With drummer Chris Pennie, defecting to join prog, sci-fi rockers, Coheed and Cambria, TDEP’s return to the metal masses answers any concerns that they may be going the way of the buffalo. The album immediately launches into “Fix Your Face,” (featuring long-departed original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis) which chaotically swirls and slams into the drum blasts of “Lurch.” With guitarist Ben Weinman as the new key songwriter, TDEP’s penchant for odd time signatures at breakneck speeds is more prevalent than ever. Brilliant on 2004’s Miss Machine, vocalist Greg Puciato continues the dynamic interplay between Pattonesque croons and throat-shredding tantrums. Despite the over-all ferocious brilliance of Ire Works, “When Acting as a Particle” and “When Acting as a Wave” unnecessarily pad the disc while “Dead As History” sounds entirely too much like a Nine Inch Nails B-side. Besides its few flaws, TDEP delivers on a few nice surprises. “Black Bubblegum” is by far the most conventional song TDEP’s written (think the Blood Brother’s singing over Faith No More), while “Milk Lizard” features a horn section. Near the end of the album, “Horse Hunter” features a strong performance by Mastodon’s Brent Hinds. Just as Hinds is on the brink of commandeering the song, Puciato doubles back into the track only to have the bottom drop out before the seemingly eminent blastoff ever happens.