Metal Anarchy

It looks like The Dillinger Escape Plan’s new album “Dissociation” (out October 14) will probably be their last. Ben Weinman told Noisey that the band plan to release the effort and finish a lengthy tour cycle, but will then call it quits after that. Greg Puciato has since confirmed the news with Alternative Press, but did say there is always a possibility that they will return one day.

Weinman said the following:

“Well, I think in some ways we didn’t want to pull a ‘Seinfeld‘, you know what I mean? The band has actually never been more prolific and we’re as credible and popular as ever. I think whenever we’re on stage, there’s not another band in the world playing at that time that even comes close to us, and that’s our goal.

We’re really excited about this new album as well, but at the same time, it’s going to be our 20-year anniversary in 2017—it might be even longer because I’m not sure when I started writing songs, but the first EP came out in ’97—so I think it’s one of those things where we didn’t want to get to the point where we’re stopping because we have to or because we’re old or people are kind of over it.

Who knows if that would ever happen, but I feel way more empowered in making hard decisions. I don’t like the idea of slowing down or doing it less often, I like to just dive in full-force and take things to the extreme because that’s what this band has always been about.”

He also added:

“I mean, it’s probably a fact that we couldn’t do it when we’re 60, but we’re not stopping right now because we feel incapable, that’s for sure. There’s a reality that eventually, the type of show that we’re doing wouldn’t be realistic—I’m pretty much falling apart at the limbs at this point—but it doesn’t matter, because when we play, we play

The rest of the world and anything else going on in our lives doesn’t exist. I think that’s what I’ll miss the most, those moments. But there isn’t any time in the very near future where we feel like we couldn’t do this; we still feel excitement from it and still get that catharsis when we play because it’s uninhibited free expression. But, again, one of the reasons to stop now is because it’s great to still feel that way and control our destiny.”

He continued:

“We are going to do the cycle for this album and that’s it. But there are a lot of things that go into this cycle. We have a full US tour that we’ll be doing in the fall and then we’ll be doing a massive tour in Europe in the winter, and that will probably take us towards playing other areas like Australia or wherever we have to hit. Then I’m sure we’ll come back around and hit summer festivals and figure out what our very last shows will be around that time.”

Puciato said the following:

“There’s literally nothing on the record referencing our breakup. It’s not even something I was thinking about when I was writing. For me, every record is a time capsule of life at that moment: You want to stuff everything you can in there so that you’re not walking around with it. So if something’s a burden in my life, I’ll try to turn that into something other people can enjoy and get something out of. But most of my life outside of Dillinger has nothing to do with playing in Dillinger.”

He added the following about the break-up:

“Well, no big, calamitous thing happened. It’s just a natural part of the trajectory of individuals’ personal lives and goals not lining up with the lifestyle of doing this. Shit happens, man. [Laughs.] For me, the worst part of talking about all of this is that I don’t have a lot to say. I’m just focused on the reality of my surroundings and the fact that I literally just finished mastering a record a week and a half ago. I haven’t disengaged from the creative process, and I’m immediately now doing interviews and shows, and I already know what my schedule is for the next year. It’s weird.”

He continued:

“…Who knows how we’re going to feel after the 200 more shows we still have to play. That’s what I mean: We’re about to announce our breakup, and I’m not even thinking about it. The only thing I care about is that the record is being announced and the release date is being announced and we’re finally going to have the fucking first song off the record for people to listen to properly, instead of a radio stream.

I’m not thinking about a breakup that’s not going to initiate until hundreds of shows from now. And definitely, creatively, I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna be thinking two years from now when we finally play our last show.”

He also added:

“…No one in this band is dumb enough to say something’s ever really done. If you’re smart and you look at every other band that’s done this, I mean, Guns ‘N Roses are fucking back, for Christ’s sake. Van Halen already came back. So the only thing you can do to make yourself not look like an idiot and not have to eat your own words is to leave it open for possibilities, because that’s reality. People are done when they’re dead.”