Album Review :
The Devil Wears Prada - The Act

By in Reviews | 6 Comments

Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: October 11, 2019

Tracklisting:

  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

Longtime metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada is back with an incredible album that should be the surprise of the year.

Let’s be honest, metalcore has become somewhat predictable with only a few bands making quality music. Even still, it’s become stagnant as there has been very little growth in the genre over the past decade.

This is where The Act comes into play. The group’s 7th album travels into unknown territory and gives us a glimpse of what metalcore can be.

The Act is a multi-dimmensional album spitting of fury, emotion, and angst. It seems as though, when they covered Julien Baker’s heart wrenching Sour Breath, it was a sign of themes to come.

Lines of your Hands carries along with it a memorable chorus while Chemical is a painfully accurate depiction of mental illness. “Waking up to no meaning I stare at the ceiling, Count the imperfections that, Surround my being, can tell how I’m feeling, And it hurts more when you ask, There’s a hole in my head and heart, But I’m a long way from the start, There’s a hole in my head and heart, But I’m a long way from, Back when I couldn’t move, was frozen, I told myself, it’s all good, It’s only chemical.”

The album doesn’t quit with each song raising the bar a bit further. The middle section in particular is worth noting. Chemical transitions into the moody and aggressive Wave of Youth, into the pleading Please Say No.

Mike Hranica’s vocals could be grating at first listen as there aren’t too many low growls on the album. They’re replaced by high pitched screams drenched in raw desperation.

The Thread is a slow build before exploding into one of the few breakdowns on the LP and it has its desired effect. By reducing breakdowns, the brutality of the ending is thundering.

Then there’s Diamond Lost. It’s hard to pick which song is the best, or which one is most fitting to be a single, but Diamond Lost could be it. With a solid bass groove paired with harmonizing vocals, it’s possibly the most standout track.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a more diverse metal album that is executed perfectly. Don’t sleep on this masterpiece; if you don’t care for it now, give it time, you’ll love it.

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fusse
Admin
October 14, 2019 6:51 am

Personally I’d love the reviews to have more emphasis on the lyrical content and the overall message etc.

Care to expand on that a bit more? I felt like you pretty much only covered the musicality of the album.

Brandon J.
Admin
October 14, 2019 9:09 am
Reply to  fusse

I honestly didn’t know this was going to be covered on IVM. I too would like to hear more about the lyrical content.

Paul
Guest
Paul
October 14, 2019 7:05 pm

Chemical is a good song (actually hear some Future of Forestry sound in it lol). Also digging Please Say No.

Graham Wall
Member
October 14, 2019 8:09 am

I’m looking forward to listening through this one again; so many twists and turns! You’re right, the breakdowns on here are awesome. I think the one in “Spiderhead” might be my favourite. Jonathan Gering’s keyboard/production skills really shine on the album as a whole. This is not the album I expected from TDWP, but I’m happy with the outcome.

AustinG
Member
AustinG
October 14, 2019 9:39 pm

I’m definitely one in the “I thought metalcore was dead” camp, but listening to these songs has reframed how I see the genre—and for me that’s definitely a good thing! After I realized how big of a shift TDWP had made from their early albums to now, I went back through their discography and discovered a few new favorites (Transit Blues in particular is a solid/well made album). I enjoyed early TDWP, but fell off after Dead Throne (don’t think it was what I expected). For me they have a few great tracks on “8:18” (like Sailor’s Prayer or the… Read more »

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