The Devil Wears Prada, Zombies EP Review

Love them or hate them, chances are you've heard of the Ohio-based sextet The Devil Wears Prada. Breakdowns, beautiful synth-assisted choruses, and their apparent mastery of all things metalcore have led to widespread success not only in the "scene" but commercially as well (the last full album came to the #11 on the billboard 200 charts). This EP is a step in a definitively heavier direction the TDWP guys. The EP is comprised of 6 songs telling the haunting story of a world overrun by zombies. "Escape" evokes emotions of panic as the outbreak gets its start on conquering the world; "Anatomy" is the beginning of the human resistance and study of the new predator of the earth; "Outnumbered," the single, is mankind's first realization that there may be trouble in retaking the planet. "Revive" is the realization that the world as we know it is forever lost; and "Survivor," one of my favorites on this album, is the last song and a mourning cry.


These lyrics are some of the best TDWP has written in my opinion. Mike spent alot of time reading up about zombies and the forewarned zombie apocalypse, and it shows here. The choice of FX they out in this album (sirens, shotguns, moaning, etc) and the overall heaviness of this album make for a spine-tingling story int he form of an EP. This is an album full of dissonance, pinch harmonics, breakdowns and clean, eerie melodies. Two aspects of this EP that deserve attention (as far as I'm concerned, anyway) are Daniel's more intense drumming and Mike's new vocal talents. Mike has always been amazing, intense and unrestrained as a vox man, but on "Anatomy" he seems to push his high scream higher to make an especially frenzied scream. And Daniel brought out some technical flash on "With Roots Above and Branches Below," but on "Zombies" he tends to go for more of a direct, down-n-dirty, four-on-the-floor double bass assault. New and old fans alike can get into this effort full tilt.

Tracklisting:

1. Escape
2. Anatomy
3. Outnumbered
4. Revive
5. Survivor