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June 4, 2008

Dillinger Escape Plan Disturbed By Disturbed

thubmnail icon: Dillinger Escape Plan Disturbed By Disturbed

A ways back we posted NJ Hall Of Famers Dillinger Escape Plan's video for "Milk Lizard" and discussed their more radio-friendly Faith No More sound. We didn't post their "Black Bubblegum" video, but would've brought up Faith No More again if we had. I'm a fan of Ire Works, but you can't ignore that on it, they do often sound different than even something relatively recent like Miss Machine's "Panasonic Youth, to keep it on the level of singles, videos they're making.

All this buildup because when you make your sound easier for people to digest, you do end up playing shows with bands like Chicago-based "Down With The Sickness" metallers Disturbed. Or at least watching their soundchecks. And that can lead to arguments. Dillinger guitarist/only original member Ben Weinman dissed Disturbed in an interview with the Australian magazine Beat, claiming that he saw the guys choreographing every one of their last moves during a soundcheck. He says, "[they were] practicing where they were going to walk and when they were going to put their leg up on the monitor and pose ... That was weird for us. There are times [during live shows] where I don't even know where I am." Disturbed frontman David Draiman responded.

Via Blabbermouth:

Speaking to Bob Coburn of the nationally syndicated radio show Rockline for an episode which aired this past Monday (June 2), Draiman said, "I'm actually very confused by [Weinman's comments], 'cause, to be honest with you, we don't normally let anybody around when we're checking or we don't pay attention to it, number one. Number two is I don't ever remember playing with the guys, to be honest with you. I don't know what they were doing there. I don't ever remember having them open for us, so ... I don't even know what the hell they're talking about. And then as far as 'rehearsing moves,' I mean, I don't know who the hell they think we are -- we're not N'SYNC; we're not going up there with choreography or something like that, trying to rehearse. 'This is when I put my foot on the monitor here.' [Laughs] No one cares about that. But when it's time for Danny [Donegan, Disturbed guitarist] to hit his guitar solo, yeah, he needs to be in a particular cued spot so that the lights go to that focus point, when there's a little particular fill in the song. It's called production -- it's what any big professional band that isn't just punk rock ... Not to say that there is anything wrong with punk rock, because I have my roots in it, but you can't compare the two styles of a show. The Dillinger Escape Plan are more punk and I respect them for what they do -- I'm not even calling them out on any level, in any way shape or form. I like the style of what they do. I don't understand what the hell they think they saw with us, but gentlemen, let me give you a little bit of education: This is what the big boys do who play stadium shows -- they wanna worry about how the lights look that they spend so much money on."

"Not to say that there is anything wrong with punk rock, because I have my roots in it." Watch Disturbed's cover of "Land Of Confusion" and this 2005 footage of DEP while you mull.

Posted at 11:34 AM by brandon in
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25 Comments

1. Telling yourself that you're borne of punk rock doesn't make it true. Believe me, I've tried.
2. Not wanting to be a stadium band that has to be where the lights are at certain times is EXACTLY what the DEP guy was talking about, and not wanting to be that doesn't make the Disturbed guy's summation worth a damn!
3. Ooooh-ah-ah-ah-ah. I rest my case.

Posted by: Chadams at 06/04/08 11:58 AM  | Reply
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Also, Ire Works RIPS.

Posted by: Chadams  in reply to Chadams's comment at 06/04/08 12:01 PM  | Reply
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this is kind of old news (http://www.punknews.org/article/28913)

but here's my two cents in case you're wondeirng.

I've never listened to more than thirty seconds of Disturbed, but those thirty seconds have been pretty miserable. That being said, DEP are one of the most un-listenable bands out there. Sure they can shred, but that doesn't make it interesting or fun. Also, who cares about what Disturbed are doing? If you don't like it, don't open for them. You have a choice.

Posted by: bearface at 06/04/08 12:11 PM  | Reply
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Ire Works rips farts, maybe.

Posted by: ar at 06/04/08 1:34 PM  | Reply
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both of those bands suck

Posted by: Matthew profile link at 06/04/08 1:42 PM  | Reply
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eh, try expanding your tastes to something other than indie RaWk.

Posted by: fag  in reply to Matthew's comment at 06/04/08 10:04 PM  | Reply
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Try refining your tastes to bands that aren’t anything other than carbon copies of every other pop rock/metal band that’s ever come before them.

Posted by: Matthew profile link  in reply to fag's comment at 06/05/08 8:52 AM  | Reply
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um, i don't know if you've ever heard the dillinger escape plan, but to say they're
a) pop rock/metal or
b) carbon copies of ANYTHING
is ridiculous.
they're some of the most talented musicians i've ever seen playing some of the most complex songs i've ever heard - songs that i'm unable to compare to ANYONE i've heard before. listen to panasonic youth and give me one band you've heard that is even physically ABLE to play something like that.

Posted by: MuffinsQ profile link  in reply to Matthew's comment at 06/06/08 8:42 AM  | Reply
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Dillinger Escape Plan is boring music for people who think they're smarter than they are.

Technical and complex is only any good if the listener can do something other than count along. Otherwise it's the musical equivalent of beard-stroking.

Their not even good metal, which means their at the bottom of a pretty crappy division.

