Few bands can say they've been through as much as the Dillinger Escape Plan. Through the highs and lows, one of the most prominent mathcore bands around has managed to release six killer albums and awe fans all over the globe. But after last year's Dissociation, that's all coming to an end with the quintet declaring that they'd be breaking up (not going on hiatus) after their tour ends this summer.
Myspace caught up with the band at the rain-soaked and Renaissance Faire-themed Sound on Sound Festival last fall to talk about the new album, impending breakup, and everything else that goes into 20 years of rocking out.
A lot of people believe Dissociation is among your best work to date, but how do you feel it's different than some of the earlier Dillinger albums?
Ben Weinman: For one thing, we're all much older, so I think the inspiration and content is coming from somewhat of a different place even though the core of the band still has the same intention.
What's it been like to keep the band together with more or less the same parts for two decades now?
Greg Puciato: It's a really tough, hard thing to stay in a relationship with someone from being a kid to being an adult. I think a lot of the growing pains are things that ended up influencing the band musically and creatively. Working through our growing pains together and getting to a resolve, our personal trajectories mirrored our creative ones in a lot of ways.
Liam Wilson: I think where we have all been personally in our lives has determined what we get out of this band. At certain times, we just get anger out at people, and at certain times it gives us something to look forward to. It's an experience in life. Travel sometimes inspires our art, but whatever it is, we've been able to use this band in ways that other people don't have the opportunity. I think we're now able to appreciate that.
Ben Weinman: It's also given me a lot more patience in my daily life. I feel married to these guys in that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to get out. It's kind of this golden handcuffs thing that's made me fight harder for my relationships at home too.
You've announced that Dillinger Escape Plan breaking up after the 2017 tour concludes, but you all seem to not hate each other, so why call it quits?
Ben Weinman: We wanted to continue to challenge ourselves both personally and as a group. I haven't been this excited to play shows and have an album out since Calculating Infinity when I was a kid. There's purpose all of a sudden.
Greg Puciato: We all know this doesn't go forever anymore, and it all has meaning now. For the first time in many, many years, we're not all sure where we'll be in five years. Anytime in the past 15 years, if you'd asked us that we'd probably say "We'll probably be here doing the same shit with more and more wrinkles." This is more exciting. While the shows and the music have always been inspiring for us, life has gotten pretty stale around it. This is making us uncomfortable again to push us in a different direction. It's a scary thing, because we don't really know what we'll be doing. It's not like any of us have some big replacement for Dillinger where we're going to this or this or this.
One of your most infamous performances was at the Reading Festival back in 2002 (during which Puciato shat into a bag onstage and threw it into the crowd as a form of protest against popular music at the time), what was it like to return to the festival (in 2016) all these years later?
Greg Puciato: We had played it twice before actually, but a lot of people conveniently act like we didn't play it in 2004 and were way better than we were in 2002. It was fine, just like any other festival. Other people made it way more significant than it really was.
Ben Weinman: We play a million festivals, and it's not like that one sticks out other than the fact that the one thing happened.
You've played a lot of festivals, but is Sound on Sound the first time you're playing at the grounds of a Renaissance Festival?
Ben Weinman: Well, Liam goes to renaissance festivals all the time.
Liam Wilson: I actually thought about dressing up today.
Greg Puciato: Some of those European metal festivals may as well be renaissance faires.
Ben Weinman: I haven't been to one of these since I was probably 15 years old, but Liam has an annual membership for Medieval Times, and he doesn't even have any kids.
Liam Wilson: That's because I am a kid. This is amazing. The meat is still on the bone, there are trained falcon handlers, and I can call people "wench" everywhere!
Ben Weinman: Liam's got a king outfit and everything. He's a real sword swallower. He's really at home here.
Greg Puciato: He's just disappointed he doesn't have his costume with him today.
Liam Wilson: That's true. I'm ill-prepared.
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