Customer Reviews

Calculating Infinity

5 star:		(104)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Earlier this year, one Lawrence, KS, concertgoer, bewildered by the indescribably brutal sonic attack of The Dillinger Escape Plan, blurted out during a brief break between battering riffs, "Do these songs have names?" The group's imposing singer Dimitri then smiled and spoke his only words of the night, a simple introduction of the next composition. With that, the band switched back into bludgeoning mode. Calculating Infinity, The Dillinger Escape Plan's first full-length release, remarkably captures the absolute insanity of its live performances. Some independent guitar-based music has earned the label "math rock" because of the complexity of its song structures, which feature irregular time signatures and jarring changes of pace. This band's manic tunes are more like high-level trigonometry; mind-blowingly complicated, incomprehensible to most and strangely satisfying to a select studious few. Offering more than just grindcore drums, choppy light-speed riffs and scorched-throat screams arranged with scholarly precision, Calculating Infinity delves into jazz, pretty progressive rock and disarmingly melodic near-pop. However, musically as well as lyrically, there's always something wicked lurking around the corner. After the false security offered by the intriguing instrumental "Calculating Infinity" comes "4th Grade Dropout," on which a depraved-sounding Dimitri screams I told you not to fall for it and the ominous lyrics hint at the fate that befell the child who did not heed this warning. "43% Burnt" and "Jim Fear" both pair schizophrenic music with psychotic protagonists. The Dillinger Escape Plan certainly isn't for everyone. Its songs are dark, challenging, and occasionally almost maddening. Yet for those with the sensory stamina to weather the blistering storm, Calculating Infinity provides a rewarding, if devastating, listen. With the song titles clearly listed, there's no more room for questions, and listeners are left only to stammer in stunned silence.

From the first 10 seconds of "Sugar Coated Sour", I knew this was going to be an intense album. It opens up with screaming vocals over an incredibly odd timed riff. This could be described as extreme hardcore metal punk. About 20 seconds later though, a new riff comes in, reminding me of Return to Forever or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, except way faster, and of course, still with the screaming. Then there's a brief jazzy interlude, which calms things down for about 15 seconds before cranking the intensity back up to 11. This is a typical DEP song, and a relatively short one also (it's over in about 2 minutes.)

The music, while chaotic, is impossibly intricate and would take seriously talented musicians to play. Don't be fooled; All the songs may sound the same to someone who has never heard anything like this before, but the details of each are so intricate and fascinating if one takes the time to go through and really listen to each song.

I suppose the number one complaint seems to be the vocals. I like them a lot, but I can see how they'd be way too annoying or even painful for some people. It's non-stop screaming. The guitarists are the highlight for me. When power chords are used, a b5 (flatted five) is sometimes inserted, giving DEP a unique sound in metal. There are loads of heavy riffs and quick fusion-infuenced lines, and little lead licks, but no real solos. However, even without traditional solos, DEP are one of the most complex metal bands. The drummer is disgusting. He's incredibly fast and intricate, keeping up with the songs like I could never imagine.

"43% Burnt" is considered by many to be the best song, and it is excellent. The opening is one of the heaviest sections I've heard in any music, but the chords used are not like any other metal band. There's a jazzy interlude in there that's technical as hell also. Interesting arpeggios. "Jim Fear", "Sugar Coated Sour", "Destro's Secret" and "Clip the Apex..." are all pretty similar sounding, though again, if you pay attention to detail, you'll realize the complexities.

Aside from the normal technical metal stuff, there's things that make DEP even more unique. "*#.." starts off quiet, and is basically 2 minutes dedicated to an interesting instrumental build up. There's that jazz influence again. "The Running Board" continually switches between the intense hardcore screaming sections and mellow, jazzy interludes. The title track gives you a break from the intensity, but not the complexity. Arpeggios and odd time signatures are abundant in this instrumental, and heavy odd timed riffs come in later as well. "4th Grade Dropout" brings us back to the heavier side of DEP. "Weekend Sex Change" is another mellow instrumental, with incredible drumming.

This album is not for everyone, but it really is an incredible album if you are looking for something complex, insanely heavy, and thoughtful. Repeated listenings reveal more complexities, so keep on listening. Recommended for fans of Meshuggah, Death, and other technical metal stuff.