Posted by: Eli!  in reply to MuffinsQ's comment at 06/07/08 3:45 PM  | Reply
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i agrees with Matthew and Eli!. dillinger escape plan is exact carbon copy of fag mallmetal bands just like avenged sevenfold, you fag wanker MuffagsQ. as boring as all time low and every time i take a shit and underoath garbage. Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury album and The Hold Steady is more complex and technical than both disturbed and blessed by a metro escape plan! at the disco garbage, you severely mentally retarded fuck.

DEP HATAS FTW fuck you if you wank off and listen to mychildren forever bless the atreyu escape plan circa scaring kids as i lay from autumn to fall out disturbed fate crash senses cab

Posted by: grouchy grover  in reply to MuffinsQ's comment at 09/09/08 5:57 AM  | Reply
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still, no one should take pride in expanding their taste to this garbage

Posted by: routenote  in reply to fag's comment at 06/06/08 11:01 AM  | Reply
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I think they have a word for people who rehearse their performance: Artists.

Posted by: Kjle at 06/04/08 3:10 PM  | Reply
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I think they have a word for people who rehearse their performance: Artists.

Posted by: Kjle at 06/04/08 3:11 PM  | Reply
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disturbed rule!! its loud cheesy metal but id much rather listen to them than many of the indie bands out there

Posted by: cesar at 06/04/08 3:16 PM  | Reply
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disturbed isn't cheesy at all. take the time to listen to the lyrics, not hear the song. david writes very crypticly you really have to pay attention to what he is saying and the message hes trying to get accross, not just listen to the "0oooh ah kah kah kah's" i'd hate the band too if all i heard were the "oooh ah kah kah kah's" and i'm sure DEP is a good band to their listeners as well. to all the people posting on these comments, stop trash talking eachothers taste in music we could all learn alot from disturbed, take a look at the album cover of their album "believe" the symbol isn't satanic as some like to think, it means co-exist.

Posted by: downwithesikness  in reply to cesar's comment at 11/06/08 3:31 PM  | Reply
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I'm too scared to post what I really think.

Posted by: k profile link at 06/04/08 3:17 PM  | Reply
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Ha

as soon as i saw a link posted to DEP i knew exactly what clip it was going to be

and Ire Works is a killer album

if a bit too Mike Patton influenced

Posted by: Sruly at 06/04/08 3:23 PM  | Reply
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Ire Works is not a terrible album, but there are moments more fitting for choreographed posing than on any Disturbed album. It's oh-so easy to take stabs at bands that have made more money, fans and impact than you, isn't it? I'm in no way saying I prefer Disturbed's music, but c'mon, they're obviously the band more people want to hear, for good or ill. Matt doesn't need to respect that, but he should damn well know the facts before saying such crap. His band is simply not as big as Disturbed, and Draiman's comments are 100% accurate even if they DO choreograph their live shows.

Posted by: Kevin at 06/04/08 4:36 PM  | Reply
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disturbed has solos?
i've got to catch some of their shows. nothing's better than bitchen lyxx and hott chix!

you really should just give up when richard cheese makes one of your songs more metal than the original.

Posted by: aaron at 06/04/08 5:05 PM  | Reply
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I got into them through their first EP, before Calculating Infinity came out, so I'm a longtime fan blah blah blah. Long story short, Ire Works blew. The songwriting was completely different and dumbed down; they threw in the complex parts as asides instead of really building the songs around the complicated stuff like they did on their old stuff. It sounds the same to people who always thought DEP were playing random guitar noise, but if you ever appreciated what the band was doing then the difference is obvious. At this point they have what... TWO original members? Or is it one? I can't believe their drummer actually ditched them for Emo Rush.

Posted by: steve at 06/04/08 7:05 PM  | Reply
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draiman let them off easy, that dude tries to fight every band that talks shit about disturbed

Posted by: grover at 06/04/08 9:54 PM  | Reply
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"i'm throwing up in my mouth."

Posted by: eric at 06/05/08 12:37 PM  | Reply
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First of all, I seriously think that neither band really flung shit at each other. The DEP guy wasn't slamming them (outright), he was just saying that he's from a different school of performing and that he prefers them good-ol' stripped down punk show aesthetics. And Draiman says he's not calling them out, he's just defending the fact that they have pre-planned and produced aspects to their show (though he is kinda pissed at the DEP guy for his semi-barb). It's not uncommon for any band that's going to haul around a light rig and play in larger venues to be doing this. Weinman could've easily been talking about Blues Traveler, for all the it matters.

I think DEP's earlier albums are good (I like Miss Machine) and yes, Ire Works is another album (like Finch's & Glassjaw's last albums) that bow before the altar of Mike Patton, but cutting out some of the complicated passages of their music in favor of a more pop-oriented songwriting in their newer songs just shows me that bashing away in 49/16 time is something they don't want to do on every minute of every album. I mean, how many times can you write the same ultra-prog-metal-thrash-punk song?

I applaud bands like these for trying something different, even if it means that their just writing a new Faith No More album in the eyes of some of their listeners.

Posted by: Chadams at 06/06/08 6:47 PM  | Reply
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I like turtles.

Posted by: Zombie Kid at 06/07/08 7:49 PM  | Reply
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The dillinger show i saw a couple months ago was probably the greatest show i will see in some time. Greg broke his hand and cracked his head open in the last song, and kept going just like he had the entire show. I can't imagine any disturbed show is as impressive as that.

Posted by: jace at 06/08/08 9:07 PM  | Reply
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