It’s funny how our tastes evolve. As we become more familiar with the bands we expose ourselves to, we become increasingly interested in what more remains to be discovered. For me, the current overflow of Metalcore bands and lackluster Gothenburg rip-offs has left me desiring something at the opposite end of the spectrum, which is exactly why I decided to re-introduce myself to The Dillinger Escape Plan, a band I had previously, though unsuccessfully attempted to get into in the past. With Miss Machine being their latest full length album since 1999's Calculating Infinity, I figured it would be a good place to start.

Though the name had always been familiar to me, I never really knew what these guys were capable of until I heard some samples from their earlier works. To say the least, I was incredibly confused, unsure of what to make of them. Unable to digest what I was hearing, I was able to appreciate the sheer aural insanity these guys were extracting from their instruments. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make any judgement calls beyond these, and proceeded to put these guys aside until I felt ready to give them another shot, suspecting that something more remained to be discovered. That something more would eventually arrive in the shape of Miss Machine, an album more than worthy of the attention of any patient music fan with an ear for intensity and originality.

Now I’m sure many of you have heard The Dillinger Escape Plan be described as Mathcore or Math-Rock but to be quite frank, neither of these imaginary sub-sub-genre labels succeed in capturing the essence of what these boys put forth musically (or make any sense for that matter). The best way I could describe Miss Machine would be as one of those memory tests you see on TV, where dozens of random images flash before you mere seconds apart and you are asked afterwards to recall what each image was. Obviously, you need to watch this slide-show over and over again before anything can even remotely stick in your memory, which is exactly what this collection of songs is comparable to. Every few seconds a new element is thrown in, giving you just enough time to recognize it, until another takes its place, forcing the listener to spin this record numerous times before anything truly sticks. But the funny thing is, once you’ve become familiar with each track, you’ll find yourself humming them when you’re walking down the street, at work or at school. Despite the overwhelming complexity of some of these compositions, there is an underlying catchiness that refuses to let go once unearthed, gradually getting deeper and deeper under your skin with each subsequent listen. In the end, it is this element of Miss Machine, apart from it’s unbridled originality, that puts it amongst some of the best releases of the year.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m much more judgmental of over-hyped bands considering how often labels like “the band to watch” or “the future of metal” are assigned by critics; however, I will also be the first to admit when a band has truly impressed me. The Dillinger Escape Plan are one of these bands, and Miss Machine is direct proof of why, amidst such an overflow of mediocrity and unoriginality, a heavy American band can rise above and beyond the norm, upping the ante and expanding musical boundaries in the process.