The Devil Wears Prada - 'The Act' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Switchblade

2. Lines Of Your Hands

3. Chemical

4. Wave Of Youth

5. Please Say No

6. The Thread

7. Numb

8. Isn't It Strange?

9. Diamond Lost

10. As Kids

11. Even Though

12. Spiderhead

In October last year, Christian Metalcore heavyweights The Devil Wears Prada returned with their seventh studio album ‘The Act’, released via Solid State Records. Often heralded as one of the bands in charge of the evolution of Metalcore over the years, ‘The Act’ is certainly no exception, especially after spending a lot of time with the album as I have.

It is evident that this album is the band’s most experimental release to date, and this can be clearly seen on tracks such as ‘Wave Of Youth’. The song begins with a slow pounding riff that leads into a shakily reflective verse before the riff comes crashing back in. Clean vocalist/rhythm guitarist Jeremy DePoyster shows a real emotional vulnerability on this track, whilst lead vocalist Mike Hranica provides a more subdued performance, but still with the typical Metalcore stylings and attitude. The themes of degradation or disintegration shine throw perhaps the clearest on this track, especially with the lyrics that begin the chorus; “It’s my fault, There’s nothing left to give, you have it all, I guess that’s not enough”.

The track that stands out to me the most on the album is without a doubt ‘The Thread’. It’s arguably the heaviest track on the record, with a more Doom-esque, Sludgy riff provided by lead guitarist Kyle Sipress in the opening verse that leads into a more classic Metalcore sound in the chorus and a heavy hitting first breakdown lead by drummer Giuseppe Capolupo. After a more emotional break, the track comes crashing back in at full, unrelenting force reminiscent of their first album ‘Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord’.

There are many highlights throughout the album that show the diversity and progression of The Devil Wears Prada throughout their now 15 year career, but the track that shows the most diversity in my eyes is the 2:55 long ‘Isn’t It Strange?’. This track begins with a riff reminiscent of the works of Australian video game composer Mick Gordon, who has worked on games such as 2014’s 'Wolfenstein: The New Order' and the 2016 reboot of 'DOOM'. This riff then gives way to perhaps the most emotional vocals on the album that remind me of Welsh Post-Hardcore band Casey, in particular the song ‘Making Weight’ from the 2018 album ‘Where I Go Where I Am Sleeping’.

Overall, ‘The Act’ is the next step in an ever evolving journey for The Devil Wears Prada. As I’ve said in previous reviews, many people consider Metalcore to be an old, outdated genre that should’ve stayed in the mid-to-late noughties, but this band constantly proves why this is not the case. This album could potentially be a crucial step into bringing Metalcore into the forefront of the Metal world, and The Devil Wears Prada should definitely follow the likes of Parkway Drive into high-profile festival slots.