the dillinger escape plan/drowningman - split

label: hydra head records
released: 1999

the first time i'd heard the dillinger ecscape plan was via a relapse records sampler. it was the song "the mullet burden". and i immediately placed an order for the album it came from. it was the UNDER THE RUNNING BOARD ep.

"but this song is from the CALCULATING INFINITY alb-"

yes.
i'm aware of this.
nerd.

where was i?

i'd sent away from the UNDER THE RUNNING BOARD ep. and when it came in the mail i ripped the cellophane off and put it into the stereo. it opens with "the mullet burden" so i already kinda sorta knew what to expect. or so i thought. over the next 2 songs i found myself thinking "what the fuck is this band?! where the fuck did they come from?!". and the cat i'd had at the time was thinking the same thing. she sat perched in the window next to where the stereo was and was chattering and clawing at the screen and frantically roamed back and forth. yeah. i'm pretty sure that it was trying to get at the birds out on the grass (my apartment was in the basement) but it fit what was going on musically. i listened to those 3 songs all the time. roughly 8 minutes of chaotic precision. anytime i'd play it when friends were over they just didn't get it. my cat and i would always look at each other and exchange a knowing "yeah. totally." head nod. that cat got it,man. well. either that or she was hungry. and then i purchased their SELF-TITLED album. and as i listened to that i found myself thinking "what the fuck happened to this band?! it's almost not the same band. it is but it isn't.". it was like listening to a record and then realizing that you haven't had it on the correct speed the entire time and then fixed it. what does that mean? i don't know. the song "monticello" provided me with my first email address: devil_in_a_3_piece_suit@hotmail.

and then came the CALCULATING INFINITY.
and that's a whole other whatthefuckishappening?!.
also: if you have a band that's looking for a drummer you should make this potential drummer play along with "calculating infinity" (the song. not the album.) as a test. you know what i'm talking about.

yeah.
i'm sure we all remember where we were the first time we'd heard the dillinger escape plan.

and i'm just going to say this: they should've called it a day after IRONY IS A DEAD SCENE.
don't worry.
i'm not going to do what everyone thinks i'm going to do and go off on some rant.
this is what they sounded before they became the band that launched a thousand third rate versions (that are not doing it better than them).
now i'm done.

fun fact: the album art was done by david lynch. yeah. that david lynch.

oh yeah.
drowningman are here as well.
they're ok.

DL