With Roots Above and Branches Below (The Devil Wears Prada) - Review

I haven't written anything substantial on WU for a while, so here's a review of the new The Devil Wears Prada album. Even if it did come out in May...

Before the release of With Roots Above and Branches Below, vocalist Mike Hranica promised it would build on the stable niche carved out in Plagues and would be bigger, bolder and heavier. It gives me great pleasure to assure you, he was absolutely right.

In terms of sheer heaviness (probably a word), With Roots Above and Branches Below certainly opens with the big guns. Sassafras has arguably to heaviest intro of all the tracks on the album, followed by Lord Xenu at the end, and is a sensible choice as a first track seeing as it carries the classic TDWP sound and validates Hranica's claims at the same time. Some great rough vocals, crashing cymbals, tom rolls, eery synth and clashing, overdriven guitar riffs provide some superb opening fireworks. Things step down a notch slightly with I Hate Buffering which, despite not being a bad track, is in my opinion the weakest offering on the album; some of the synth just feels a bit forced.

You quickly forgive them though; Assistant to the Regional Manager comes next and is probably the best track from TDWP yet. Jeremy DePoyster's frankly gorgeous vocals really shine here, as do some excellent guitar riffs from Christ Rubey. James Baney also does really well with his keyboards here, something which is consistent in the album; he seems to be much better and layering his pads and leads in such a way that they are neither too subtle, nor too obstrusive. It gives the music more volume and generally adds weight to the all round TDWP sound.

Dez Moines is the other gem; some of you may know it as free DLC on Guitar Hero: World Tour. Simply put, it's a great collection of guitar trills, double bass sections and more great keyboard parts. It's also one of Hranica's finer moments in the album. Track 5, Big Wiggly Style, isn't a bad effort, and has the best intro on the album. Without being too critial, it just feels a bit flat compared to the rest of the tracks. It is worth listening too, however, for some of the best drumming you'll hear from the (immensely talented) Daniel Williams on this album.

Danger: Wildman seems to have become the fan favourite from the album, and is featured on many of their live setlists (including at Vans Warped Tour and when they played at the O2 Academy here at Oxford; how did I miss them!!). It's a great track, given, but my gripe is DePoyster feels underused; his chorus section is ace, but you just wish it would last longer. I'll admit though, it works very well as a live song. Ben Has A Kid has probably the best chorus on the whole album. It's here where DePoyster really shines. Somehow, his harmonies here border on the divine. And the second chorus is preceeded by an awesome drum fill by Williams. The first minute is a bit 'meh', but do stick with it; it's probably my third favourite track.

Wapakalypse is a very safe, steady offering; the keyboards are used very subtley and it feels more like a standard metalcore choon than a really TDWP track. It's great though, and makes use of some clever panning effects. Plus, the breakdown is pretty sweet. Gimme Half isn't bad, but, like Big Wiggly Style, it just feels a bit weak against the rest of them. It does have some good riffs and ideas, but nothing particularly memorable. Then things get slowed down for Louder than Thunder, as they try for a piano-driven ballad. Maybe it's just because DePoyster and Baney are awesome, but it worked out very nicely. It's not something that would spring to mind when you're talking about emotional music, but it's rather nice all the same and Baney takes centre stage admirably with some great piano and synth.

Lord Xenu caps off the album, and while it's a pretty good track, with some awesome guitar parts from Rubey, it doesn't feel like the right track to end it with. Assistant to the Regional Manager could have worked, seeing as it's the best track. It's not a disaster though, and is enjoyable in itself.

To sum up, they've achieved what they wanted to; they've carried over the unique sound they developed and have enhanced it further. The album's not perfect, but it's an improvement. Plus, their live shows are awesome. They're all still fairly young, and they've got plenty more cracks at this business before they'll have to throw in the towel. A strong effort.

RATING: 8/10

Download this: Assistant to the Regional Manager

[KirbyPunk]

I don't really like The Devil Wears Prada, but this was actually an extremely good review. I'm inspired to go write my own for an album now. Great job man, definitely do some more!