RSS Feed


THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
8:18

Roadrunner (2013)
Rating: 8/10

The Devil Wears Prada has made quite a name for themselves since their debut Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord was released in 2006. Over the course of five albums the Dayton, Ohio-based band has created a heavy sound that has won spots on some of the hottest tours and festivals the world over.

They have also become the darlings of the Christian metal market, while maintaining a power that has brought them mainstream success. This puts them on a very short list of bands who manage to live successfully in two worlds, probably due to their unwavering loyalty to both. The Devil Wears Prada creates music that swells with energy and rage. As with any band, the sound has evolved over the years, and that has culminated in the dark fury of 8:18.

Upon listening to The Devil Wears Prada’s latest release the first thing you won’t notice is the absence of keyboardist James Baney, who exited in 2012. Although not considered a part of the band, Jonathan Gering fills the vacant role on the first album since Baney’s departure.

If anything, Gering’s playing leans more toward the Linkin Park sound the band has been slowly adopting over the years. This being the case, the standard The Devil Wears Prada recipe runs through the songs on 8:18. The songs here may be some of the darkest the band has offered to date, even opening with a song titled ‘Gloom’. The band brings thunderous, churning hardcore sounds, and vocalist Mike Hranica’s Snapcase-on-overdrive screams are still part of the band’s trademark. All in all, it’s a fair start to the new album.

If any changes are obvious, it’s that The Devil Wears Prada has moved in a slightly more metal direction. Songs like ‘First Sight’ have a metal edge, and include the incredible clean vocals of guitarist Jeremy DePoyster. DePoyster brings the melody into the tracks on 8:18, and his contributions are some of the most memorable offered on this outing. His melodies on ‘Sailor’s Prayer’ mesh well with Hranica’s often overpowering screams. Musically you can hear bits of Saosin in songs like ‘Care More’, another example of how DePoyster and Hranica can complement each other’s abilities.

It’s still hard not to feel like Hranica is the band’s Achilles’ heel. ‘Home For Grave’ is musically outstanding. The band varies in dynamics from racing metal to quiet introspection to hardcore pummeling, but the one note screams are just rather dull. ‘Transgress’ is equally a brilliant piece of music, but the vocals seem a bit uninspired. Perhaps it’s because the band has progressed over the years, but the vocals show little variance. When Hranica is on, he provides and outstanding performance, and when he and DePoyster find the perfect balance of fury and melody there is magic. I just can’t help but wonder what the band would sound like with a singer with greater range.

Overall, 8:18 is an enjoyable album. Metalcore has few bands that have a distinctive sound, and The Devil Wears Prada is one of those exceptional bands who stand out. When considering the band’s previous output, 8:18 is a fair release. Old fans won’t be let down, and the band has a modern sound that will continue to garner new fans and will sell in today’s musical climate.

Jim McDonald

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share