The Devil Wears Prada is an American Christian melodic metalcore band from Dayton, OH. Formed in 2005, the band consists of Mike Hranica (vocals), Chris Rubey (lead guitar), Jeremy DePoyster (rhythm guitar, vocals), Andy Trick (bass), and Daniel Williams (drums). To date, the group has released five full-length albums. Their most recent musical release entitled 8:18 is described by Hrancia as darker than Dead Throne (2011) and lyrically more sad and miserable. Hranica also stated that guitarist Chris Rubey came up with material that is absolutely relentless. After the release of 8:18 in September, The Devil Wears Prada announced a tour with their friends Texas in July, Volumes, and The Ghost Inside. Ten days before the Christmas holiday on December 15th a crowd spilled into Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, NJ awaiting an evening of fierce metal.
Texas in July started the show with their powerful stage presence and intriguing lyrics. The Pennsylvania native band weren’t far from home for this stop of the tour, and you knew it by the overwhelming cheer from fans. Having gone through recent member changes, including the departure of vocalist Alex Good and guitarist Christian Royer, it was a different Texas in July on stage. J.T. Cavey did a fine job on vocals with a different enjoyable performance. With only two founding members left, being bassist Ben Witkowski and drummer extraordinaire Adam Gray, it’s easy to see many of the songs are tied to the former members and Texas in July is ready for some fresh material with their new line-up. It will be interesting to see where they go on their next album. Hopefully they will remain the inspiring band they have consistently been and further their success.
The next act, Volumes, signed with Mediaskare Records back in 2010, quickly releasing their unforgettable EP entitled The Concept of Dreaming. Wasting no time, Volumes immediately pumped out their debut full length entitled Via (2011), which impressively went number 1 on iTunes metal charts within the first day of its release. With their whole career starting to unfold and the world ahead of them, Volumes is not a band you want to overlook. The performance at Starland Ballroom proved why. With dual vocalists, the energy was high and atmosphere was fun. Members ran from one end of the stage to the other interacting with every inch of the crowd they could get close to. The five guys of Volumes are rising to the top and having a blast along the way.
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LA based melodic hardcore band, The Ghost Inside, were up next and felt right at home as they took the stage at Starland Ballroom. Lead vocalist, Jonathan Vigil, arrived on stage grinning ear to ear as the crowd cheered loudly. Their set consisted mostly of songs from their latest album Get What You Give (2012), dedicated in memory of Jonathan’s late brother Ryan Vigil, the set was filled with fan favorites and plenty of emotion. Crowd surfers were welcomed by Vigil and encouraged to scream their favorite lyrics into the microphone each time. The Ghost Inside rocked the room hard, ending their set with the song “White Light”. This was clearly an extremely personal song to Vigel as he fell to his knees in tears completing the song. There was no doubt Vigel wore his emotions on his sleeve through the performance, with the performance being a release, and this song came from the deepest part of his heart.
Closing out the evening was none other The Devil Wears Prada. Storming onto the stage like banshees was Hranica sprinting to the front of the stage beginning with “Gloom”. The stage filled with fog and green lights, looking like a scene from a zombie movie, fans went crazy and the energy levels through the roof. Hranica was charismatic and animated throughout the set. Along with the rest of the band Hranica knew just what to do and when to do it to make the most of this epic performance, both visual and musically. The band flew through a sixteen song set list including two encores. Unmistakably, The Devil Wears Prada is in their prime and executes their music live to a T. If you have the opportunity to see The Devil Wears Prada in 2014, do yourself a favor and see what these guys have to offer.
Written by Jesse Murch
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