Um…oh, there it is! For a few seconds I thought the Dillinger Escape Plan abandoned its standard auditory assault, but no, it is there! Obviously, “Farewell, Mona Lisa,” the first track of their new album, Option Paralysis, doesn’t start off with the same face-shattering punch previous Dillinger albums have thrown; instead, we’re led in a by a few chords, much like lambs to the slaughter, to be awakened by Greg Puciato’s forceful vocals and the pummeling, stop-and-go blast beats from Billy Rymer. The ebb and flow continues as the song winds into a melodic breakdown where Puciato displays his ability to flex the pipes (sounding much like DEP collaborator, Mike Patton (Faith No More/Fantamos/Mr Bungle), only to be unwound and torn to shreds by the end of the song.

This opening track gives the listener a perfect synopsis of the entire album. Producer Steve Evetts (DEP/Poison The Well/Every Time I Die) does a beautiful job of arranging the songs, and helps the band push its own musical boundaries. The band adds a new layer to the mix by bringing in pianist Mike Garson (David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails/Smashing Pumpkins) to give some of the tracks an avant-garde jazz aesthetic.

“Widower” is a perfect example of this, opening with a methodic, pulse-like sample that gives way to soft piano keys and vocals. If you were just scanning the disc, you might think the band has gone commercial, but if you listen closely enough, the song is slowly building to a climax. Suddenly, the bottom drops and the beautiful mountain you were just climbing turns into a sheer cliff full of jagged riffs, assaulting vocals and thunderous drums. And just as you feel yourself succumbing, you’re teased with a sense of clarity, feeling as if you hit the bottom…not quite yet, there are a few more jagged rocks to hit before that happens!

The album isn’t lacking any of DEP’s rudimentary elements; cuts like “Good Neighbor” and the blistering “Crystal Morning” remind you of just how bad they can/will kick your ass. “Endless Endings” is another kick-in-the-teeth cut, but what sets this song apart is the guitar work – the instant shift from high-pitched noodling to streaking sirens is mindboggling! The precision and discipline the guitarists (the entire band, for that matter) display on this album is awesome.

Other tracks like “Gold Teeth on a Bum,” “Room Full of Eyes” and “Chinese Whispers” show how the band continues to progress and push the envelope. DEP’s average track length used to be two-and-a-half-minutes or under, now they’re pushing the four- and five-minute mark. “Room Full of Eyes” could easily be two completely different songs melded into one. The breakdown in the middle of this song literally goes silent for a second, then re-enters your eardrums at a much lower, sluggish pace, guided along by booming drums and growling vocals, but not quite reaching the furious fervor with which the song began.

“I Wouldn’t If You Didn’t” lashes out at you with a frantic pace of screeching guitars and machine-gun drumming. At a minute-thirty in, you’re spent, feeling as if you’ve just run a marathon in that short time! Well, I hope you packed your energy bars, because the song isn’t over yet. DEP pull off a beautifully orchestrated, jazz-like bridge, reminiscent of Candiria, transforming the song from a frenzied hardcore song into a more melodic, unhurried piece that eventually winds itself back up into a tornado of guitars and drums with the continuous chorus of …”suffering is love!”

The album ends on a pretty somber note with “Parasitic Twins.” Chiming bells and distorted string arrangements guide you into a very personal song. I feel it’s about a lost love, with lyrics like: “I need a strong pull from your little lights, or I’m going down/’cause I built it all from the inside, and you burned it down/’cause when you took your love away, you let go.” The sense of loss and despair in the vocals and the minimal instrumentation gives this song more of a NIN feel than that of any Dillinger cut. Garson’s keys accentuate the feeling of loneliness and longing.

If you’ve ever been curious about this mathcore band, now is the time to take that leap of faith and pick up this album. It’s the perfect cocktail, here’s the recipe: 2 parts Dillinger Escape Plan, 1 part Faith No More and 1 part Nine Inch Nails. Brutally and beautifully, Dillinger show you how niche bands can evolve and progress into more complex and dynamic bands if they have the desire to push those walls.