The Devil Wears Prada
8:18
Release Date: Sep 17, 2013
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal, Contemporary Christian, Religious, Alternative CCM, Christian Metal
Record label: Roadrunner Records
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Album Review: 8:18 by The Devil Wears Prada
Great, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Turning expectations on their head. Again. Having spent years as the underdog since their formation in 2005, Ohio-based melodic metalcore maestros The Devil Wears Prada turned said perception on its head with the release of ‘Dead Throne’ two years ago, and ‘8:18’ ensures the skull remains firmly planted. While lead single ‘Martyrs’ retains the raw hostility and relenting heaviness TDWP have perfected across their back catalogue, it’s the newfound multi-layered vocals of Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster that give tracks like ‘War’ and ‘Sailor’s Prayer’ a compelling dexterity of textures and allows each track to venture into previously uncharted territory with the utmost conviction.
Based on rating 7/10
The biblical verse "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" inspired the album title of the Devil Wears Prada's 8:18, and in that spirit, the lyrical content onboard is filled with hope, even though it comes from a very bleak place. Mike Hranica’s voice is relentlessly brutal, as he delivers a death wail over the Dayton, Ohio, faith-based, metalcore act's adventurous, technical shredding. Hard dynamic shifts between promise and anguish are often heard in Christian metal (see the work of Underoath or As I Lay Dying), and Jeremy DePoyster's clean vocals offer a nice counterpoint to the gut-punches delivered by Hranica.
Opinion: Excellent
The Linkin Park-ification of metalcore continues with the Devil Wears Prada’s latest album, 8:18. (Check the book of Romans. ) That’s not meant to be a slight: There’s no doubting the influence Linkin Park wield over a whole generation of mosh-pit enthusiasts, so when guitarist/vocalist Jeremy DePoyster pulls off a pretty convincing Chester Bennington impersonation on “War” and “Care More,” it doesn’t feel phony (just kinda cheesy).
Opinion: Very Good
Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada have never shied away from preaching, but this is the first time they’ve named an album after a Bible verse. Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” It’s unclear what kind of “sufferings” have been plaguing TDWP, but 8:18 is definitely bleak, harrowing, and fucking heavy. The only slivers of light are the sugary vocal melodies that color most songs.
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