Option Paralysis

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title: "Option Paralysis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2010-albums", "albums-produced-by-steve-evetts", "season-of-mist-albums", "the-dillinger-escape-plan-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_Paralysis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameOption Paralysis
typestudio
artistThe Dillinger Escape Plan
coverDillingerEscapePlan - OptionParalysis.jpg
releasedMarch 23, 2010
recordedSeptember 8 − November 12, 2009
genre{{flatlist
* Mathcore<ref name"pitchfork"/
* post-hardcore<ref name"allmusic"/
length41:28
label{{flatlist
producer{{flatlist
prev_titleIre Works
prev_year2007
next_titleOne of Us Is the Killer
next_year2013
misc{{Singles
nameOption Paralysis
typeStudio album
single1Farewell, Mona Lisa
single1dateJanuary 19, 2010
headerAlternative covers
typestudio
coverDillingerEscapePlan - OptionParalysisVinyl.jpg
captionCover for the vinyl version of Option Paralysis.
typestudio
coveroption paralysis digipak.jpg
captionCover for the digipak version of Option Paralysis.
::

| name = Option Paralysis | type = studio | artist = The Dillinger Escape Plan | cover = DillingerEscapePlan - OptionParalysis.jpg | alt = | released = March 23, 2010 | recorded = September 8 − November 12, 2009 | venue = | studio = | genre = {{flatlist|

  • Mathcore
  • post-hardcore | length = 41:28 | label = {{flatlist|
  • Party Smasher
  • Season of Mist | producer = {{flatlist|
  • Benjamin Weinman
  • Steve Evetts | prev_title = Ire Works | prev_year = 2007 | next_title = One of Us Is the Killer | next_year = 2013 | misc = {{Singles | name = Option Paralysis | type = Studio album | single1 = Farewell, Mona Lisa | single1date = January 19, 2010 | header = Alternative covers | type = studio | cover = DillingerEscapePlan - OptionParalysisVinyl.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = Cover for the vinyl version of Option Paralysis. | header = | type = studio | cover = option paralysis digipak.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = Cover for the digipak version of Option Paralysis.

Option Paralysis is the fourth studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released on March 23, 2010. After having fulfilled their contract with Relapse Records, the band released the album through Party Smasher Inc., their own new imprint in collaboration with French record label Season of Mist. It marks The Dillinger Escape Plan's first release to feature Billy Rymer on drums, since Gil Sharone left the band in September 2008 due to the frequent touring schedule and to focus on his brother's band Stolen Babies.

Option Paralysis debuted at number 78 on the Billboard 200 with 7,100 units sold.

Background

Formation of Party Smasher Inc.

Main article: Party Smasher Inc.}}The Dillinger Escape Plan announced their departure from [[Relapse Records]] in 2009. They had become dissatisfied with the music industry and music media, and decided to create their own record label to release their fourth studio album. The band created their own imprint Party Smasher Inc. under French label [[Season of Mist]]. They stated that Party Smasher (which was originally erroneously reported to be called Photogenic Records){{cite web, [Alternative Press]]](alternative-press)

Recording

In a blog on the band's MySpace profile, vocalist Greg Puciato revealed that they would be entering the studio from September 7 - October 30, 2009 to record Option Paralysis with longtime collaborator Steve Evetts. The band focused on these sessions more than in previous albums and the members stayed on the studio from noon to night or more, for three months. Puciato described the process as overwhelming but necessary: "We really went as far as we could making sure that every little thing was exactly the way we wanted. How many records are you gonna be able to do in your life? It’s the one thing you can look back on and either say, 'Fuck, I wish we did that differently' or 'We did that exactly the way we were going to'. You're going to die with nothing, man. This is going to outlive any of us, hopefully". Eventually, the recording lasted until November 12, 2009.

The album is their second longest yet at over 41 minutes, behind Dissociation, and was described by Ben Weinman as "our most metal record yet".

Title and lyrics

The title Option Paralysis is a concept referring to an individual "paralyzed" by an overload of options. Ben Weinman cited this as a general concern of the band, whose members grew up in underground scenes but by the time of the album were witnessing young people absorbed in modern technology, which they believe homogenized culture and caused "[almost a] cultural depression".

During the writing process, Puciato was going through personal issues, and described Option Paralysis as one of the toughest and the most honest album he made thus far. The singer was immersed in absurdist philosophy at the time, reading authors such as Søren Kierkegaard and particularly Albert Camus' work, including The Stranger, The Plague, Exile and the Kingdom and The Myth of Sisyphus. The lyrics were composed in free association and Puciato believes that they unearthed subconscious issues he had, but chose to keep them private.

"Room Full of Eyes" was named for the 1995 song "1,000 Eyes" by Death.

Promotion

The band released several demo snippets on their YouTube channel. Furthermore, a website for the record was set up, linking to all of the studio update videos and demo snippets. During their North American East Coast tour with Thursday in December 2009, the band sold download cards at their shows that entitled the customer to a download of the 10 song album upon its release with 3 additional exclusive bonus tracks.

