THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN has confirmed that they have parted ways with drummer Chris Pennie. The band has posted the following message on their official MySpace page regarding the status of the band:

"Details of what has transpired over the last year, and starting long before then, will reveal themselves in time. Know that what we are in the process of recording will be everything we have ever been capable of, and now more. This last year, and how we have gotten through it and to the place we are now, will define all of our lives for a long time. You will hear it in the music and words when you hear this album, and when you see us play live you will see the newfound energy that we now have from making it through all this together. Some of you are new, some of you have been with us for a long time. Regardless, we have a long way left to go, and the thing that we share together besides the music is making it through obstacles in our lives. We have overcome everything from multiple member changes in the early years, members suffering physical impairment or injury that has made it impossible to continue playing, and financial, physical, personal, and internal problems that many bands would never make it through. We take forever to put out records, and put everything we have into them. This band goes beyond just writing music and lyrics for us, it exists in every aspect of our lives 24 hours a day, and everything we experience and go through ends up going into this band in some way. When we see familiar faces on tour, we know that in the time since we have seen you last, you have had to deal with a lot in your own life just to get there again. Life is not easy, but it is the overcoming of obstacles and the amount of fight we have inside of us that will define us. We are going through all this together in some way or another. Please welcome this new time for us. The past was great, but the future will be greater I promise, if every day we didn't know for a fact that it would be, we wouldn't continue. We love you all for sticking though us through all of this. You'll hear it and see us soon."

As previously reported, The Dillinger Escape Plan has begun recording their forthcoming LP with producer Steve Evetts (HE IS LEGEND, SEPULTURA). The band hopes to have the disc - which will include 'Saigon Whore', 'Doll Keeper' and 'Party Smasher' - out in September. A "Dillinger Escape Plan Teaser Trailer" can be viewed here.