The Devil Wears Prada - Root Above Ground and Branches Below [Album]

Ferret Music

September 7, 2009, 07:21 PM

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The Devil Wears Prada are a band that have become something of a Marmite act, in that, you guessed it, you either love them or you hate them. If you had introduced me to them after their first release I would likely have hated them but, "With Roots Above And Branches Below" shows that The Devil Wears Prada have added a new lease of life to the tired metalcore scene sound.

Guitarist Jeremy DePoyster’s clean vocals add so much to the band and without them The Devil Wears Prada would disappear quite easily in to the sea of mediocre scene bands. Mike Hrancia provides the main vocals and while they suffice, they would never stand up to anything more than they do, in that they sound strained and under powered, making DePoysters contribution a relief to the barrage of average quality screams that this album possesses.

The riffs are typical of the metalcore genre with lots of power chords and beatdowns, while the addition of some well-produced keyboards adds depth to the whole sound. Hrancia’s vocals are quite highly compressed with the harmony vocal bolstered on tightly to the main vocal. This works well and gives a nice tight sound and particularly shines in tracks like ‘Ben Has a Kid’ and the album opener ‘Sassafras’.

"With Roots Above Ground And Branches Below" demonstrates how The Devil Wears Prada have grown up and showcases the fact that they are now able to make a more mature album without just fulfilling their need to scream and shout. Although not the most intricate of albums "With Roots Above Ground And Branches Below" shows that with some good catchy choruses and a good set of dynamics, that The Devil Wears Prada can create quite a good album.

Lets all hope that the next album is even more of a transition and is able to move even further away from the stereotypical metalcore sound and is even more inventive.

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