So by now everyone and their mother knows that The Dillinger Escape Plan have parted ways with longtime label Relapse Records. But one of the big, nagging questions – especially coming off the tremendous success of Ire Works – has been “Why?”

Well, our friends at Metal Insider recently caught up with DEP guitarist Ben Weinman to get some answers. Here’s an excerpt:

What prompted you to look for something new after working with Relapse for over 10 years?

As I always say, there is the right way of doing things, the wrong way of doing things and then there is the Dillinger way of doing things. I think Relapse records could say the same thing for themselves when talking about how they have developed as a record label out of a basement in Pennsylvania. Relapse and Dillinger covered a lot of new territory together and we are extremely proud to have had such a long-lasting successful relationship. That being said, the old industry model is dead and you can either drown or get on board. Just as established record labels have to reevaluate how they do things, so do established working bands. We are not some one-hit wonder. We are a real working band. This is our job, this is our art, this is our lives. We live this shit every day and will, in some way, for the rest of our lives. While we may not be working with Relapse (or any label for that matter) in the same way that we used to, we are still just doing what we have always done, surviving with as much control as possible over what we do.

You should definitely check out the rest of the interview here. Weinman also discusses the band’s new deal with Season of Mist, drawing inspiration from Trent Reznor, and, uh, iPhone apps. Definitely worth a read.

-AR