This cd is a Japanese import of "Calculating Infinity" with three bonus tracks that apparently appeared out of no where. Nope. The three extra tracks that are found on this release are from DEP's ep on Relapse that was released in 1998. The tracks are phenomenal. It is the same pattern, if that's what you call it, by DEP, but it sounds awesome. These are essentially the songs that started noisecore, except for anything that Coalesce put out before this. You will not believe your ears when you hear these three little songs. 7 minutes and 37 seconds of complete obliteration combined with fusing jazzy interludes and unparralleled drumming. If you can find the ep alone anywhere else, like at a record store, get it! Getting this import may be a bit pricy if you just want the extras and already have "Calculating", but as a DEP diehard fan, I would say get it if you want to spend the extra dough. If you don't have "Calculating" and you want to get into DEP, get this! I strongly urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. Relapse is slowly stopping with pressing "Under the Running Board", and as I said before, it is just insane. There are few words that can sum up the hybrids of mental instability DEP emit. Don't miss out on this seminal recording. If you like this kind of music, you won't be sorry that you spent the money to get it.

This album always reminds me of lying on a beach listening to the waves roll in and out. I'll never get sick of Dmitri Minakakis' smooth, sexy voice and romantic lyrics. A wonderful album to share with your lover or your children.

Obviously not everyone is going to like this band. When I first heard the songs I had no idea what was going on and it would have been easy for me to throw my headphones to the ground and say "this is crap, i cant understand this!" but after listening to each song 4 or 5 times I was hooked. If you don't like the band, fine. If you dont think its "metal" or "heavy" or "artistic", cool, who cares. Those types of arguements will never be sorted out because it is all opinion.
However saying the musicians are talentless hacks is pure garbage. Its easy to say that something is complex or mathy. I have been playing guitar for 10 years and still have difficulty playing most of their songs. Being able to compose this type of music where you arent just plugging a riff into a 4/4 drum beat is astounding, their music takes tons of practice and collaboration with each band member. As a musician you can tell that these guys take their instruments seriously. My friend hates heavy music, only listens to jazz and classical, but he still made me take him to one of their concerts because he was blown away by thier talent. The fact that they play as tightly live as on the album without dying of exhaustion is also amazing. Most fans of this band aren't metal fans, they are music fans with radiohead, miles davis, squarepusher, don caballero, the roots, on their shelves. I read an interview where the bassist was saying their drummer goes through one drumming theory book a week. Thats why these guys are what music should be about. They say that not everyone will like them, and they really don't care. They are just fantastic musicians who are honing their craft and trying to play at 100% of thier ability every song. That is why their cd has been in constant rotation for me and hasn't lost any of its novelty.

Melody is overrated. Unpredictability is underrated. Any questions? If so, a listen or two to "Calculating Infinity" should provide ample proof of my point. The Dillinger Escape Plan is surely one of the heaviest bands I've ever heard, but heaviness is only half the story here. Concealed beneath DEP's monstrous heaviness is a level of creativity and musicianship that few bands in any genre can match. Their compositional style is somewhat similar to that of free jazz, but with the intensity cranked up about 5,000 times. The level of heaviness on "Calculating Infinity" is easily comparable to that of death metal, and while I'm a death metal fan I can't think of a single DM band that matches DEP's sheer musical audacity (although Nile comes pretty close). While many extreme bands shift tempos constantly in their songs, what sets DEP apart is that they don't even seem to bother establishing a tempo in the first place. Riffs, drumbeats, and bass lines shift constantly and seemingly arbitrarily, topped off by the paralyzing screams of manic vocalist Dimitri. While from a lesser band such an ever-shifting musical landscape might sound forced and self-conscious, the songs on "Calculating Infinity" never fail for one second to hold my interest. All throughout its rather brief running length, the album is a clinic on the thrill of not knowing what's coming next. The mellow tracks "Calculating Infinity" and "Weekend Sex Change" provide short breathers, but the guys mostly play fast and furious, with more than enough sophistication to please even the most discriminating metal fans. Along with Meshuggah, Opeth, Dream Theater, and a few other bands, DEP are right at the top of the heavy-music heap.

I picked up this album on a bit of a whim. I'd heard a fair bit about DEP on this site, and was looking for something different to add to my collection. I really didn't know quite what to expect, though in the end I certainly wasn't disappointed.

