The Devil Wears Prada is an American hard rock/metalcore band from Dayton, Ohio. The group gained popularity in their early days for their brutal riffs, aggressive breakdowns, and vocalist Mike Hranica’s unique delivery of false chord screaming vocals. Their early work was almost exclusively metalcore, without any clean singing and harsh instrumentation. Later albums however, such as 8:18 and The Act, began incorporating atmospheric synths, slower paced songs, and more melody. On September 15, 2022, the band released their eighth studio album Color Decay. Having been a fan of all their work from the early hardcore days to their more recent melodic projects, I was eager to hear how this album would come together. Their previous studio album, The Act, quickly became one of my all-time favourite records, thanks to its deeply emotionally resonant lyrics, and beautiful melodic vocal incorporation from rhythm guitarist, Jeremy DePoyster. It does this all without sacrificing an unrelenting heaviness. The leading singles from Color Decay were incredibly promising. However, I was not ready for just how beautifully written this record was going to be.
Color Decay may be my all-time favourite album from this band. The Devil Wears Prada further expand on the melodic soundscapes explored in their last record while delivering their most emotionally resonant lyrics to date. Duetting frontmen Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster tackle themes of addiction, trauma, grief, mental illness, and healing with meaningful reminders to not give up on hope for brighter days. As stated in an article with New Noise Magazine, the title of the album Color Decay references the breakdown and loss of visual colour we begin to experience at times of struggle. That concept hits close to home for me, having spent years perceiving the world in this oppressive grey scale visual tone while dealing with severe depression. I’m sure that many others have experienced something like this as well, particularly in the last few years. The song “Trapped” gut-punched my soul in the best way possible with its commentary on existential anxiety:
“…Your sight’s blurry and you’re hurting
It feels like the world stopped turning
Still trying to make the best of this place
Don’t say sorry, it’s not your mistake
Does it feel like a heart attack?
Like there’s no way out and no way back
I hate that you’re being trapped by your issues
But I’m here with you…”
The heavy themes are matched reminders that better days are within our grasp, we’re not alone, and that things can get better. The ability to not shy away from reconciling with the darkness we live through and not allowing it to become overbearing is something I really appreciate out of this genre.
Perhaps one of the most endearing aspects of The Devil Wears Prada’s music (in later albums) is the way they’ll a take a slow melodic verse section, and pair it with Mike Hranica’s screams. The combination creates a certain tension, while allowing Hranica’s vocals to take centre stage, and come through more clearly. A good example of this could be the song “Cancer.” The song subverts expectations for a metal track by placing Hranica’s screaming over the slower verses, and then having DePoyster’s calming, melodic vocals take over during the more aggressive choruses. I find this combination helps the emotional content of the lyrics to have a stronger effect and give the listener a feeling of being immersed in a waterfall of sound and feeling. “Fire” stands out in contrast the most, with its almost hip-hop-like electronic drumbeat, haunting atmospheric synths, and acoustic-guitar melody. “Exhibition” features a driving beat over a more crunchy, punky guitar riff through the choruses. “Watchtower” falls in line with some of the more aggressive work from their earlier material.
The Devil Wears Prada have more than delivered with this latest release. Intelligent, emotionally resonant lyrics alongside further sonic experimentation that consistently hits the mark. The tracks found on Color Decay feel fresh, bouncy, and perfectly help usher in the fall season with suitably dark, yet hopeful messaging.
Kellyn Kavanagh (they/he) is a local writer, photographer, and musician. They first started writing what they now know to be flash fiction stories in the third grade when they learned how to make little books with a couple sheets of printer paper and a stapler. Their work typically focuses on non-ficiton journalism, short horror fiction, and very depressing poetry.