The Devil Wears Prada bring metalcore and faith to the national scene
:: The Devil Wears Prada::
:: with Killswitch Engage and Dark Tranquility ::
:: Fillmore Auditorium :: March 13 ::
By Joe Kovack
Just because they share the same name as the title of the 2006 chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada is in no way affiliated with fashion.
In fact, the Dayton, Ohio band fashioned their name from an anti-materialistic message they heard plenty of years before the movie was released, but decided to stick with the name afterwards because, quite frankly, they had it first. As lead singer Mike Hranica explained to The Marquee in a recent interview, “It’s just this idea of not being too materialistic and it’s just something we ran with. We didn’t want anything too overly serious, just kind of fun and clever, and that’s how it came about. And when we picked the name we weren’t planning on getting signed or anything like that. We never thought about that. If we would have known that we would be putting out records and touring around the world, we probably would have thought more about it … so we ended up getting stuck with a stupid chick-flick name, but it’s too late to change it now (laughs),” Hranica said.
Named by Alternative Press as Band of the Year for 2009, The Devil Wears Prada has garnered critical acclaim in their short tenure in the metalcore scene. Though only in their early twenties, the band has wasted no time in climbing the ranks of up-and-coming young metal talent with the likes of Unearth, As I Lay Dying and Killswitch Engage. The band members met only six years ago while in high school through their various starter bands. The guys soon molded their respective musical backgrounds of pop-punk and metal and added their youthful exuberance to create a hard-hitting sound that has catapulted them to the fame they enjoy today.
What may surprise some after first hearing The Devil Wears Prada’s fast-paced, heavy-hitting mesh of metal and hardcore music is that the members are all devout Christians, a fact the band embraces and uses in their daily lives and playing but something they don’t shy away from or try to push down anyone’s throats. “You know, it’s important and it’s the foundation of the band. We’re not ashamed to call ourselves a Christian band. A lot of bands say that they’re ‘Christians in a band’ or whatever, but we feel that everything we do has been a blessing. We feel that God put us in these circumstances for a reason, and we think that’s just to talk about it and make note of it lyrically and at the shows. So it’s definitely a real important part, but it’s nothing like we can’t be around other people or we’re extreme fundamentalists or anything like that,” Hranica said.
And that is how the band shows wisdom beyond their years, by knowing what they believe in but having the respect to understand that not everyone believes what they do, and just going out there and rocking the music that they love regardless of others reactions. “We’re not the first band to talk about God at our shows, you know. There are certain bands that are more ignorant than others, but for the most part we get along with the other bands really well. People always have this idea that we can’t get along with anyone with a different perspective, but a lot of our closest friends have a totally different belief system. It’s really easy to coexist with bands with other beliefs. I think a lot of people from an outside view kinda picture it being so crazy but it really isn’t.” Hranica said.
The band’s latest album, With Roots Above And Branches Below, showcases the culmination of their previous three records and gives the listener a refined version of their sound, though just as fast, heavy and ear-splitting as before. Hranica’s vocals may be hard to understand through his gravelly, screamed delivery, but with intricately structured guitar riffs and an ever pounding rhythm, the guys can’t wait to unleash their sound on their upcoming tour. “The tour is about six to eight weeks with Killswitch Engage, and we’re just real excited to do it and to tour a bunch of big U.S. shows,” Hranica said. “We’re also putting together a summer tour that isn’t gonna be directly trying to promote the last album but just some other ideas we have. It’s not announced yet but once it’s out there, you’ll hear about it. But until then, fans should come and check out the Killswitch dates. If you got an open night you should come out and enjoy the show.”
:: The Devil Wears Prada::
:: with Killswitch Engage and Dark Tranquility ::
:: Fillmore Auditorium :: March 13 ::
Recommended if you Like:
• Unearth
• As I Lay Dying
• All That Remains
