The Dillinger Escape Plan

What’s an avant-metal outfit to do when its seemingly unintelligible brand of hyper-technical harshness leads it to become one of the most celebrated underground acts in the world? And what if it has been almost 5 years since its last full-length, Calculating Infinity — time punctuated by a vocalist change and an EP with Mike Patton? The answer is simple: Make a headphones album. All the stuff about Calculating having subtle depth wasn’t music critics kidding themselves, but this album isn’t the audio equivalent of a 3-D poster that must be stared at until something clicks in your head. Ambient in spots, Miss Machine hangs pockets of space amid a whirring barrage of noise. Dillinger makes it clear that it’s not about to be hemmed in by preconceived notions. The band’s trademark gnashing rhythms serve as a grounding point from which Dillinger claws in every direction for musical freedom. And, though it isn’t necessarily reflected in the lyrics, the band isn’t afraid of letting emotion shine through. Yes, guys from suburban Jersey have feelings, too. The shift away from coldness is welcome and representative of a band calibrating itself in the wake of inevitable maturity.