Time for this week’s TOTW, and like last week’s I’m going to review a fairly recent track; The Dillinger Escape Plan’s thrasher, “Prancer”.
During this past week on the Facebook page to celebrate the release of their highly anticipated new album ‘Hesitation Marks’ on Tuesday I decided to make it Nine Inch Nails week, so figured reviewing Dillinger would make sense and follow on maturely since they have been labelled this generations version of NIN.
Dillinger Escape Plan are a band that frankly can’t be categorised, since their formation in the late 90’s they have been brewing this concoction of metal fierceness, the DIY of punk, the energy of 80’s hardcore and even the improvisation of jazz. Nine releases into their career, the latest being 2013’s smash ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’, Dillinger seem to have found their audience, and with this year’s release they seem to now know how to appeal to all of their music tastes and keep them all happy.
On to the track, the first thing to say is that this is not a soft song by any means, no matter what connotations the title brings up. This for sure is not a song about Christmas or reindeer or even anything associated with joy; no, “Prancer” is ferocious song that blasts the listener’s ears from start to finish.
To start, the tracks title obviously has nothing to do with the song, lead singer Greg Puciato decided to name the song because he thought it’d be funny to see fans of the band (stereotypical metal listeners; way too much hair and testosterone) talking about how great that song “Prancer” was.
Again this song is nothing like what you might think if you were only given the title; this being the opener from latest release ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ it has to capture the listener, it has to give the listener what they loved about every other release from that band and then show them what to expect in the next 40 minutes of the album.
This song does exactly what an album opener should do; it harnesses the sheer chaos that anyone that knows about Dillinger will enjoy, it includes the major snap-neck changes in tempo and sound that again fans of the band will understand but it also includes something that’s been utilised more on this record, a slower and more mellow sound.
The song starts off with crushing guitars, straight-off you know that something real hard is away to go down, and you’d be right!
“HOW COULD IT ALL BE!” screeches out and the track jumps into 5th gear instantly, only letting up for one chorus half-way through the song, and even then the guitars are still ear-destroying while Greg Puciato’s vocals become slightly clearer.
One thing that Dillinger has always been praised on is their instrumentals; many bands rely on the lead singer to carry a song with the sounds actually making the song almost taking a backseat. Dillinger don’t do this, guitarist (and only founding member left) Ben Weinman has been proclaimed the fastest guitar player in music right now, and this skill is CLEAR on “Prancer”, from start to finish the guitars don’t let up at all. The continuous chugging through the entire song isn’t just a job Ben holds on his own; long time bassist Liam Wilson does the same with his unique style of playing, helping to create what is honestly one of the most constantly heavy songs I have ever heard before.
One of the reasons for its frenzied sound could be caused by the genuine personal hate that was building up between both Puciato and Weinman. The entire album lyrically was based on this growing animosity between the two, where both began to feel distanced from each other due to personal choices (Weinman is a proud follower of the straightedge lifestyle).
“Prancer” is no exception to this effect, and when laying down the vocals Greg has stated in interviews that his real-feeling emotion totally crept through and made its way out into recording. This even caused a sort of competition between the two, where they’d try and out-heavy and out-work the other; which probably ended up better for the fans.
The lyrics for “Prancer” are dark and disturbing, what you’d probably expect from such a band and such a song, but they are well thought-out and seem to be the in same vein as writers such as Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die; they’re smart and not just usual “devil” this and “satan” that that is seen so much in current metalcore music.
What ties the song together is Greg’s screams; he does it his way and there is no one in the music business that screams like he does. It’s so guttural, the anger is there and sounds like its boiling over the rim (especially in this song/album) just waiting to drip and consume every song he puts his voice to. This anger is added to when on the last portion of the song Weinman actually backs up on vocals which leads to both screaming in unison “Fuck you, don’t try to disbelieve us!” sort of showing that when they both work together and are on the same page, they are this unstoppable force.
“Prancer” clearly shows the strain that is bound to happen to a band after they’ve been around for a long time, the anger that can build up can hinder bands and the recording process; in this instance though the opposite happened and what was produced was not only an incredible song but an incredible album.
Now Dillinger venture on with the advertising of new album ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’, having just finished the US leg of their touring it’s on to the UK and Europe now (got my ticket booked for the November 5th show in Glasgow J ), and with their live shows being legendary in their intensity and unpredictability it’s sure to be a fun night for those lucky enough to see them. At this point fans of the band are in a great position; they have an enhanced chance of seeing the band live and have this fresh new record on their hands. Time to rejoice!
Below is a link to buy "Prancer" which is also available on the album 'One Of Us Is The Killer' which you can buy from iTunes and pretty much anywhere else that sells music. Check out the vinyl record, which features either white/black splatter or tan/black splatter design, includes the CD and a poster (a great deal and a great way to support the band).
If anyone is interested in taking the reigns for next week or any week, hit me up on the Facebook page.
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