It's hard to describe what Calculating Infinity sounds like, and which sub-genre DEP belongs in. Many have dubbed it "metalcore" and "mathcore", terms which I detest and that are highly undescriptive.(Metal meets hardcore has existed as long as has hardcore existed, and mathcore merely implies that the music is complex, which is true, but this also fails to describe the music in any manner.) In my mind, progressive grindcore is the best term. I am not very familiar with Grindcore, and that which I have heard isn't much like this, but the same basic tenets apply: hyper speed drums and guitars, intense, visceral vocals, irregular song structures etc. The progressive part comes from the density and complexity of the music found here. This may not seem progressive to the casual observer, as the songs are quite short,(about a 3 minute average) the musicianship is far from average and highly progressive. In the end, this is what makes this album so enjoyable. The instrumental interplay is simply astounding. The drumming is some of the best, and certainly the flashiest I've ever heard. The drummers odd, jazz-grind-styled poundings display incredible control and power, as well as completely inhuman endurance. The guitarists make an outstanding duo, as they constantly bounce and weave about each other and the vicious drumming. They are simply beyond fast, and can change style and mood in a heartbeat. The bassist tends to be drowned out but he certainly gets the job done. During the softer parts, which are (incredibly) no less intense, the guitars, bass and drums weave about each other in such a manner that they occasionally sound as if 4 leads are going on simultaneously. In effect, this album is essentially just an exhibition of these instrumentalists style and skill, which is (remarkably) still highly entertaining. Some have whined about the vocals, but they fit the music perfectly. Anything less intense would have been inappropriate, and Dmitri's envenomed shrieks are never overbearing, as extreme vocalist tend to be.

Even more impressive it that, though the tracks blur by, they stutter and hiccup as the riffs are churned through irregular time signatures, which are constantly changing. Grinding, metallic power gives way to Fugazi and At the Drive-In esque guitar plinking and jousting and back again in meer seconds. Despite what some will tell you the heaviness does let up quite a bit, particularly in the instrumental sections, and it isn't the heaviest thing ever, it is still extraordinarily intense, which is the primary word of caution to anyone thinking of purchasing this. If you don't like Metal, this won't convert you, and even some metal fans may find this too intense, along with some disliking the heavy use of hardcore stylings through out the album.

Another large complaint is the lack of strong songwriting by DEP. Frankly, I think their songwriting is very strong. Though it may only be 200 song snippets, as some have complained, virtually all of these snippets are entertaining, and a song which is made up entirely of good portions of a song is likely to be strong so long as it is at least marginally cohesive, which these tracks are. Most impressively, they allow dense and powerful progressively-styled instrumentation to be funneled through a punk/grindcore aesthetic with out losing the density of former or the intensity and energy of the latter. And, once again, though time changes are rampant and hard to predict, the songs are strangely cohesive and always interesting. Particularly strong are The Running Board, which has a truly awe-inspiring first minute, Clip the Apex...Accept Instruction which contain especially compelling instrumental interplay and 4th Grade Dropout which has a good mix of manic intensity and strangely disturbing atmospheric sections. This album is quite short, only a bit over half an hour after you subtract the several minutes of silence and bizarre bonus track. Honestly, it doesn't really need to be a minute longer, and probably shouldn't. Though I thoroughly enjoy this album, a full 60-80 minutes of it would be too much.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that this can be enjoyed as a fan of punk, prog and metal simultaneously, which very, very few albums are capable of.

Exactly how does one successfully calculate something as encompassing as infinity. It is the equlivent of trying to define the imagination or confine an abyss. Impossible in almost every way, save one, for Dillinger Escape Plan it can be done. A sonic assualt on the ears equlvelant to the thoughts of a trigonometry funciton for a forth grader, New Jersey's Dillinger Escape Plan not only attempt to calculate but actually define the bounds of infinity. Amost spastic in a way, Dillinger's sound embrases abbrasive with the clutching hands of a small child and explores the musical world around it in much the same manner. Each track could serve as the soundtrack for a seizure with the incorperation of hardcore, thrash, fusion and noise into a five minute or less fury of sound. The confines of traditional musical structure melt away as if a snowball in the midsummer's heat leaving a small puddle for that confused four year old to thrash around in. The enduring quality in "...Infinity" is that is maintains an artistic approach throughout splattering nature of it's sound. There is true musicianship to controling that much instrumental insanity. It is truly calculated aggression on the part of the members of Dillinger and they control each tone as if on the edge of orgasm. Spinning and tumbling ideas in a cememnt mixer of a muscal machine while maintaining the calculating percision of mathmatitian the quintet dares to defy the bounds of a musical reality. From the persistance of sound to endure in the form of music this avant garde idealism gives birth to the organized chaos that is concidered noise and on "Calculating Infinity." So if you are prepared to explore the outer realms of your mind in a musical voyage into the chaotic abyss than allow Dillinger Escape Plan to take you for that ride. Otherwise you'd better calculate how you're going to afford your next Ricki Martin cd because this is the way to a sure fire heart attack.

