One of Us Is the Killer

One of Us Is the Killer is the fifth studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on May 14, 2013.[3] One of Us Is the Killer is the band's second release under their Party Smasher, Inc. imprint. The CD was released as a standard version that can be picked up at most record stores, and a limited version with a scratch-off cover that can only be bought at Best Buy containing two bonus tracks.

One of Us Is the Killer
Studio album by
The Dillinger Escape Plan
ReleasedMay 14, 2013 (2013-05-14)
StudioRecorded in California and New Jersey, USA.
Genre
Length40:01
Label
ProducerSteve Evetts
The Dillinger Escape Plan chronology
Option Paralysis
(2010)		 One of Us Is the Killer
(2013)		 Dissociation
(2016)
Singles from One of Us Is the Killer
  1. "Prancer"
    Released: March 12, 2013

Background, lyrics and music

Vocalist Greg Puciato indicated that he chose the album title "pretty much as soon as I finished writing [the] song" of the same name.[4] He explained that the meaning behind the title involves "a lot of issues on the album relate[d] to co-dependency and unknowingly destroying a relationship and taking responsibility for that and not pointing outward. The chorus of the song says 'one of us must die, but the killer won't survive.' In a relationship, you're both fifty percent at fault. It's about accepting responsibility instead of directing it outward."[4] Puciato arrived at this view as a result of "two really critical relationships in my life that were under a lot of strain... in a state of turmoil [and] unhealthy", while the album was being written.[4] In a 2015 interview, Puciato revealed that in his lyrics there were two or three references to Twilight Zone "that no one will ever find".[5] The title of the instrumental track "CH 375 268 277 ARS" is a cipher that only one person close to the singer can understand (which is not Weinman).[6]

By the time of composing, several bands from the 1990s hardcore punk scene, which Weinman used to watch live, had reunited. This led to him and drummer Billy Rymer going back to many old records before jamming and writing.[7][8][note 1] They also tried to create more convoluted rhythms, making the record complex but "at the same time surprisingly groovy," according to Weinman.[9] Upon hearing some of the instrumentals, Puciato thought, "What the fuck is happening? This sounds like a beehive!"[10] A statement following Puciato's contributions to the album said that the musical style of One of Us Is the Killer would be "progressive ambient mixed with noise", instead.[11]

Recording

Prior to recording One of Us Is the Killer, the band essentially constructed a studio around its practice space,[12] making it the first album where all the music was composed during the writing process, except for a riff which originated when the band toured a few months before.[13]

Vocalist Greg Puciato noted that the album "took a lot longer" to record, with the band members recording their respective instruments on consecutive days rather than alternating: "This time we did it traditionally and everyone tracked their instruments in succession. So I spent 25 days in a row recording vocals," said Puciato.[4] He explained that this helped him to concentrate on how he delivered the vocals:

I thought it would be a real detriment, because after three or four days I would start to sound different. But it was the opposite. For some reason, being able to completely immerse and not poke your head out every two or three days really allowed us to go down the rabbit hole and keep the microscope on the vocals without having to switch gears. I think we ended up with better vocals because of that.[4]

Although The Dillinger Escape Plan members liked the results, the process was extremely stressful and some vocal lines went through fifty takes before settling on one, while they made long-time producer Steve Evetts mix some songs "to the brink of exhaustion", e.g. "Prancer" was mixed around twenty-five times.[11] Puciato said that Evetts almost quit ten times when recording, but they remained friends:

The reason we can do that is because we trust one another completely. ... We're really good friends and we live very close to one another, so we hang out a lot outside of the studio. I think that help keep our relationship positive. If all he had were the memories of making Dillinger records, he wouldn't want to talk to us ever again![11]

One of Us Is the Killer features high-profile guest vocalists playing other instruments, but the band members are not allowed to mention them. Puciato said, "think in terms of James Hetfield hitting a xylophone, but he's not one of them. ... They can reveal themselves and what they did if they ever want to individually."[14]

Promotion

In contrast to their previous releases, previews of material slated to be on the album prior to its announcement were scarce. The band announced the album title and cover on their Facebook page on February 18, 2013.[15] The first single from the album, "Prancer", was released on the iTunes Store, Google Play, and Amazon MP3 on March 12.[16] On April 1, the band shared a preview of the album on Facebook, released by the label on YouTube on March 31.[17] An official music video for the second track, "When I Lost My Bet" was released on YouTube on April 23, 2013. The album was streamed in its entirety on May 12. The single "Prancer" was used in the closing credits of the 2013 horror film Sanatorium.

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[19]
Allmusic[2]
Alternative Press[20]
Exclaim![21]
musicOMH[22]
Spin[1]
Sputnikmusic4.1/5[23]
This Is Fake DIY[24]

One Of Us Is the Killer achieved widespread critical acclaim. Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 79, based on 10 reviews.[18] Gregory Heaney of Allmusic, giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, commented on the album's accessibility (without the band leaving their signature sound), saying "This shift toward playing to the listener's gut rather than head gives The Dillinger Escape Plan a newfound level of accessibility without diminishing the impact of their punishing sound, and though it might seem like they're smoothing out the edges of their sound and turning their swords into plowshares, the reality is that they've just turned it into a different kind of weapon.",[2] while Jacob Royal of Sputnikmusic gave the album a rating of 4.1 out of 5, stating "One Of Us Is the Killer is easily the most sprawling piece of work The Dillinger Escape Plan has created yet."[23]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Greg Puciato; all music is composed by Ben Weinman[25].

