....should I ever take this band seriously? Not typically into the over the top spazz avant guard metal, but they seem to have something appealing as an outsider.

What do yuns think?

Them and Botch were my first concert when I moved to Philly, at the First Unitarian Church, and I thought DEP put on a really good show. It was cool watching the guitarist shred as he was simultaneously crowd surfing. Bought their EP Under The Running Board that day and have always enjoyed that album.

That, IMO, was their peak though. Its been downhill ever since and I think they kinda turned into skinny jean nonsense.

The last decent album they put out was the one that has 100% burnt on it. They remind me of Norma jean. I liked a couple of songs on the first Norma jean album but the rest of their albums completely blow

Botch is a band I can get behind, although it took me a little while. Pretty complex shit, and more abrasive them I'm in the mood for most of the time, but something certainly original. Probably my deep interest in odd timing,etc. that I usually stick to less heavy rock...that led me to appreciate them as a band.

DEP's early material is also very mathy. Also very spastic, nothing like what they have since become.

They've been around for quite a while and admittedly I've never cared for them but I did see them a few months back opening for Mastodon. I figured I'd watch them and see what they were all about. I absolutely hated them. They had roadies dragging dummy guitar cabinets all over the stage so they could pose on top of them and do jumps off of them. It was so contrived and corny I can't put it into words. It was as if they felt the need to be as spazzy as the music and show us how much they were "rockin' out". It seemed to be one step above crabcore. No thank you.

^ What he said...had the misfortune of suffering through their set during a Mastodon show as well...one of the worst live bands I've ever seen...the vocalist (that's being kind) looked like a meathead who raided Punky Brewster's wardrobe, and all the posing and gyrating was just sad...and none of that shit even came close to rivaling the shitastic music...just another flaccid (insert name)-core band seeking to wow the kiddies with their noodling and aimless tunes about who-the-fuck cares.

Skinny jean fucking pish.

Saw them in 2001, didn't like them then. Saw them this month, even worse now. The posing and flying about just put me off I am afraid. Didn't like first singer, like 2nd singer even less.

I remember digging Miss Machine back when it came out.

The albums of theirs that I like are the self-titled, Under the Running Board, Calculating Infinity, and Irony is a Dead Scene which is exactly what Adam described above. The rest of their material is meh at best.

The EP with Mike Patton is off the hook. I saw them in 1999 open for Mr. Bungle and they were insane from a physical/shredding standpoint. Don't think they could have kept that up. The newer melodic direction hasn't been executed very well from the stuff that I've heard.

I saw Dillinger back in the Patton ep days, and got punched in the face in the pit for my troubles. No real damage, although I did go into the bathroom just to make sure everything was still in it's proper location. There were tons of scenecore tough guys and angry posers, and I think it got even worse after they did "Miss Machine". I was never a huge fan, especially after I read a couple interviews where they came off as a pile of dicks. Maybe the dude from Cable had them right. But I enjoyed the early stuff.

Botch ruled and I have most of their material as well as the dvd of the last show. Came late to them and never saw them live, but they did it right and have obviously influenced every noisy spazzy metalcore band I've been into since. I did see These Arms Are Snakes, who I like but it seems most people can't stand.

put me down as a DEP fan... sometimes I forget that even stoner rockers can be closed-minded about music.

I like both their early and later work. They do indulge in some dumb shit, like jumping off balconies onto the stage while playing ridiculous riffs, and there's a huge hype factory both for and against them. And some albums/songs are middling, like Ire Works. But their songwriting is something else if you're into the style (which depends on whether it's the early mathcore or the Patton/post-Patton stuff), nevermind the "tech" aspect of it. I dunno. Maybe it's the Jersey in me, but I find them an exception in a genre filled with wankers.

And if we're hosting a death match, I'd take them over Botch, much as I like both, just for Miss Machine. Maybe even just Irony is a Dead Scene.

I'll take Cave In - Until Your Heart Stops over boaf of them. However, We Are The Romans is a beast...which probably has more depth than I've really gotten into.

DEP is from Morristown/Chatham area right? pfft.

I'd buy into the angst more if they were from say, Patterson or Hackensack. You know, more scummy north jersey

Botch were slighty better live, but DEP have the recordings.

Outside of KEELHAUL, there is no band from that time period/Hydreahead that I rountinely reach for. It was literally a whole lot of shouting for nothing.

Wat?

Grabbed a cheeky d/l of We Are The Romans this afternoon, and the title track is some sort of drum and bass tune...

WTF?

Mr. Red does lay down a good point, not too much noise math metal worthy of the handful of originators besides Keelhaul, who rule their own domain. Subject To Change...is completely unfuckable with. Maybe a reach would be Sweet Cobra, American Heritage, Akimbo, but they are sort of more in the punk/sludge category mixed with math and noise. Perhaps Ralphsnart has some better examples of math noise done well in the '00s.

A point, but you forgot about Lodi*.



But fact is Danzig was a spoiled brat too. The music is all that matters (besides the jeans, I guess). If you don't like DEP, that's fine, more power to you. Doesn't matter where they're from.

* For the record, fuck Lodi.

I jest about the a bands Origen, the music is all that matters in any case. But when you get a chance to take a shot at Jersey, you take it.

The lead singer from Botch has a new band called Narrows. They have two 7" and 2 full lengths (the newest one is being released Tuesday). They don't tour much because all of the members of the band live in different parts of the country but the show I saw them play 2 years ago with Trap Them was awesome. Pretty intense. I like this band a lot.





My favorite song by Narrows.

I've never really got into DEP enough to notice how their pants fit. did they borrow their style from someone? who cares?