I KNOW A GHOST!
No, this isn’t a movie blog about the ill timed 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada.” I’m wanting to dig a little deeper into the 2005 Metalcore band also known as “TDWP.” For years their genre was more well known as Christian Metalcore, for good reason. They spearheaded the more extreme side of the Christian Metal revolution we saw from 2005-2010. Safe to say they were trendsetters for the scene during their early years and remarkably continue to do so to this day.
Their debut album “Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord” absolutely blew my 15 year old mind. It was my introduction to the more extreme side of Metal which ironically got me very into much darker and heavier music. I feel like I can blame my love of Deathcore solely on this album. One song specifically is what really ruined my general interest in music and made me hyperfocus on this extreme genre. “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over” is not only a hilarious song title, but it also showcased the dynamics of low gutturals paired with sinister sounding high screams. And lets not fail to mention the soaring clean vocals in the chorus and synthesizers layered throughout, which came to be a staple for them (and seemingly every other band following them in the late 2000s).
I’m not going to run down the full list of albums by TDWP, but I can’t talk about them without mentioning one of my favorite albums of all time. Their 2nd full length album “Plagues” was monumental in the Metalcore industry. In my humble opinion, the album was a masterpiece. It was chock full of the most devastating bass drops, breakdowns, electronic melodies, and some of my favorite vocal work from anything I’ve ever heard at the time. The amount of weird looks I caught blasting this album in high school definitely earned me the reputation of the “weird devil music kid” even though I was religious at the time. I can count on one hand how many people actually believed me when I told them it was in fact, a Christian band.
They changed their style in 2010 after dropping “With Roots Above and Branches Below.” They went from what was in my opinion a lighter shade of Deathcore, to a definite more Metalcore approach. Shortly after this album, they deviated from the strictly Christian theme they had during the entirety of their run for a highly successful concept album simply called “Zombie EP” using the same Metalcore style. This sound is more or less where they found their niche, which was great for the future of the band. The gnarly Deathcore vibes they introduced on “Plagues” was definitely fading out of popularity and it was bold of them to be one of the first off that ship. In the decade between 2010 to 2020 (which is insane to see on paper) they had numerous releases, although I can’t say too much of it appealed to me or seemed too revolutionary which admittedly was very disappointing. Sad to say, all hope was lost for my love with the band. But in 2021, their guitarist responded to an AMA on Reddit regarding whether they still considered their music to be Christian-based. His response was "we have not promoted the band being Christian for a looong time. Most of us aren't Christians, but we do aim at writing music that is fun to play!" Hearing about their change in pace struck my curiosity which led me to a single from their 2019 album, “The Act.” The song “Chemical” completely changed my perspective on TDWP. It was an unusually softer song for the band, but the topic is one that strikes a nerve for me personally. It’s about anxiety, depression, and the toll it takes on someone. “Waking up to no meaning
I stare at the ceiling
Count the imperfections that
Surround my being
Can’t tell how I'm feeling
And it hurts more when you ask”
Although a lot of the song seems hopeless at first glance, the chorus “it’s only chemical” is a good reminder that it’s a problem that can be fixed. Straying this far from past material opened the door for their most recent release in late 2022. “Color Decay” has become one of my favorite albums of all time, and I’m unbelievably stoked that I want to share songs from TDWP again. Much like 16 year old Stephen in 2006, I’m back to jamming them daily and the music resonates with me, maybe even more than before.
Lead vocalist Mike Hranica had this to say about “Color Decay;” “The album references the disintegration and discoloration we experience from daily struggles. Throughout the album, expect lyrics that you may relate to a little too well. These may be the best lyrics The Devil Wears Prada has ever created.” In my opinion, taking this route lyrically helped create a meaningful and an approachably heavy sound perfect for the current music scene. Front to back, the album carries a newfound energy, a unique blend of Pop/Metalcore, and is lyrically applicable to anyone who is familiar with struggling day to day. Not to mention it’s just all around amazing vocally, instrumentally, and the production is top notch.
To wrap this up, I strongly recommend digging into their discography (the oldest and newest stuff specifically) to see what a revolutionary band they have been over the years. If you like what you hear, I have good news! TDWP is going to be in Little Rock with August Burns Red on Sunday March 12th at The Hall. So go show them your support because it’s not often we get big names in the heavy music industry in our home state.
If you have Spotify, here’s a little sampler of what TDPW was then and is now!
Stephen Patrick Morrison is a resident of Russellville, an avid gamer, competitive Pokémon player, and purveyor of all things heavy.
Comentários