After a lengthy hiatus, The Dillinger Escape Plan have returned to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking album Calculating Infinity, which first made waves back in 1999. The tour will reach Australia later this year, kicking off in Perth on August 10th, and taking in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, before wrapping things up at The Tivoli in Brisbane on August 17th.
The Dillinger Escape Plan, known as Arcane in a previous punk life, formed in 1997, and quickly became pioneers of experimental metal, blending elements of hardcore, mathcore, and progressive metal into a sound unlike anything else in the genre. Known for their intense, chaotic energy, the band earned a reputation for their ferocious live performances, which were as unpredictable and intricate as their music. Small wonder that a REVOLVER fan poll had them topping the magazine’s 5 Greatest Live Bands of All Time. Their compositions often featured complex time signatures, dissonant riffs, and rapid tempo shifts, all of which contributed to their distinctive and challenging sound. With an unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of metal, The Dillinger Escape Plan inspired countless bands and reshaped the landscape of modern metal.
Over the course of two decades, they released groundbreaking albums that challenged listeners and set new standards for musicianship and creativity. After years of relentless touring and influencing the next generation of metal acts, the band officially disbanded in 2017, leaving behind a legacy that continues to resonate as one of the most impactful in the history of heavy music.
The band reunited in 2024 to celebrate Calculating Infinity, with original frontman Dimitri Minakakis returning after a more than 20 year hiatus. With their signature frenetic live performances, they reignited the passion of their loyal fans, recapturing the raw energy and chaos that made their shows legendary.
We sat down with Minakakis to talk about his return to the stage, and how much has changed since his last explosive performance with the band.
Having stepped away to focus on family, how did you know the time was right? Now that the kids are getting older, has it given you the opportunity to get back to things you loved?
“That’s definitely a factor, the kids being older now. I’ve always wanted to play again and the 25th anniversary of the album was the main catalyst for sure. Liam and Ben have kids too & other musical ventures with some of the guys and it just came seemed to together as this golden opportunity for all of us. Touring aggressively isn’t something we are interested in doing, so we are doing spot shows now and it is working for us.”
Calculating Infinity is a loud, aggressive, emotionally charged album capturing the fury that young bands in the late 90’s were known for. Playing the album 25 years later, does it feel like coming home, does it hit differently now?
“It hits me in the fact that I still get the same feelings of when, why we wrote the songs, and how I used to perform them, that kind of mental energy is still there for me. It hits me different now, back then I had an identity where I was a singer of a band, and then we played. Then, when for over 20 years, your identity is “I have a job in the printing industry”, and I get up for work every day, and I’m not even a musician anymore. It’s almost like a mindfuck, where now all of a sudden I’m the singer of my band like I was 20 years ago. It’s like a reinvention of myself so that’s brand new, a new dynamic for it, and it’s pretty wild. I still am not used to it.”
How have you found the return to stage?
“Musically, I have the lyrics and music embedded on my brain. The songs are there and I had no problem getting that part of the performance back but it was the physical side of things that is definitely different now. When you’re young, you could just go for it and now you have to get your body and voice in shape and prepare like you’ve never prepared before.”
Minakakis has been off the stage for many years and while 50 is the new 30, Dimitri admits that the things you just did naturally in your 20’s takes a little more preparation these days.
“That’s the most wild thing, because in my brain, I could do it, and then when you’re gearing up for it for months before we played in June last year, my brain was just do it 100% but we all had to work or way back. The instrument players in the band, like with guitars and drums, it’s a different kind of music. Liam plays bass and he doesn’t play with the pick. We have to make sure we rehearse for our songs, and it’s a different kind of playing. A lot of arm strength for them had to get developed too. It’s fun, it’s not like it’s hard work but if this was hard work I would do, I’ll sign up for it any day.”
Did the adrenaline hit hard after the first show? Could you sleep?
“The first couple songs, to me, were a blur, and I think that’s the moment where I was like, Oh my God, I’m doing this, I’m on stage now, now I have to talk to a crowd. I think my main concern from that first show was we lit a guitar on fire, and we had the torch extinguishing it so my main focus was on the fire and that we hadn’t burnt the place down.”
The craziness of the stage antics means that there is a potential to go too far. Minakakis said:
“I don’t realise it’s gone too far, not until I get hurt. That’s when I realise it. I broke my foot at a show in November in New Jersey. I broke my foot, finished playing, and then we had to play Philadelphia the next day. I had a temporary cast on, and I took it off, and I put my sneakers on and played the show. Then I realised, maybe don’t jump off high things with when you’re wearing Vans, because you’ll break your foot. So I learned that!”
Is there a song that has never made it to a setlist that you’d love to perform?
““Variations on a Cocktail Dress”. I’ve played everything that I’ve recorded now since we reformed last year. It’s just like, it’s a short and sweet, quick song. It’s the last song on the record, Calculating Infinity. I’m like Man, I’ve never played that song live, after I was out of the band, watching them play live and I would go up to them and say I’ve never played that live, and I just watched it be performed. So I’m glad I did get that moment. We do play it every time now so I played it probably 10 to 15 times already so it’s, it’s been fun.”
What changes have you noticed between performing in 2003 and now in 2025?
Minakakis said that technology is the most surprising element that has taken him off guard.
“The crowds are different. Social media is so prominent now. Last time I was in the band, there was no digital photography, really. It’s different experiences, people filming more instead of being fully engaged but we give it the same energy we always have.”
In terms of other bands that have come after The Dillinger Escape Plan, is there any that you feel are doing really well in your genre?
“There’s a band that opened up for us in Texas, The Callous Dowboys, and I’ve never heard them until they were put on our bill, and they’re very young band and they were fantastic in their own element, like who they are as a band, how they perform. I’ve heard their recordings and how they approach things. They have a bright future for themselves.”
What’s next creatively?
“For the band, we’re just not going to continue as The Dillinger Escape Plan, we don’t want to write any new material, we don’t want to open up that door again. The band retired in 2017 and wrapped it up. And now we’re doing these shows. So it’s almost like, like a second retirement venture we’re doing. So we just want to this year, possibly into next year, but nothing to continue. I just think, if you keep that legacy going, just leave it alone.”
“I’ve plans to do things with Ben Weinman, our other guitar player, we’ve been trying to do things for 10 or 15 years, and we started the ball rolling on that, and then these Calculating Infinity shows came up, so we had to put that on the back burner. So in around 2026, we’ll have, we’ll have more of a creative new material for the both of us and we have a friend named Kevin Hilliard and he’s going to be joining in the creative process with us on that. So we’re excited for that, it’s just a really slow burn.”
Combining the thrill of performing once again with the acknowledgment of just how much The Dillinger Escape Plan has evolved in the 25 years since Calculating Infinity was released, it’s clear that the band are embracing their final chapter with a sense of fulfillment, putting the past to rest with a triumphant – and just as chaotic as ever – return to the stage. Don’t miss their return to Australia this August – you’ll find all the info below!
The Dillinger Escape Plan Australian Tour Dates
Sunday 10th August PERTH, Metropolis Fremantle
Tuesday 12th August ADELAIDE, The Gov
Wednesday 13th August MELBOURNE, Northcote Theatre
Saturday 16th August SYDNEY, The Enmore
Sunday 17th August BRISBANE, The Tivoli
Tickets are on sale now – grab yours HERE!
