I talk about my fandom of the metalcore genre quite a bit. The Devil Wears Prada are still near the top of my personal view of what the heavyweights in the genre are. The guys have been dominating in the scene for over a decade, and the night of October 24, 2019 was no exception to that perception.
Openers – Gideon – Norma Jean
Hearing that Gideon wanted us to cover them for this show had me all sorts of thrilled. They kicked off this three band bill, and they did it in the best way possible. Their full force act had the mosh pit in full swing right from the get-go. The room was pretty full since the beginning of this set; so I can only assume we had both new and old fans of theirs in the crowd. Vocalist Daniel McWhorter’s clearly influenced by Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta; and as I mentioned in my pre show article, I fucking love that. These guys hit hard and are a definite recommendation in my book!
Listen to Gideon’s latest release, Out of Control below!
Norma Jean were up next, and I know these guys aren’t for everyone. Their brand of noisecore-ish sound can be somewhat overwhelming and too much for certain people, and that’s okay. Personally I hadn’t seen these guys in about a full decade; their energy was just as high this night as it was years ago when I saw them in the bigger venue next door. (At least, that’s where I’m pretty sure I saw them before… Don’t quote me there.)
A couple major highlights of their set include vocalist Cory Brandan snatching a crowd member’s phone from the front row and snapping a photo of them; (I later found this image on Instagram, and said attendee and I happen to follow eachother on the platform; pretty cool!) our local wheelchair crowdsurfer could also be seen lifted up above the crowd; being illuminated by the dark moody lights. I’ve seen this guy do this at shows all over the place; it’s really an awesome thing to see!
Listen to Norma Jean’s latest release, All Hail below!
The Devil Wears Prada – The Act
Since this tour is in direct support of The Devil Wears Prada’s release, The Act, a good chunk of their set list reflected that of the new album. This does not leave longtime fans such as myself disappointed, though. The guys perform these tracks exceptionally well. Along with these new tracks, we also got to hear old time favorites; such as “Danger:Wildman” , “Assistant to the Regional Manager” and “Dez Moines” from 2009’s With Roots Above, and Branches Below album; “Anatomy” from 2010’s Zombie EP “Dead Throne” from 2011’s Dead Throne album; and it was a special treat to hear the guys perform a special cover of Foo Fighters’ “All My Life.”
The guys closed out by thanking the Vinyl and Hard Rock Hotel staff for being exceptional with their hospitality, and it wouldn’t be The Devil Wears Prada if they didn’t play their most popular song from 2007’s Plague album; “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?”
All around this show was a SOLID one. All of these bands have new albums that have come out within the last few weeks and I strongly encourage you guys to check them out if this niche of the metal scene is your thing! The Act tour goes on until November 16th, making it’s final stop in Milwaukee. For tickets and more information about this tour, the new album, merch and more head on over to The Devil Wears Prada’s official website!
Check out The Devil Wears Prada’s latest release, The Act below!
Live photos taken by Courtney Ware for ZrockR Magazine 2019, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.