The Dillinger Escape Plan and Nora’s 1998 split is heading to vinyl

The Dillinger Escape Plan are bringing their 1998 split with fellow New Jersey band Nora to vinyl. In an October 9 announcement, the band said the EP had previously appeared physically only on CD. Two different variants are planned, with one reserved for the merch table at their October shows.

It is a return to a small piece of the catalogue as the band approaches its final Calculating Infinity performances. For listeners who trace a band through early versions and shared releases, the attraction is the recording itself as much as the coloured pressing.

Two routes to the split

The show edition is described as half gray and half pink, available exclusively in person during the October run. An orange-and-black splatter variant is planned through Ferret Music. The announcement describes a first-come, first-served release. Check the label’s store for its actual listing and availability.

The band calls both editions limited, but the announcement does not supply a pressing quantity. There is also no confirmed price or remastering information in the material reviewed. The verified news concerns the format and the two variants; any sonic changes would need their own documentation.

What is on the 1998 release?

According to ThePRP, Dillinger’s contribution is an early alternate version of “4th Grade Dropout”. Nora contribute “The Power Of” and “Murder One”. That makes this a specific archival release rather than a new collaboration between the present-day bands.

An alternate recording is worth approaching on its own terms. Listen for the arrangement, the way a phrase ends and the space between attacks before deciding what the physical format adds. A new pressing can make an old recording easier to encounter, but vinyl alone does not establish a different master or a better-sounding source.

The October dates

The band’s official calendar lists Saint Vitus on October 13 and 14, Underground Arts in Philadelphia on October 15, the Palladium in Worcester on October 17 and Nevermore Hall in Baltimore on October 18. Those are the first opportunities in the announced run for fans attending the shows to look for the exclusive variant.

The schedule then continues through Portland, Vancouver and Seattle on October 25, 26 and 27, followed by St Petersburg on October 29 and Headbangers Boat from October 30. The official wording describes these as the final Calculating Infinity performances; it should not be stretched into a claim about every possible future Dillinger activity.

Which early Dillinger recording would you put beside this split for a listening comparison? Start with the music, then decide which version belongs on the shelf.