"We go into our writing with a theme in mind and what comes out of those ideas is what morphs into our recording"

- advertisement -

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has made solid strides in the metal world since their debut in 2006 and with each new offering, the band puts out something different; something longtime fans and new listeners wouldn’t expect and it seems that formula is what keeps audiences flocking to them with every touring trek embarked upon. They have often been praised as being “Ohio’s Premiere Christian Metalcore Band”, but they are actually so much more. They offer a depth of songwriting, energetic stage shows and a keen sense of creating lasting relationships with their fan base.

In 2015 the band was quite busy and it already appears that 2016 will be no different. Their latest EP, Space, was a labor of love for the band and vocalist Mike Hranica is very proud of the band and their work. He and bandmates, bassist Andy Trick, guitarist Jeremy Depoyster and drummer Daniel Williams made a splash on the mainstage last summer on what turned out to be the last RockStar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with other metal giants like SLAYER and KING DIAMOND. Something Hranica thinks is special about the Space EP is that it changed pace for the band and it may not have been what the fans expected.

“The music is definitely conceptual,” he said. “It is not as heavy as one may expect from a band like us, but we go into our writing with a theme in mind and what comes out of those ideas is what morphs into our recording. There are six songs on the EP and I think that it all flowed very well together and you can just feel the soul of the music and concept in each song.”

The idea of a concept album is certainly not new for TDWP. Their highly popular Zombies album was also a concept venture and it put the band on the map.

“All of the songs we write are very personal and we like to find a topic that we can cover that stays true to the roots of a concept piece. We throw ideas out there and research topics and I think that this time, the idea of space itself was so appealing to us,” he said. “Space is atmosphere, it is uncharted territory and there is so much you can imagine and envision and that is where we went with this. I really hope the fans like it.”

Hranica also did the artwork for the album and he likes to visualize what he and others may hear in the music as he creates the piece that graces the cover of the EP.

Touring on Mayhem was a highlight for the band despite the internal strife between the owners of the tour and some of the headlining acts.

“Mayhem will, in my opinion, always be a great vehicle for us as a band. The tour went well for us,” he said on the last day of the tour in August 2015. “It gave us the opportunity to be on the mainstage of a large touring package and it exposed the band to all kinds of metal fans. It is a tour that has historically tried to compile a line-up that features bands from all generations of metal and I think that is great because it introduced us to so many new people.”

TWDP has been featured at other one off festivals and had their own headlining shows, and this spring, they will be the featured headliners on two very large festivals here in Texas.

In March the band will headline a short tour that includes premier sets on March 16 at the Never Say Never Festival in Mission, Texas and on March 20 at the much lauded So What! Festival in Grand Prairie, Texas. It has also been announced that the band will be a feature act at Heavenfest in Colorado in July with contemporaries like MEMPHIS MAY FIRE and FOR TODAY.

They are a band not to be missed as their excitement is infectious. See the video for “Alien” from the Space EP HERE and don’t miss them on the road in 2016. Once touring has completed, the band intends to return to the studio and work on yet another highly anticipated release.