★★★★☆

Though the end is nigh, The Dillinger Escape Plan sure as hell aren’t going quietly.

The prog metal juggernauts have chucked us this beast of an album to ensure that even long after they disband, people will still talk about the savagery they brought.

Hate Monday mornings? Try setting opening track ‘Limerent Death’ as your alarm clock ringtone. A sickeningly inhuman noise from vocalist Greg Puciato begins the album, spewing profanity in that Dillinger fashion fans have come to love.

Slipping down the spectrum to a more melodic sound, ‘Symptom Of Terminal Illness’ is hauntingly morbid yet enjoyable, conveying a wonderful poetry in the lyrics. The middle tracks of the record explore more speculative tones with spoken narrative and crazy drumming, blending ambiance and brutality while never straying from the path of awesome. ‘Surrogate’ pushes and pulls in a shake-up of anguish, and ‘Nothing To Forget’ is Dillinger toying with a poignant farewell before they close with the album’s title track, disassociating their music with an eerie finality.

If you’re looking for an aggression injection, Dissociation kicks butt so hard that it’s almost worth praying to the metal gods that Dillinger defer the break-up and continue on this crazy roller coaster.

The DillingerEscape Plan’sDissociationis out now via Party Smasher/Cooking Vinyl.

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