The Dillinger Escape Plan / Between the Buried and Me / Stolen Babies - 16/02/2008

[Bleakest Harvest]

The Dillinger Escape Plan / Between the Buried and Me / Stolen Babies
16th February, 2008 - The Village - Dublin, Ireland
By Paddy Walsh

That this show was eagerly awaited would be an understatement. Having produced on the best slices of metal in years with last year's Ire Works, coupled with their fearsome reputation in the live arena, The Dillinger Escape Plan are a tantalising proposition to say the least.

Going with a large gang of friends - bedecked in oversized suits for the occasion and becoming increasingly worse for wear during pre-gig drinks - means I miss openers Stolen Babies and walk into the crammed Village about midway through Between the Buried and Me's set. Like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me created an absolute belter in 2007 with Colors, an album that gave melodic death metal a much-needed Mr. Bungle-sized kick us the arse. Tonight, however, they come across as rather tedious and tame, the viciousness of their recorded output tempered by both the lack of volume, poor sound and dearth of any proper stage activity. Disappointing indeed, and it is now left to the headliners to save the night.

A two-pronged opening attack of 'Panasonic Youth' and '43% Burnt' seems to set things up nicely for the The Dillinger Escape Plan to make mincemeat of everyone present, and their collective energy is atonishing - Greg Puciato stalks the stage possessed, climbing all over the stacks and launching himself into the crowd on numerous occasions. Ben Weinman flails and thrashes his guitar in a manner that makes it seem strange that he's actually able to play the thing at all, and unfortunately this leads on to the main problem of the night. On record, The Dillinger Escape Plan play an incredibly technical, precise brand of metal, but tonight this precision is lost within both the typically muddy sound of the Village and the band's chaotic abandon. When they hit their stride they are incredible, of course, as closer 'Sunshine the Werewolf' is superbly pulled off despite the lack of the string theatrics that permeate it on cd. However, Greg Puciato, despite being a spectacle worth paying to see for his stage antics alone, utilises one dimensional vein-bursting screams that become tiresome in lieu of the superb and varied vocals he exhibited on Ire Works. This is particularly galling on 'Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants', as the cleanly sung chorus is reduced to a shouted mess as the band flail about the stage. Despite this, however, The Dillinger Escape Plan remain an entertaining live band, they almost triumph on pure energy and enthusiasm alone, but one can't help wonder what it would be like to be actually witness the band attempt to properly recreate the musical acrobatics present on their recordings in a manner that would have us dropping our jaws in awe rather than mirth.