Powerful instrumentation and vocals
Metalcore band, The Devil Wears Prada, has been creating metal music since 2005, and recently, the band released their latest, ZII EP. The music is phenomenal; Mike Hranica’s strong vocals bring authority every time he screams out the lyrics. Jeremy DePoyster’s guitar playing and vocals give insanity to each track while Mason Nagy’s bass guitar skills rumble with soul-shaking sound. Kyle Sipress’s guitar playing surges each tune with heavy riffs with Jonathan Gering’s keys and synthesizers giving each piece a kicking harmonic noise, and the drum playing from Guiseppe Capolupo gives each tune a punch of jaw-dropping drum beats. The Devil Wears Prada have their feet on the gas pedal, and fans will not be disappointed.
The opening song, “Nightfall,” kicks things off with well-sung vocals from Hranica and DePoyster. Right off the bat, loud screaming emerges from the background with great authority, and the noise is righteous by how Hranica and DePoyster use their high-pitched voices to express themselves. Throughout the entire composition, both vocalists switch their voices from hard-hitting metal to harmonic. Hearing Hranica and DePoyster singing the harmonic element is amazing because it shows how versatile they are as performers. “Nightfall” may start the record off, but Hranica and DePoyster give their best performance on this piece.
The wild track “Forlorn” bleeds smashing guitar playing from DePoyster and Sipress. The whole composition is filled with blazing guitar riffs that give the atmosphere a heavy dose of energetic noise. In some ways, it does seem like DePoyster and Sipress have great chemistry because both guitarists stay attuned with each other until the song is over.
“Termination” is a headbanger that has killer bass guitar playing from Nagy. Fast-paced and deep guitar riffs at the start cause vein-jolting vibrations from the created rumbling notes. Nagy does a great job of creating a hard-hitting sound that contributes to the chaos of the composition. “Termination” is a fun track that consists of well-played guitar music from Nagy.
The heart-pounding track “Nora” is a magical piece that has a wonderfully played keyboard and synthesizer by Gering. Perhaps the best part of this tune is how the sound of the keys and synthesizers gives a touch of sanity within the musical craziness, and the keys alongside the synthesizers bring more emotion due to how Gering creates high-pitched noises to match the mood that the rest of the band is playing on. “Nora” is a mysteriously beautiful piece that has Gering showing people what he is capable of as a musician.
The closing tune, “Contagion,” is a great way to end the ZII EP because the drum play from Capolupo gives the piece a bittersweet ending with epic drum beats. Although the track is a bit different from the rest, the harmonic side of The Devil Wears Prada is played nicely, and Capolupo does a great job of creating thunderous drum beats that complement the rest of the band. “Contagion” gives the record a proper end.
ZII EP may only have five songs, but the musical content is wonderful. The Devil Wears Prada has grown as a band, and their music keeps getting better.
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