Spiritech: Ire Works has been out for more than a year now - has this been DEP's most successful album to date?
Ben Weinman: All of our records have had different kinds of success which attribute to what we are as a whole. I think Ire Works is the perfect representation of how we have evolved throughout the years. It really represents what we are and where we want to be so in that way it was very successful. Ire Works has also been probably our most well-received album as far as press is concerned so I guess someone digs it.
Spiritech: Indeed. Have you begun writing material for the next album yet, and if so, how is it shaping up? Ben Weinman: Yes I have a lot of music in the works. Most of it is pretty aggressive but who knows how it will end up.
Spiritech: The band caused a minor stir online last year with some comments made in an interview about Disturbed. How did the band feel about the reaction to those comments and have you had any contact with the members of Disturbed since then?
Ben Weinman: Most of the comments were coming from the Disturbed camp, honestly. Shortly after that whole things died down a bit we ran into them at a festival. The guitar player came up to me and wanted to talk about it or something. I didn't really get it. As far as I can tell we were in agreement the entire time. We are two totally different bands and do things completely differently. That's all I was saying from the start so whatever who cares.
Spiritech: Good to hear. The band also recently enlisted a new drummer in the form of Billy Rymer. Can you tell us a little more about him and how he came to join the band?
Ben Weinman: He is great. We tried out a lot of guys and then this dude probably about an average of six years younger then anyone else we played with and with much less experience comes in and kills it. He is ridiculously precise but has this kind of Dave Grohl energy. We can't wait to record.
Spiritech: Just to clear any doubts up, why did Gil Sharone decide to leave the band?
Ben Weinman: It's very simple. He didn't want to tour as much as we did so we decided to find someone who could commit more time before recording another record.
Spiritech: Fair enough. You're heading to Australia for the fourth time this month as part of the Soundwave Festival. What can Aussie fans expect from a festival set from DEP, as opposed to a club show?
Ben Weinman: We try to treat a festival very similarly to how we would a club show. We don't think of the crowd as a blob of people, we think of them as a bunch of individuals who need to be smacked in the face by The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Spiritech: What can fans expect in terms of set list at the shows? Ben Weinman: It will be a good mix of songs from all our records. We may bust out a classic cover as well just to give people something to tap their little feet to.
Spiritech: I was talking to Keith from Every Time I Die recently and he was saying that playing shows with a band such as DEP really motivates them to play better and harder for fear of being "shown up". Does it work both ways - are Dillinger motivated by the same thing?
Ben Weinman: I love Every Time I Die and think they are a remarkable live band. But the level of expectation that we have on ourselves is much higher then anything we could possibly see another band do. I will say that seeing a great band gets us excited to play. Great music is the ultimate rush.
Spiritech: What bands are you looking forward to seeing live at the festival?
Ben Weinman: I love watching Every Time I Die. I am really excited to see Nine Inch Nails on so many nights. That is going to be an amazing experience I'm sure. I haven't seen Minus the Bear in a long time so I'm looking forward to that as well.
Spiritech: Pink attended one of your Sydney shows in 2005 - what celebrity would you love to see at a DEP show and why?
Ben Weinman: I would love to see Justin Timberlake so that he could get on stage and perform a song with us. That white boy got some soul! (laughs) Iggy Pop would get me pretty stoked. Maybe Madonna, she is a MILF. I don't know, I'm making this up right now. I don't care who comes to our show unless they let me live in their pool house.
Spiritech: (laughs) Okay, to finish things off, do you have any last words for PyroMusic.net readers?
Ben Weinman: Just thanks so much for your interest. We are really excited to come back to Australia, it really is one of our favorite places to play in the world.
- Spiritech
