Firstly, ‘One of Us Is The Killer’ retains everything listeners would expect from New Jersey noise-artists The Dillinger Escape Plan. Their fifth full-length is filled with mismatched time signatures, insatiable drum patters, brutal riffs and distinctive growls. It also follows suit from predecessor ‘Option Paralysis’ by injecting the occasional rest-bite through menacing instrumentals and brooding vocals.
Sandwiched between two abundantly more severe tracks, the title track recalls the brutality through subtle ominous nuances and visceral lyrics; parting the relentless onslaught of sporadic instrumentation. Proving indicative of the record, ‘One of Us Is The Killer’ demonstrates its ferocity more cleverly and consistently than previous offerings. Opening with the associated elements on lead single ‘Prancer’, it only takes two minutes for the track to dive into experimental territory before emerging with as much force as it originally demonstrated.
Rather than assert its barbarity through all-out metal, each track ebbs and flows; as does the album. ‘Magic That I Held You Prisoner’ and ‘The Threat Posed By Nuclear Weapons’ capture various tempos in a comparably short space of time, however by drawing out the sections The Dillinger Escape Plan impart more evident song-structures than on prior records.
Ultimately, ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ is the band’s most considered record to date. The immediacy and violent thrash remains, yet the characteristic schizophrenic nature takes a minimal step back. Structurally the record follows suit, delivering pockets of calm within the inherently confounding soundscape.
It does not make the record more accessible, nor does it make it any more placid – instead, The Dillinger Escape Plan have recorded a record that not only sounds, but feels solid. Taking strong elements from previous releases, the album feels like that of a band finding their feet, despite never knowing they had lost them. It pulls all the elements of their sound together into a chaotic consistency – relying equally on haunting midsections as it does on direct savagery. ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ is unmistakably Dillinger, and unmistakably excellent.
BEN TIPPLE