No.TitleLength
1."Prancer"3:52
2."When I Lost My Bet"3:53
3."One of Us Is the Killer"3:28
4."Hero of the Soviet Union"3:00
5."Nothing's Funny"3:26
6."Understanding Decay"3:48
7."Paranoia Shields"4:27
8."CH 375 268 277 ARS"2:32
9."Magic That I Held You Prisoner"2:49
10."Crossburner"5:05
11."The Threat Posed by Nuclear Weapons"3:46
Best Buy Exclusive Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
12."One of Us Is the Killer" (Easy Girl Remix)5:25
13."Nothing's Funny" (Demo)3:39
UK iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."One of Us Is the Killer" (Extended Version)4:59
Japanese Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
12."One of Us Is the Killer" (WIFE Remix)4:33

Personnel

One of Us Is the Killer personnel according to CD liner notes.[25]

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Additional musicians

  • Patrick Dougherty – trumpet, flugel horn
  • "Tuba-Joe" Exley – tuba, valve trombone

Production

  • Steve Evetts – engineering, production
  • Ben Weinman – additional production
  • Alan Douches – mastering

Artwork and design

  • Brian Montuori – art direction, ink drawings, handwriting
  • Daniel McBride – post-production, assemblage

Charts
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 45
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 52
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 146
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[29] 34
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 147
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 84
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] 131
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 64
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[35] 16
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[36] 6
US Billboard 200[37] 25
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[38] 4
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[39] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[40] 6
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[41] 8

Notes
  1. Among the bands which reunited from 2010 to 2013 were Jesuit (whose guitarist Brian Benoit also played in Dillinger), Refused, Coalesce, American Nightmare, Catharsis, Swing Kids and Black Flag.
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References
  1. Gubbels, Jason (2013-05-14). "The Dillinger Escape Plan, 'One of Us Is the Killer'". Spin. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  2. Heaney, Gregory (May 14, 2013). "One of Us Is the Killer - The Dillinger Escape Plan". Allmusic. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  3. Hartmann, Graham (April 1, 2013). "THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN UNLEASH ALBUM PREVIEW FOR 'ONE OF US IS THE KILLER'". Loudwire. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  4. Bowar, Chad (12 May 2013). "Dillinger Escape Plan Interview A Conversation with Vocalist Greg Puciato". About.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  5. Robinson, Courtney (August 6, 2015). "Searching For The Killer With The Dillinger Escape Plan". Tonedeaf. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. Grow, Kory (2013). "Drugs, Death, Chaos, Contradiction: Inside Dillinger's 'One of Us Is the Killer'". Revolver (published May 14, 2019). Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  7. "THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (usa) - Ben Weinman (Avril-2013/VF-EV)". Metal-impact.com (in French) (published July 6, 2013). April 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  8. Ouellette, Mary (October 4, 2012). "Dillinger Escape Plan Return to Studio, Guitarist Joins Wyclef Jean in Voting Ad". Loudwire. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  9. Westland, Raymond (May 8, 2013). "Party Smashers And Artistic Freedom – An Interview With The Dillinger Escape Plan". Ghostcultmag.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  10. "THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's 'One Of Us Is The Killer' Cracks U.S. Top 25". Blabbermouth.net. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  11. Metal’O Phil (April 3, 2013). "The crazies from The Dillinger Escape Plan". Radiometal.com (published June 4, 2013). Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  12. Robertson, Jon (2 July 2013). "Interview with Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman". Beaded Gentlemen Music. Retrieved 27 September 2013. External link in |work= (help)
  13. Glaser, Anthony (May 9, 2014). "INTERVIEW: The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman on Codependency and Cultural Depression". Substream Magazine. Amityville, New York (published May 20, 2014). Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  14. "Interview: Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan emails us". ThrashHits.com. May 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  15. Dillinger Escape Plan, The (February 18, 2013). "NEW ALBUM TITLE, NEW ALBUM COVER".
  16. Dillinger Escape Plan, The (March 12, 2013). "New album "ONE OF US IS THE KILLER" preorders".
  17. Dillinger Escape Plan, The (April 1, 2013). "THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is happy to announce ..."
  18. One of Us Is the Killer at Metacritic
  19. Sirois, Kevin (May 14, 2013). "Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer Review". About.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  20. "One of Us Is the Killer". Alternative Press. Vol. 24 no. #299. Cleveland, Ohio: Alternative Press Magazines Inc. June 2013. p. 94. ISSN 1065-1667.
  21. Walshcots, Natalie (May 10, 2013). "Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer". Exclaim. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  22. Mainzer, Jordan (2013-05-21). "The Dillinger Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer". musicOMH. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  23. Royal, Jacob (May 5, 2013). "Album Review - The Dillinger Escape Plan: One of Us Is the Killer". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  24. Lynham, Alex (2013-05-20). "The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  25. One of Us Is the Killer (Media notes). The Dillinger Escape Plan. Sumerian Records. 2013. CD booklet. SUM258.CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. "Australiancharts.com – The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer". Hung Medien.
  27. "Austriancharts.at – The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer" (in German). Hung Medien.
  28. "Ultratop.be – The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  29. "The Dillinger Escape Plan: One of Us Is the Killer" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  30. "Lescharts.com – The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer". Hung Medien.
  31. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  32. "デリンジャー・エスケイプ・プランのアルバム売上ランキング - ORICON STYLE".
  33. "Swisscharts.com – The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer". Hung Medien.
  34. "Dillinger Escape Plan | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  35. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  36. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  37. "The Dillinger Escape Plan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  38. "The Dillinger Escape Plan Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  39. "The Dillinger Escape Plan Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  40. "The Dillinger Escape Plan Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  41. "The Dillinger Escape Plan Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
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