Upon its' initial release in '97, The DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's Under the Running Board threw down the gauntlet to the late 90's hardcore and metal scenes. The band blew minds with their wildly-original and innovative take o... more »n extreme music and their action-packed live shows. The band raised the bar so high that heavy music was never the same again. With it now expanded to include 9 bonus live-tracks and a previously unreleased Black Sabbath cover, both new and old fans alike can rediscover a milestone record as relevant now as it was upon its release a decade ago.« less
Upon its' initial release in '97, The DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's Under the Running Board threw down the gauntlet to the late 90's hardcore and metal scenes. The band blew minds with their wildly-original and innovative take on extreme music and their action-packed live shows. The band raised the bar so high that heavy music was never the same again. With it now expanded to include 9 bonus live-tracks and a previously unreleased Black Sabbath cover, both new and old fans alike can rediscover a milestone record as relevant now as it was upon its release a decade ago.
CD Reviews
Quality not Quantity
Mono-Grind | Here | 09/12/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"the Dillinger Escape Plan are brilliant. There's just no other way of explaining how good they really are. I've read the 'bad things' about them..(that they've sold out, that the music makes no sense and goes nowhere, you can't understand what the singer is saying)..but people writing those reviews/saying those things are normally just kids who listen to Trivium and Killswitch Engage. They're not yet ready to sit down and fully listen to something as complex as the Dillinger Escape Plan.
Personally, i respect the Dillinger Escape Plan for being truly different in a genre such as Hardcore/Math-Metal. I respect them also for being excellent musicians. Their songs are often memorable and can be stuck in your head for days. I can't even count how many of their songs get stuck in my head..43% Burnt, Unretrofied, Clip The Apex..Accept Instruction, We Are The Storm..there are alot of songs of theirs that are both insanely technical and catchy.
This E.P is quite short, but with 3 songs on it you'd kind of expect that. I must admit, i bought this for "The Mullet Burden"..but was pleasantly surprised with the other 2 songs. "The Mullet Burden" truly is noisy. Which is good. This whole E.P is noisy, in fact. Which is good. The only catch is that it's quite short, with only 3 songs on it. But then again, it is about quality not quantity..and the Dillinger Escape Plan always delivers quality.
This, i think, is mainly for fans. Probably not a starting point."
DEP
Mono-Grind | 05/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My biggest complaint is that this album is too short. I think this album is far and away their best. Personally, I do not care for Calculating Infinity as I feel they focused on being overtly aggressive and technical while forgetting about melody. And Irony is A Dead Scene is a great album but not as good as this one.This album has everything - technical prowess, speed, and melody. True the singer is nothing special but I still like his work on this album."
Some great tracks, if you can get past the length
Alex | radnor, pa | 07/17/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"yes, you saw right, there are only three tracks on this cd. Why in gods name would you ever pay close to 10 dollars for three lonely tracks, only one of which passes the three minute mark? Well, if you're a fan of dillinger escape plan than you really need to hear these tracks. the mullet burdon, aside from being a great Dillinger song, is the track that started creating a buzz for the band, way back when. It's a fan favorit now, and rightly so. all three tracks are very good, and very impressive for such an early EP. sanbox magician is a very cool, and more jazzy song than usual, with a terribly slick outro. abe the cop is the least interesting track, in my opinion, but still nothing to scoff at. If you've never heard DEP, and for some reason you can't find a copy of "calculating infinity" this is a great place to start. these songs(perhaps excluding abe the cop) are more immidatly accessable than the later material, as they are a bit less chaotic and complex. These songs are a little ruffer than the ones found on calculating infinity,(there's a pretty cheesy sample of glass breaking in the middle of sanbox magician) but there's still a lot of what makes dillinger so great here. It's also fun to see how far they've come as a band. So if you can find this cheap, I recomend picking it up. I think it's actually a little better than the self titled release,(a collection of older and previously unreleased songs) despite the short length."
Not Too Impressive, But Worth A Listen Anyway
Quentin Tarantino Fan | nowhere | 09/13/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Under The Running Board is an average EP at best. The score isn't because of how short this is, the length doesn't bother me because you are getting what you pay for. But the music isn't that great. It still is pretty fun to listen to, but it's not that chaotic and doesn't make me want to rip one anew. I didn't expect much from this album though, but hey, that's alright.
Things actually get off to a really awesome start with the first track, The Mullet Burden. This track is actually really explosive, and I was very impressed by the explosion. It starts with creepy, tense siren like noises, then the drums go into a fill. Them, at the stop of a dime, BAM!!!! The band explodes and goes totally nuts. It's not chaotic and physcotic in the music, but that explosion makes up for it. It kind of delves into meh, but it stops and goes into a pretty fun second part. A bunch of icy guitars breakdown again, and a little lead drives the song home. Sandbox Magician chugs along, gets serene, and loses control again. After a smather of double bass, we go into another groove like hardcore part. The Sound of glass breaking goes into a madness like passage, and goes into a jazzy groove not too far out from Weekend Sex Exchange, except with metal riffs. It repeats itself once again, and drives it home. Abe The Cop starts out kind of soft, then chugs along again like a train. It then stops on a dime, and starts going off the edge like a train. It breaks down once again, with spacey vocals and cool basslines. A menacing riffs once again explodes, and the song is driven home once again via crazy vocals, samples of weeping, and a repeat of the intro.
It's obvious that DEP was still developing, as this does feel a bit stale, especially compared to the manic Calculating Infinity, the finely tuned Miss Machine, or the focused, refined, Ire Works. Still though, not too bad of a listen. And unlike most hardcore metal, this isn't bad, compared to most of the stale junk that plauges the genre. Worth a listen, anyway, and you can probably find a free way that's legal to listen to this online.
6/10"
Pleasant.
Andrew | Michigan, USA | 08/30/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although this EP is certainly overpriced (eight dollars for seven and half minutes of music), one should not deny the quality within. Consisting of only three songs, each pieces stands proudly on its own for possessing the unique sound that The Dillinger Escape Plan is known for. Off-time signatures, somewhat atonal leads, screams and the like. If you're a current Dillinger listener, you know what I speak of.
Although it's difficult to select a stand-out track, I'd say Abe The Cop is perhaps (though completely subjective) the most developed piece here, with many in's and out's that make it consistently interesting throughout. Regardless of personal favorites, and as mentioned before, all three tracks are of a supreme quality.
If you don't mind spending the money (and if you're a fan, you probably don't) that equals out to be more than a dollar per minute here, this is a worthy addition to your Dillinger collection.
Also, just to make it clear, I gave the release four stars for its rather ridiculous price, in which I do realize the band has no control over these matters, although I do try to make it a point to review the product as a whole, rather than one aspect of it."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1