Ire Works
by The Dillinger Escape Plan
  • Record Label: Relapse
  • Release Date: Nov 13, 2007
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. The A.V. Club
    91
    Ire Works is a near-perfect pileup of craft and chaos--and it shows that Dillinger's recent injuries left some beautiful scars.
  2. AllMusic
    90
    It can be inaccessible and terrifying all at once, but in a genre overly saturated with formulaic groups, Ire Works is a true standout.
  3. Alternative Press
    90
    The Dillinger Escape Plan are far from dead and te sound they pioneered is only getting stronger. [Dec 2007, p.171]
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  5. PopMatters
    90
    The rest of us will continue to drink in the boldest, most thrilling album of this supremely talented band’s career.
  6. Hartford Courant
    90
    Ire Works is one of the best metal records released this year, full of brutal math-metal freakouts such as 'Fix Your Face' and 'Nong Eye Gong' and beautifully crafted, more melodic songs, including 'Black Bubblegum' and 'Dead as History.'
  7. Drowned In Sound
    80
    It’s a frighteningly powerful album that will be adored by open-minded newcomers and "Miss Machine" converts alike.
  8. Billboard
    80
    The New Jersey crew is still cranking out metal as frenzied and choppy as a machete-wielding madman, yet twice as schizophrenic.
  9. Mojo
    80
    Ire Works is a thrillingly hostile racket containing 13 wild bursts. [Dec 2007, p.110]
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  10. Q Magazine
    80
    The third album is equally uncompromising, atonal industrial noise offset with melodious crooning, never settling for predictable paths. [Dec 2007, p.115]
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  11. Boston Globe
    80
    The band is clearly comfortable with the medium that it occupies between aggressive and technical post-hardcore yet is beginning to tread new territory.
  12. Pitchfork
    80
    More than ever, DEP have songs. They're also the band's most colorful to date.
  13. Spin
    70
    It's Dillinger's willingness to constantly incorporate new sounds--even commercial ones-- that makes Ire Works an experimental-rock touchstone. [Dec 2007, p.126]
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  14. The Boston Phoenix
    63
    Ire Works is good science tarnished slightly by one bad experiment.
  15. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    Ire Works is their most controlled effort to date, even more so than 2004's mainstream-friendly (relatively speaking, of course) "Miss Machine."
  16. Sputnikmusic
    40
    I can't help but admire the wondrous technicality of the band members, but I wonder if they could have deployed it in a more tasteful way.

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best Album of 2007
90
#90 Most Shared Album of 2007

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 70
  3. Negative: 8 out of 70
  1. prsreaper1230
    May 18, 2013
    10
    Simply an amazing album. Greg's vocals sounds at the top of their performance, and the band all come together and make a unique sound i'veSimply an amazing album. Greg's vocals sounds at the top of their performance, and the band all come together and make a unique sound i've never heard before.
    Favorite tracks: Milk Lizard, Black Bubblegum, Sick on Sunday, Nong Eye Gong    … Full Review »
  2. NC_Hantrell
    Dec 2, 2011
    9
    Ire Works is such a great album, the two singles off the album, Milk Lizard and Black Bubblegum may put the wrong impression on what the restIre Works is such a great album, the two singles off the album, Milk Lizard and Black Bubblegum may put the wrong impression on what the rest of the album is like, but who would've known that Mathcore could sound so great! One you must listen to befire you die.… Full Review »
  3. thetiderises
    Sep 1, 2011
    10
    This is Dillinger's best album, in my opinion, but any way you slice it, it's a great record. There's really not a bad song on the album, andThis is Dillinger's best album, in my opinion, but any way you slice it, it's a great record. There's really not a bad song on the album, and they successfully display their trademark relentless energy but deepen it with the electronic elements of the "Particle" and "Wave" tracks and soften it up with "Black Bubblegum." All things told, if you're a fan of heavy music, you need to listen to this album.… Full Review »
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