The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is The Killer (2013)

Mathcore is probably the genre I understand the least in the metal world. Not only does the bands in the genre play a sound that seem more random than a sheep in a living room, the usage of Jazz and Fusion in their music is kind of weird. That is why I have not listened to so much mathcore in my days. However, there is one band in the genre that I have some knowledge off, and that band is the New Jersey quintet The Dillinger Escape Plan. And yes, I recognize them as a mathcore band even though they have a broad sound and style register.

"One of Us Is The Killer" is the fifth studio album by the band and as always, the band treats us with a high variety of songs. From the heavy "Prancer" to the Muse like title track, "One of Us Is The Killer" is a display on how far variety can take you. That is also one of the reasons to why The Dillinger Escape Plan is a band where a certain genre cannot explain their music. The variety that they create makes the band unpredictable, but it is also interesting to never know how the band is going to sound next.

The overall performance on "One of Us Is The Killer" is good and it is the irrational drumming style of Billy Rymer that is taking most of the glory. His jazz like style is perfect for the band and hearing his odd beats is always fun. The rest of the band has their moments as well, but I feel that the guitars could have been more prominent.

It is, surprisingly, when the band is slowing down that they show their best sides in this album. Songs like the title track and "Nothing's Funny" sound more well composed and more thought out than other songs in this album. However, that does not mean that the "crazier" songs suck. On the contrary, they also have their sweet moments, especially the progressive "Understanding Decay" where the singer Greg Puciato finds a Ozzy Osbourne like tone in his voice that just increases the interest factor. Other interesting songs are the doom like "Paranoia Shields", the heavy "Prancer" and the enjoyable "Hero of The Soviet Union".

The strength of "One of Us Is The Killer" is, of course, the irrationality and the skills of the band, but I feel that they have developed their song writing (even though some of the songs could as well be made by Muse). But am I fully convinced of the greatness of this album? No, I do not think that this record is of world class quality, but it is a fine album that shows the good sides of mathcore. The Dillinger Escape Plan is once again proving that they are one of the biggest names in their genre.

Songs worthy of recognition: One of Us Is The Killer, Nothing's Funny, Understanding Decay

Rating: 7/10 Crossburners