There is always going to be people who listen to anything progressive, and just call it crap because an easily digestable melody doesnt immediately strike them and a backbeat which requires no thought isnt there.

Dillinger Escape Plan is the zenith of mathrock. Such bands before them, though amazing (don caballero, slint, bastro ect..), never did quite get to the point where the music was just plain incomprehensible. Not only did dillinger set the bar, this is their best peice of music.

I often hear the complaint against Demitri's vocals, but he happens to be one of my favorite vocalist. His voice isnt a scream as in the manner of a bark or a growl, it really is a scream, as if you were in danger of losing your life. it is probably the most intense manner of vocals i can imagine. i cannot think of a more fitting way to apply vocals to this band than what dimitri has done. but he doesnt just scream...there is spoken stuff layered in there as well, but not obvious melodies. which i guess is the objection. May i remind people that just because someone is screaming, doesnt mean that the complexity of the music is invalidated.

On to the band. When i first heard Dillinger, the first thing i noticed was the guitar work of Ben Weinmen and Brain Benoit. It is amazing, very technically procificient, which never sounds normal. The guitars are layer and overlapping in a manner that is boggling. but what really makes DEP remarkable is the drum work of Chris Pennie, who happens to be one of my favorite drummers of all time (along with Damon Che, Zach Hill, Mitch Mitchell). The time signatures are constantly being changed and revised, making it very difficult to capture. This is essential to the power of this record...the overall sensation that it is so far beyond convention. The vocals are on the edge of what is humanly possible, the guitars, the drums, everything is advanced as the technology allows. It really is the highwater mark of extreme music. Not only is the work astounding, but it sounds fantastic. The production on this is crystal clear...it is very well done. I cannot recommend this record enough to those who havent heard it. From the second i first heard "Sugar coated Sour," how i looked at music was different. Things that i thought were intense, no longer feel that way...things that seemed technical, were really tame. This, along with "Under the Running Board," EP were the best that Dillinger has ever done. It depresses me so much to see the current Dillinger making the decisions they are making (such as touring with Megadeth), but in reality, it is a completely different band. The only original members now are Weinmen and Pennie. So this is really the final document of the original Dillinger Escape Plan that i loved. But hey, maybe my standards are a little high.

This is the kind of record which will exist long after fads fade away. This is a record which stands besides things like, "Spiderland," and "Jane Doe." Endlessly moving, both emotionally and mentally. This really is one of the best records ever made.

As a reviewer, i try not to review things i dont like, because maybe i just dont get it, and it isnt fair for me to judge something that could be out of my area of expertise. After all, there is someone who likes it somewhere. So people that, just because they dont get this, come on here and call it crap and rate it 1 star are just plain ignorant. It is not pop music, it is not for everyone.

As many reviewers have stated, this isn't the easiest stuff to listen to. They actually wrote somewhat of an explanation as to why the band plays how they play in the booklet of the album. I first heard Dillinger Escape Plan on the Underworld soundtrack, a song entitled "Baby's First Coffin." I was amazed by the technicality of the music. Jazzy drumming, time signature changes like no other, tempo changes, some of the fastest bass lines known to man, and one of the tightest bands I've ever heard as a whole. I think anyone that is a musician should be required to hear this one at least once. I made my father, who has a degree in music theory, listen to it and he was just as amazed. Dillinger Escape Plan is a strange band, and I doubt they will ever receive the appreciation they deserve, but if you made it this far as to read a review on them, you should do yourself a favor and try this album out.