I think I’m justified in saying that The Devil Wears Prada have chosen one of the most ridiculous band names of recent times. The music found on their sophomore album Plagues, however, is not quite such a laughing matter.
Plagues is a metalcore album – but that’s a genre label that’s already showing signs of being stretched to breaking point by being forced to contain such a variety of sounds.
The Devil Wears Prada certainly have the “core” component sussed out, with blastbeat attacks and lead-heavy muted guitar chugging providing a bludgeoning power to the heavier sections. There’s no disputing the intensity at this end – nor, for that matter, the technical skill of the musicians.
However, I found the “metal” side of the equation to be much the weaker of the two. I’d even go so far as to say The Devil Wears Prada would be far more accurately described by the term “emocore”. That’s not to be derogatory, as such – it’s more an observation that the melodic passages between the hardcore savagery owe a lot more to the pop-punk market than they do to what I think of as contemporary metal.
The overproduction has a large part to play in this; for example, using vocoder treatments on voices that are already high and clear seems like overcooking the joint. I think the melodies could have carried it better on their own without the aid of the studio bling.
The song structures aren’t too shoddy, even if the lyrics are largely incomprehensible (especially the guttural bellowed stuff), and the fetish for oddly inappropriate names carries over onto the song titles, too, giving us tunes called “HTML Rulez D00d”, “Reptar, King of the Ozone” and “Goats On A Boat”. There’s either a very sharp wit behind those titles, or they’re a smokescreen to cover up a lack of lyrical substance. I just can’t tell which is the case after a couple of listens – and I’m not keen enough on Plagues to give it more attention than that.
As baffling as it may be to me, the band certainly sound like they have the courage of their convictions – and there’s no escaping the instrument skills on display in Plagues. So if The Devil Wears Prada don’t do it for me, it probably says as much about my age as it does their style.
Posted in Music reviews | 38 Comments »
February 21st, 2008 at 3:38 am
Worst review ever.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Most undescriptive comment ever.
Do you care to explain why you disagreed with the review? Or are you just going to recycle Simpsons quotes?
March 5th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
anyone know where they recorded the album?
June 24th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Worst review ever.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
At least Dwayn thought of it first, David. Do you have an excuse handy, or has mom told you to leave the interwebs alone and do your homework now?
August 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Useful review. thank you.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
the devil wears prada is flippin amazing. but i suppose everyone is entitled to their own oppinion. BUT this review does kinda… suck. and, the devil wears prada does have a meaning behind it. basically, it means that what the devil has to offer maybe appealing (like the brand prada is appealling).
October 6th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Surely in that case they should have called themselves “The Devil Wears Atticus”?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I am afraid to say that “the editor” is a sarcastic IDIOT, I agree with alyssa, and btw atticus is friggin stupid, and if the editor thinks this is disrespectful, well so were some of his/her comments…Sorry you cant open yourself to all music types, Im sure if this were one of your favorite bands youd have a much higher opinion, your a horrible critic
November 5th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
“Im sure if this were one of your favorite bands youd have a much higher opinion, your a horrible critic”
Well, duh; of course I’d like them more if they were one of my favourite bands. But hey, newsflash – they’re not! I’ll bet there are some of my favourite bands that you can’t stand, too; main difference is that I don’t get my underwear all twisted when someone disagrees with my tastes. On my own site, however, I’ll be as disrespectful as I like… especially to people who seem to have no grasp of sarcasm. Good day!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I agree with the emocore description, but it would’ve been clearer if you specifically pointed out that the guitarist’s singing is modern emo/pop-punky, since that’s the only part that could fall under emocore (interesting point on the over-production of the voice though, even though I think if you heard him live, you would agree that the production is likely needed). I think the review needs to be expanded on some more, and as a reviewer, you generally ARE expected to listen to it more than just once or twice– I wasn’t really into TDWP at first, but now I love them, and they’re in my top five metalcore bands. The name [of the band] is actually a somewhat common phrase, meaning that the devil will come to you with promises of luxury and all the material wants that a person lusts after–but ultimately offers only hollow promises, which we are not to be seduced by– a warning, if you will. And all the song names are just inside jokes with the band or references to outside sources, i.e. “Reptar, King of the Ozone” is a reference to the “Rugrats” tv show (what this makes of their lyricism/song titling ability is still unclear, but I think it’s safe to say they’re just having some fun with it.)
And I have to admit, though you are certainly entitled to your opinion, as an editor of a site, it would be more professional to not make cheap comebacks to internet commenters, especially when you leave yourself completely open by not making people be members. Also, at least do not sink to blog-fighters’ levels by just insulting a person’s supposed intelligence level– it makes you look stupid also. (Especially if you don’t even understand the comment–aka the fact that David’s comment was being ironic in that he was writing what the first person had already written a few months earlier, not just being retarded.)
November 18th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Thanks for the comments, Jonathan. I’d love to be able to listen more thoroughly to music before I review it, but when you have five or six albums to review in a week, it’s just not practically possible – I have a day-job beyond this site that actually pays my bills, and that doesn’t leave me with acres of time. I do the best I can; to be fair, I’m not sure increased exposure would have helped TDWP, but there you go.
