For the Devil Wears Prada's fourth album, Dead Throne, the Christian metalcore six-piece is at its most technical and most brutal. Mike Hranica is a vocal beast, alternating between banshee screams and a Cookie Monster growl, while the rest of the members deliver muscular drop-D power chords, bottom-heavy bass riffs, and ferocious drumming. Sonically, the tone is equally massive. New producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage, Times of Grace) intensifies things by crushing the frequencies to a damaged maximum. Then, the producer of the group†s back catalog, Joey Sturgis, was brought back on board to emphasize James Baney's spine-chilling keyboard orchestration and add some digital touches in the way of vocal effects and choppy ambient sound bursts. Ultimately, Dead Throne is a multi-segmented 40-minute detonation. The songs are shorter and easier to differentiate than on earlier outings, but still run together -- as they commonly do in technical metalcore and European symphonic metal. Segments are marked by a heavy breakdown, a burst of shredding, a sudden tempo shift, or a switch to the main melodic component, Jeremy DePoyster†s emo-inflected voice. As a bonus, As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis makes a guest appearance and roars back and forth with Hranica on †Constance,† one of Dead Throne's most powerful moments. But then again, picking a highlight is futile when an album is this merciless.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
1 Dead Throne 2:45
2 Untidaled 2:55
3 Mammoth 2:43
4 Vengeance 3:01
5 R.I.T. 2:49
6 My Questions 3:12
7 Kansas 3:36
8 Born To Lose 3:04
9 Forever Decay 3:24
10 Chicago 2:44
11 Constance 3:19
12 Pretenders 3:28
13 Hold Fast 3:48
|