The song "Farewell, Mona Lisa", debuted on Liquid Metal SXM on Christmas Day, 2009; it became available for download on January 19, 2010. "Chinese Whispers" was debuted on Full Metal Jackie's syndicated radio show broadcast on 29 stations throughout the USA on the March 5, 2010, and was subsequently played on the next two days. On March 9, the blog MetalSucks featured the online debut of the song.

In February, the album was made available for pre-orders through the Season of Mist e-shop. It was available in a variety of formats, including a box set, Digipak, black vinyl and transparent vinyl. A white vinyl was later made available through Relapse Records.

Artwork

Former frontman Dimitri Minakakis (who also contributed artwork for 2004 album Miss Machine) created the artwork for Option Paralysis. In an interview, Jeff Tuttle revealed that the album cover features photographs and images that the members captured themselves.

Reception

| MC = 82/100 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = | rev2 = Alternative Press | rev2Score = | rev3 = The A.V. Club | rev3score = A− | rev4 = Decibel | rev4Score = 8/10 | rev5 = Pitchfork | rev5Score = 7.2/10 | rev6 = Revolver | rev6Score = | rev7 = Rock Sound | rev7Score = 9/10 | rev8 = Slant Magazine | rev8Score = | rev9 = Spin | rev9Score = | rev10 = Sputnikmusic | rev10Score = 4.5/5 | noprose = yes Option Paralysis was released to overall critical acclaim. The album garnered a rating of 82/100, or universal acclaim, on aggregate review site Metacritic.

Exclaim! named Option Paralysis the No. 2 Metal Album of 2010.

Public reception

Option Paralysis was very well received by the public. On Rate Your Music the album has an average rating of 3.44 of 5, based on more than 1,750 ratings, and on Sputnikmusic the album has an "excellent" average rating of 4.1 of 5, based on more than 2,400 ratings. The album is #19 on the list "Best Albums of 2010" on Sputnikmusic.

Option Paralysis received the highest percentage of #1 votes in the 2010 Pitchfork Readers' Poll.

Track listing

| all_lyrics = Greg Puciato except "Parasitic Twins" by Jeff Tuttle | all_music = Ben Weinman | title1 = Farewell, Mona Lisa | length1 = 5:23 | title2 = Good Neighbor | length2 = 2:30 | title3 = Gold Teeth on a Bum | length3 = 5:22 | title4 = Crystal Morning | length4 = 2:02 | title5 = Endless Endings | length5 = 2:32 | title6 = Widower | length6 = 6:23 | title7 = Room Full of Eyes | length7 = 4:15 | title8 = Chinese Whispers | length8 = 4:06 | title9 = I Wouldn't If You Didn't | length9 = 4:14 | title10 = Parasitic Twins | length10 = 4:41 | total_length = 41:28

| headline = Vinyl and Japanese bonus track | title11 = Chuck McChip | length11 = 2:24 | total_length = 43:52

| headline = iTunes bonus track | title11 = Farewell, Mona Lisa | note11 = demo version | length11 = 4:57

| headline = Amazon bonus track | title11 = Endless Endings | note11 = demo version | length11 = 2:45

| headline = Box set and digipak bonus track | title11 = Heat Deaf Melted Grill | length11 = 2:53

| all_writing = | headline = Paralyzing Edition | title1 = | length1 = | title2 = | length2 = | title3 = | length3 = | title4 = | length4 = | title5 = | length5 = | title6 = | length6 = | title7 = | length7 = | title8 = | length8 = | title9 = | length9 = | title10 = | length10 = | title11 = Heat Deaf Melted Grill | length11 = 2:52 | title12 = Chuck McChip | length12 = 2:23 | title13 = Farewell, Mona Lisa | note13 = Demo Version | length13 = 4:56 | title14 = Endless Endings | note14 = Demo Version | length14 = 2:45 | title15 = Parasitic Twins | note15 = Instrumental Version | length15 = 4:41 | title16 = | length16 = | title17 = | length17 = | title18 = | length18 = | title19 = | length19 = | title20 = | length20 = | total_length =

Personnel

;The Dillinger Escape Plan

  • Greg Puciato – vocals
  • Benjamin Weinman – guitar, piano, sound design, programming, backing vocals on "Good Neighbor"
  • Jeff Tuttle – backing vocals on "Good Neighbor", "Gold Teeth on a Bum", "Crystal Morning" and "Parasitic Twins"
  • Liam Wilson – bass
  • Billy Rymer – drums ;Guest musicians
  • Mike Garson – additional piano on "Widower" and "I Wouldn't If You Didn't" ;Technical
  • Benjamin Weinman – producer
  • Steve Evetts – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Allan Hessler – assistant engineer
  • Alan Douches – mastering ;Other
  • Dimitri Minakakis (Pronto Workshop) – artwork
  • Benjamin Weinman – management
  • Jim Morewood (English Gent Organization) – International booking
  • Justin Hirschman (Artist Group International) – North American booking
  • Ian J. Friedman, Esq. – legal

