Paramount, a quick trip to Belgium for Lokerse Feesten and then one concluding demonstration in Chicago at The Salt Shed in August 2024.
Or was this the first section of ‘The Running Board’?
The Dillinger Escape Plan commenced with rather modest beginnings, but were magnificently malicious from the get-go, especially live. Originally the group went by the name Arcane and delivered a hardcore-punk sound which craved more distinction. A metamorphosis into DEP soon followed and the chemical building blocks (or nucleotides) of the band’s famed mathcore DNA took shape with their debut self-titled EP released in 1997; tours of basements and small club shows followed. However, these nucleotides became NUCLEAR-TIDES of avant-garde math-metalcore mania with their sophomore EP Under The Running Board. The intensity exemplified immeasurably as did the experimentation; jazz-driven-intermissions would occasionally offer some relief from the oceanic onslaught of frenzied time signatures, breakdowns and chaos, while Minakis progressed from his aggressive yelling of the debut, to screeches and growls of animalistic derangement, but also incorporating industrial wickedness in spoken-word con(dis)figuration. If the Under The Running Board EP was an oceanic storm, then Calculating Infinity was to be the obliterating tsunami of metallic artistry. The 100,000 copies it has sold since is more than testament to the full-length’s illustriousness.
The rest as they say, is history; now for the first time in Australian history Dimitri Minakis will be screaming and literally breathing fire as part of this reunion cycle for The Dillinger Escape Plan.
The band will head down under via The Phoenix throughout August playing Calculating Infinity amongst fan favourites from their collective years, and we’re BIG KEV excited!
“Step Right Up” Australia, “You Won That Prize”!
Words by Will Oakeshott @teenwolfwill
Tickets via https://thephoenix.au/
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN – 2025 Australian Tour
Sunday 10th August at Metropolis, Fremantle
Tuesday 12th August at The Gov, ADELAIDE
Wednesday 13th August at Northcote Theatre, MELB
Saturday 16th August at The Enmore, SYD
Sunday 17th August at The Tivoli, BRIS
