BAND OF THE MONTH
Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, The Devil Wears Prada took the metalcore scene by force with their debut album Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord. Followed by the widely praised Plagues and their most recent release With Roots Above and Branches Below, The Devil Wears Prada secured themselves as top dog in the metalcore world.
To be quite honest, I wasn't a fan of TDWP when I first heard of them. I wrote them off before I even gave them a fair chance. For me, I couldn't give two shits about a band who (I thought) was named after a shitty movie and had titles such as "HTML Rulez D00d" and "Reptar, King of the Ozone".... I mean come on. It was just another lame attempt to be 'different'. After hearing so many good (and bad) things I finally gave in, and picked up Plauges. To my suprise, I actually enjoyed it*. Mike Hranica's vocals were harsh and unique and fit well with the generic 'heavy breakdown' tone we've heard hundreds of times. They use a very predicable formula to construct catchy, un-original -core songs...but they do it damn well.
Now, the best part about The Devil Wears Prada is something most people would never expect. The Synths. Yup...that annoying kid who gets to hit a few buttons and run around on stage is what, in my opinion, sets this band apart from the other. You won't notice them at first, infact I'm sure a few of you went "...wait there are keys in these songs". Yup again. Keyboardist, James Baney, does an excellent job of adding a small, yet pivotal, sound to each song. You'd be suprised how much atmosphere a little 'hum' from a keyboard can add to a song.
I enjoyed both Plagues and Dear Love, but I think With Roots Above and Branches Below may top both of them. Again, it is the result of James Baney and his keys which set this band apart from others. Hranica's vocals sound a lot different than the previous records. His lows are more brutal and his highs are more...wispy? Is that the right word? I don't care. His vocals are unique, and although many people will look down on them, I think they are great, and just another factor which helps pull TDWP away from the generic -core band, and solidify them as an actual talent.
Granted, TDWP is every -core kids dream, and most of the 'real metalheads' won't even give them a second chance (let alone a first), but you really should. They are FAR from an 'amazing' band, but they are fun to listen to, fun to see, and a good band overall. I know their most recent release, With Roots Above and Branches Below, will be on rotation in my play list all summer. Make sure to check them out on Warped Tour all summer!
To be quite honest, I wasn't a fan of TDWP when I first heard of them. I wrote them off before I even gave them a fair chance. For me, I couldn't give two shits about a band who (I thought) was named after a shitty movie and had titles such as "HTML Rulez D00d" and "Reptar, King of the Ozone".... I mean come on. It was just another lame attempt to be 'different'. After hearing so many good (and bad) things I finally gave in, and picked up Plauges. To my suprise, I actually enjoyed it*. Mike Hranica's vocals were harsh and unique and fit well with the generic 'heavy breakdown' tone we've heard hundreds of times. They use a very predicable formula to construct catchy, un-original -core songs...but they do it damn well.
Now, the best part about The Devil Wears Prada is something most people would never expect. The Synths. Yup...that annoying kid who gets to hit a few buttons and run around on stage is what, in my opinion, sets this band apart from the other. You won't notice them at first, infact I'm sure a few of you went "...wait there are keys in these songs". Yup again. Keyboardist, James Baney, does an excellent job of adding a small, yet pivotal, sound to each song. You'd be suprised how much atmosphere a little 'hum' from a keyboard can add to a song.
I enjoyed both Plagues and Dear Love, but I think With Roots Above and Branches Below may top both of them. Again, it is the result of James Baney and his keys which set this band apart from others. Hranica's vocals sound a lot different than the previous records. His lows are more brutal and his highs are more...wispy? Is that the right word? I don't care. His vocals are unique, and although many people will look down on them, I think they are great, and just another factor which helps pull TDWP away from the generic -core band, and solidify them as an actual talent.
Granted, TDWP is every -core kids dream, and most of the 'real metalheads' won't even give them a second chance (let alone a first), but you really should. They are FAR from an 'amazing' band, but they are fun to listen to, fun to see, and a good band overall. I know their most recent release, With Roots Above and Branches Below, will be on rotation in my play list all summer. Make sure to check them out on Warped Tour all summer!
BUY: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MERCH
iTUNES: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
