MetalSucks

Yesterday I interviewed Greg Puciato, Liam Wilson, and Billy Rymer from The Dillinger Escape Plan (transcript coming soon); because Rymer is the band’s new drummer and this is his first album with DEP, it should go without saying that a portion of the conversation was devoted to how he joined the band, his experience as “the new guy,” and his predecessors – namely Gil Sharone and, of course, Chris Pennie. Unless you live under a Dino Cazares, you already know that Pennie is now the drummer for Coheed and Cambria; since I’m a wwwwaaaaayyyyy bigger fan of DEP than I am of C&C, I don’t spend much time thinking about Pennie these days. Which isn’t to take away from his incredible talent; I’m just saying, it’s unusual for me to have Pennie on the brain at this particular moment in time.

But now here we are, I was just thinking about him yesterday, and he’s already back in the headlines! It turns out that Pennie is in the whole other band I didn’t even know about, Return to Earth, who released an album called Captains of Industry in 2007; now they’ve signed with Metal Blade, who will release their sophomore effort, Automata, sometime this summer.

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As of today DEP and their producer, Steve Evetts, have been in the studio working on the band’s new album, Option Paralysis, for ten days. And besides getting a new DEP record in ‘10, y’know what that means? We get the new de rigeur in-the-studio video updates of DEP in the studio! Hoo-ray!

Here’s the first entry. You don’t really get to hear any new music, but you do get to see that new drummer Bill Rymer can hold shit down (probably) just as well as Chris Pennie or Gil Sharone.

-AR

Well… happy friggin’ new year, everyone. We gots some catchin’ up to do.

As Dillinger Escape Plan fans may have heard by now, the band has hired some dude no one has ever heard of, Billy Rymer from The Rivalry, to replace Gil Sharone, who, in turn, replaced founding drummer Chris Pennie for 2007’s orgasm-inducing Ire Works and all subsequent touring for that album. Now, I know that Sharone’s departure may worry the DEP faithful – the dude was not only an awesome drummer, but watching how chill he always was live, even while playing some retardedly complex drum parts, would seem to suggest that he may very well be a god amongst men (or at least drummers). Hell, even DEP front dude Greg Puciato told us that Sharone is like “the kid in school who always gets good grades just because he’s naturally fucking super gifted.”

But here’s the thing.

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I know that some people think that The Dillinger Escape Plan have gotten too big for their britches in light of all the critical acclaim heaped upon them for Ire Works. I don’t see it. Sorry. When we interviewed front man Greg Puciato last November, the dude told us to stick around the band’s tour bus and help ourselves to whatever we wanted from the fridge. And that was after the interview was already over. Does that sound like rock star ego to you? If it does, you’re too thin skinned, and God help you if you’re ever in the room when someone brings Marilyn Manson oranges instead of the grapes that his rider specifically called for.

ANYWAY, here’s DEP’s new clip for “Black Bubblegum,” directed by drummer Gil Sharone’s bro-bro Ilan. Like when I lost my virginity, I have almost no idea what’s going on here, but I love it.

-AR