The Devil Wears Prada Review

By Donald Wagenblast

When The Devil Wears Prada announced that they would be embarking on a tour to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of their breakthrough album With Roots Above and Branches Below,I was so disappointed to learn that the tour had no New Jersey. However, the band’s connection to New Jersey was too strong to ignore, and the band scheduled a unique one-night-only show where they played the album and a few favorites at one of their favorite venues to play (their words, not mine), Starland Ballroom. The band’s connection to New Jersey was evident in their selection of opening acts, as they opted to not bring their tour package, and added three local New Jersey metalcore acts instead. The early crowd was treated to three bands by the names of This Curse, My Last Breath, and Inventure, who are looking to make their mark in metalcore the same way TDWP have done over the last 14 years. If you’re curious to check the bands out, you should expect A Day To Remember-esque song instructions from This Curse, a heavier, more breakdown-oriented assault from My Last Breath, and some stunning technical guitar work from Inventure.

The main draw of the night, of course, took things to another level. TDWP have become one of the best live acts in their genre of the last few years, and hearing the energetic riffs and vocals from With Roots Above in different arrangements and tones was an excellent experience for the packed-in Starland crowd. Vocalist Mike Hranica’s voice has changed since the album’s released, but his passion for the lyrics he penned a decade ago hasn’t faltered in the slightest. The frontman was bounding all over the stage in what should only be described as half-performance, half-catharsis, something that has always allowed the band’s fans to connect with their music on a deeper level than most in the metalcore scene. The band’s set ended with a flurry of excitement, as Hranica mentioned that the band had been hard at work on a new album, which will “hopefully” be released by the end of this year. After that, the band played a brand new song from the said new album to cap off the night, providing a perfect blend of a look into the band’s storied past, and a glimpse into their always-promising future.