The following interview was conducted between Jason Cominetto and Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson via email. The band’s latest release, Ire Works, is currently available through Relapse Records.

The Scum of the Earth tour finally made its way into Philly on Sunday, and I jumped at the chance to see one of my favorite bands, Soilwork, play. I had already seen Through the Eyes of the Dead in the past and knew they could put on a good show, and I was looking forward to Throwdown’s simple yet heavy sound taking the place by storm. Excited, I walked into the Trocadero only to find the venue a little less packed than I had hoped, with hardly any of the floor area filled. On top of that, it looked like Through the Eyes of the Dead was not going to play after all, as there was no merchandise of theirs among the other bands’ products.

Bullet For My Valentine’s “Scream Aim Fire” really makes me question where metal fans are heading nowadays. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 when it was released earlier this year, selling 53,000 copies in its first week out. It is also the second album out of a five-album deal the band made with Sony BMG. So why exactly is this a bad thing? Simply put, this is bad because this album is one of the worst examples of modern metal I have heard so far, and should not be selling at the rate it has.