Review Summary: If they can pull this off, why can't the rest of their bro-down brethren?
The Devil Wears Prada. What kind of band does that sound like to you? Some run of the mill generic metalcore band? According to most, you would be right........
Until now.
Try to imagine a band stuck in limbo. Stuck in a perpetual sea of mediocrity and just plain blandness. Calling them “good” is just a little too much praise, while saying they suck is a little too harsh. They are stuck in that area that many bands do, and never really progress out of it and just stay in the comfort spot, churning out the same riffs and vocal styles. Now imagine if that band decided to actually try to put effort and energy into their next album and not just place the same recycled riffs and vocal parts for the umpteenth time.
The Devil Wears Prada did just that with their newest and fifth full length.
While listening to this absolute surprise of metalcore delight, remember this is still the same band, so a few pitfalls of the scene still remain. However, they have tightened up their sound to the point where it’s really not even funny. The production courtesy of Adam D. is simply incredible, you really cannot ask for better production on a metalcore album. The breakdowns are heavy as all hell, the clean sections sound crisp, clear, and simply beautiful.
The album has one downfall, and that is the fact that the songs do kind of blend into one another at points and their isn’t too much variation. The amount of variation present as a whole is a lot better than most of their peers though. The vocals are a lot like their most recent EP, Zombie EP, and most people will still be hit or miss with Mr. Hranica. However, their are some nice surprises such as the instrumental Kansas, which is a really cool interlude with awesome melodies and atmosphere. The album also has a very djent feel, with most of the songs having a pounding beat/rhythm. This makes the album flow very well actually and the band hasn’t seen this kind of focus in well, ever.
In the end, you really couldn’t of asked for a better album from the band. The cleans improved greatly, the guitarists use melodies and heavy breakdowns to create a very dark and cool atmosphere to the entire album. I’ve never been a huge fan of these guys, but what they have done with this release makes me really optimistic for the future of the genre. If they can pull this off, why can’t the rest of their bro-down brethren? That’s easy, most of them could, but until they have the realization The Devil Wears Prada probably had, this band will remain a beacon of hope for the genre from this day forward.