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (2010) | Peak position | |---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

References

References

  1. [https://www.twitter.com/dillingerescpln/status/1939528414 Ben Weinman's / The Dillinger Escape Plan's Twitter account - 05/27/2009]
  2. [https://www.twitter.com/dillingerescpln/status/1092868598 Ben Weinman's / The Dillinger Escape Plan's Twitter account - 01/02/2009]
  3. [https://www.twitter.com/dillingerescpln/status/1108428469 Ben Weinman's / The Dillinger Escape Plan's Twitter account - 01/09/2009]
  4. (April 1, 2010). "The Dillinger Escape Plan: ''Option Paralysis'' First-Week Sales Revealed". [[Roadrunner Records.
  5. Jon, W. (May 27, 2009). "New Dillinger Escape Plan Album to Hit Early 2010 on New Label". [[MTV]].
  6. Neilstein, Vince. (May 28, 2009). "So, Dillinger Escape Plan have left relapse". MetalSucks.
  7. Burges, Aaron. (April 2010). "''Option Paralysis'' Review & In-Store Session with guitarist Ben Weinman". Alternative Press Magazines Inc..
  8. "The Dillinger Escape Plan's MySpace account - 08/24/2009".
  9. Anonymous, Adam. "The Bravest Metal Band In The World?: The Dillinger Escape Plan Interviewed".
  10. [https://www.twitter.com/STEVEEVETTS/status/5644281225 Steve Evetts' Twitter account - 11/12/2009]
  11. Guitar World February 2010 issue
  12. Bryant, Tom. [[Kerrang!]] #1306, April 03, 2010. Dillinger Escape Plan. p.41
  13. Pavone, Barbara. "The Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato offers up one of the most interesting and truthful interviews to ever hit The Rock and Roll Report. Really.".
  14. Parks, Andrew. "THE SELF-TITLED INTERVIEW: The Dillinger Escape Plan".
  15. Carman, Keith. "Dillinger Escape Plan Get the Blues".
  16. Alderslade, Merlin. "You'll never guess what album young GREG PUCIATO hid under a rock so his parents wouldn't find it. This is his Slaylist.".
  17. [https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckBillyTotemPoll The Dillinger Escape Plan's YouTube channel]
  18. {{usurped
  19. [https://www.twitter.com/dillingerescpln/status/6364438276 Ben Weinman's / The Dillinger Escape Plan's Twitter account - 12/05/2009]
  20. [https://www.twitter.com/dillingerescpln Ben Weinman's / The Dillinger Escape Plan's Twitter account - 12/24/2009]
  21. "Farewell, Mona Lisa: The Dillinger Escape Plan".
  22. (March 3, 2010). "Exclusive Web Debut of The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Chinese Whispers"". MetalSucks.
  23. {{Metacritic album
  24. "Option Paralysis - The Dillinger Escape Plan - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic".
  25. Heller, Jason. (March 23, 2010). "The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis".
  26. Green, Nick. (April 2010). "The Dillinger Escape Plan remain predictably unpredictable on ''Option Paralysis''". Red Flag Media Inc..
  27. "The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis Album Review".
  28. Geist, Brandon. (9 August 2017). "Option Paralysis review. Page #88, March/April 2010 issue : The Tattoo issue.". [[Revolver (magazine).
  29. Patashnik, Ben. (March 15, 2010). "Review: ''Option Paralysis''". [[Rock Sound]].
  30. Cole, Matthew. (March 23, 2010). "The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis". [[Slant Magazine]].
  31. Weingarten, Christopher. (March 9, 2010). "Metal mathematicians throttle anthemic formula". [[Spin (magazine).
  32. Flatley, Ryan. (March 3, 2010). "Review: ''Option Paralysis''". Sputnikmusic.
  33. "''Option Paralysis'' MetaScore". [[Metacritic]].
  34. "Year in Review: Metal". [[Exclaim!]].
  35. "Option Paralysis by The Dillinger Escape Plan (Album, Mathcore)". Sonemic.
  36. "The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis User Opinions". Sputnikmusic.
  37. "Best Albums of 2010". Sputnikmusic.
  38. (January 3, 2011). "2010 Pitchfork Readers Poll". [[Pitchfork Media]].
  39. "''Option Paralysis'' LP". [[Allmusic]].
  40. "Interview with Ben Weinman of Dillinger Escape Plan: More Than They Were Destined For". [[The Aquarian Weekly]].
  41. Kelham, Andrew. (October 29, 2009). "Rock Sound talks to Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman about 'Option Paralysis'". [[Rock Sound]].
  42. [http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/dillinger-escape-plan-announce-option-paralysis-special-guest/ Metal Hammer Website 12/09/2009] {{webarchive. link. (2009-12-13)

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