Regarding the responses-to-comments thing, I can see your point, and I used to think in a very similar way. But three years of publishing content on the web has eroded my patience; the world is full of fools who think they can make themselves look big by tweaking my nose, and I’m afraid I’m no longer a follower of the doctrine of turning the other cheek. A child who isn’t disciplined has no chance of learning when his behaviour is unacceptable. You may interpret David’s comment above as ironic, and I congratulate your charity in doing so; I, however, interpreted it as a wannabe wise guy parroting an already facile response, and I responded accordingly.
That said, thanks for your comments Jonathan – I wish more people took the time to make their points as clearly and politely.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
rofl go editor pwning all
April 25th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
dude u f@&#ing suck at reviewing albums, seriously. You should go back to your “day job” and stop trying to bring down a bands rep just becuase you dont like it. tdwp is one of the better METALcore bands around so basically what ur saying is that u dont like metalcore and are just writing a bad review for that reason
April 26th, 2009 at 1:16 am
No, there’s metalcore I like, as it happens. And if you think this is a bad review, you should see the ones I do for bands I really don’t like. Thanks for stopping by, though.
May 10th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Good overall review. i agree that the back up vocals have a lot of work done to them but the lead vocalist is a very good (for lack of a better word) “screamer”. Hes very talented but i think that his deep growling in Hey John What’s Your Name Again- (Congratulations on Mutilation) is by far the best sound in the cd. Their new album With Roots Above And Branches Below is full of it so listen to that and see if you dont like it better
May 17th, 2009 at 3:20 am
that was one of the worst reviews that I have ever read. Calling The Devil Wears Prada emocore is one of the worst observations i have ever seen. in order to be emocore you have to be hardcore, which TDWP is, and you have to be EMO, which they ARE NOT! this band has the most religious lyrics out of every band that I listen to. their band name is not rediculous it has a meaning to it just like every one of their songs has a meaning. This band knows how to have a good time which reflects in their track names. every time i tell someone the name of one of their tracks we share a laugh which shows how fun and enjoyable of a band TDWP is. the vocoder treatments on the voices blends perfectly with the screams and low growls. you should stick to reviews on bands like cute is what we aim for. something that incompetent editors can actually write about and make some sense
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
what the crap editor. why so bitter? this is probably the most biased and negative review i’ve ever read. if you’re gonna say that stuff, get a new job.. or hobby. geez, buy a cat or something.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 pm
If you think this is a bad review, as I pointed out earlier, you should try reading some of the others on this site. As for biased, well, guilty as charged – just as you’re biased in the band’s favour. It’s called “having an opinion”; you’ll encounter it a lot as time passes.
As for bitter, I’m not sure I follow you; what am I supposed to be bitter about, exactly? After all, it’s not me having a hissy fit because someone doesn’t like my favourite band, is it? I have the same right to an opinion as you do; we just happen to disagree. Please rest assured that I’ll not be losing any sleep over it.
June 4th, 2009 at 8:12 am
These responses read uncannily like the hilariously embarrassing comments you find on youtube videos. Its only a matter of time before someone accuses someone else of being gay.
True, that review wasn’t the best, but then what can you really say about something about as exciting and original as watching paint dry, which of course is just my opinion and is equally as valid / wrong as anyone elses.
Oh yeah, and that name is just tragic
June 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
to editor-
first off i love your definition of tdwp’s “core” style but would you not agree that it is just innovative tech metal? also what would you define as generic contemporary metal? metal has been around for along time and i see alot of core bands(like tdwp) reinventing guitars sounds to be more heavier than ever, i personally love tdwp’s mallicous breakdowns and chainsaw riffs as well as mike hranicas gnarly vocals even tho he doubles up on some. i agree with the “emo” side somewhat but would not call them an emo band just because of their message and thats what music is about is it not? one more note is it just me but dont “contemporary” metal bands suck? jk but foreal i dislike hearing main vocalists scream then try to sing it always comes out soundy ……bad unless its like a girl? i would love your opionion on some good contemporary metal bands
a response would be lovely thank you
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
The existence of this band, and EVERYTHING about them, makes me want to get up in a tower with a sniper rifle. Just being honest. And believe me, I like some music you could compare to what these pathetic saddies are trying to pull off, 10th generation horseshit that it is. To quote the late, great Bill Hicks, these children are ‘corporate little bitches, suckers of Satan’s cock, each and every one of them.’ Yes, please, reference not only a shitty book and a shitty movie from the past few years, (you know AS I LAY DYING is an equally terrible and uninventive name, but at LEAST that book was written 50 years ago) but taking it a step further and pretending like you’d come up with the phrase before you’d heard of it? The editor’s ‘the devil wears atticus’ was hilarious and spot-on…oh yeah, the devil tempting us with Prada…how about The Devil Wears Prada tempting us with MONSTER ENERGY DRINKS (on their myspace), VANS SHOES (warped tour, which is also sponsored by AT&T), the HOT TOPIC adverts all over their shit, etc. It’s not a far cry from The Jonas Brothers current tour being sponsored by Burger King (no, for real. it is.) I am an athiest and don’t believe in heaven or hell nor ‘good’ and ‘evil’….but this kind of corporate suckjob hypocrisy is as close to evil as you can get. I am almost fascinated with this band and how this is being done with nary a tongue in a cheek. I, also, am not a ‘bitter’ person, i just choose to respect and listen to music with real integrity and innovative soul. True, there’s not much left to do originality-wise in these genres, but there are PLENTY of bands doing it. This is not one of them. Case closed. But the teenyboppers are eating it up. I feel like an old OLD man, and im not even 30 yet.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Don’t hold back there, Phil; tell us how you really feel.
I’m nowhere near as fussed about corporate sponsorship in music as I used to be, though I’d concede that the bands most likely to do it to excess tend to be ones I have little time for. My beef with TDWP is that I don’t think there’s anything much behind the veneer of style and production. I can take a perverse kind of interest in music that is actively awful or weird, but their stuff is too formulaic for me to really get engaged with it whatsoever. I don’t hate what they do enough to care, in other words.
November 22nd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
your so gay this is the best band ever, attack attack is close second. those are real metal bands, any band that screams is cause its so heavy. pantera is not real metal cus they arent heavy enough yo. go to warped tour and see some real metal bands.
November 22nd, 2009 at 6:28 pm
and if you want emo listen to black flag, dont talk shit about good metal bands or ill knock you out
November 22nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Now, let’s see: accusations of homosexuality, threats of violence, and the implicit assumption that your definition of a term is the only one with any validity… that’s every square of the bingo card ticked! So I’m filing you under “teenaged douchebag who needs to get out of the house more often”…. and wishing I could watch you tell a roomful of Pantera fans that Pantera “aren’t metal”.
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
fuck that they dont even have synths in their songs, they are talentless. listen to sick metal like alesana
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
You heard it here first, folks: no keyboards, not metal.
November 24th, 2009 at 1:44 am
I suspect that the phrae ‘if you want emo listen to black flag’ will possibly remain the strangest statement i’ll read on the internet for some time.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I’m fairly sure someone is yanking as many chains as they can here.
December 6th, 2009 at 9:31 am
pretty sure my honest opinion is that metalcore is great (when it was truly a blend of metal and hardcore: botch, integrity etc) not this pussy electronic shit. Straight up modern day metalcore is just pop music with screaming vocals and a shitload of breakdowns
July 29th, 2010 at 11:18 am
I do agree with alot of people here…TDWP is the best band ever and the review wasnt the best but i gotta say, this is one of the funniest album review comment wars ive ever seen. Editor, nice comebacks and other people nice insults…keep em coming
September 21st, 2010 at 4:31 am
I cannot understand the indignant responses to the review. This review is only slightly negative yet we are raising the pitchforks hastily. Complaining about bias while stating you love tdwp in the same comment is blatant hypocrisy. As for my opinion, I agree with the editor. While there is a base of talent the band have not seemed to mature from last album. Many of the tunes are disjointed and lacking a thorough melody. While the screams are impressive and the clean vocals soar above the sound it seems there is a fetish for unecessary noise. Techno and keyboard backgrounding the guitar just does fit in a number places throughout the album. I tie this in with the “overproduction” point made by the editor. Tdwp have to learn to leave the bad parts of there music behind.
September 22nd, 2010 at 9:23 am
I disagree with your review but we are all entitled to an opinion. However Phil McCrevice is a complete idiot. These sponserships that they get are used to create their music and do tours. The meaning in their name is that the devil tries to decieve and destroy you by appearing perfect and popular wearing expenisve clothing/ items(Prada) to entice you. Also they are the most amazing group of guys, i was lucky enough to meet them and talk to them a few days ago at a show. They know how to work a crowd which is a major part in a band nowadays(i mean who wants to go to a live show where they play great music but are all awkward on the stage?) Finnally Phil McCrevice should use that sniper rifle on himself and save us all the misery of having to read his shallow and useless opinion,
November 1st, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Some of you are honestly stupid. TDWP, is not in fact metal, and it’s WAY FUCKING FAR from being hardcore. True hardcore is stuff like Hatebreed, Recon, Thick as Blood, etc.
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Hatebreed are true hardcore? Love to see you say that the guys from Black Flag…
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:45 pm
What the fuck? I thought I added that to another post I made somewhere else. Thanks for that edit. And no, I don’t consider them true hardcore, but they’re okay.
December 19th, 2010 at 11:39 am
In reality everyone has a different opinion on what true hardcore is so noone is ever right or wrong (unless they say Justin beiber is hardcore, then they are defiantly wrong). I like your review and don’t get what everyone is getting angry about (although it is quite humorous) you don’t write a rubbish review and you even say some positive things about them some people just need to read the review abit better, and before anyone gets angry at me I am a prada fan and always have been I place them in my top 5 favorite bands. Have you heard their latest album The zombie Ep? I would love to see what you have to say about it as it is alot different to their other stuff. Keep up the good reviews!