12/15 Tuesday Show Pick: The Devil Wears Prada at Emo's

The Dayton, Ohio based Christian metalcore band that shares the same name as that terrible book is bringing they're high energy live show to Emo's Tuesday. The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP) was the one bands that I did not get to see at Warped Tour this past summer, much to my disappointment. Besides As I Lay Dying or maybe Underoath, no band with an openly "Christian" tag or identity has held my attention. TDWP are not preachy or cheesy, or trying to be something they aren't. Ok so they did cover of the Big Tymers song "Still Fly" for a pop-crunk album of some sort, but I choose to block that out. Overall, TDWP just do their thing their way and do it well.

Don't let their bright t-shirts and young faces fool you. TDWP is metal. Their particular brand of metal is "metalcore", which refers to heavy metal with punk rock elements and with heavy emphasis on melodic breakdowns. The drums are still played at lightning speed, and the vocals still sound very metal but with a little more screaming. That's the short version for those of you who don't follow the genre or are unfamiliar.

The Devil Wears Prada has been touring to support their current release, With Roots Above and Branches Below. It's their first album on Ferret Music, as the band's previous albums were released on popular hardcore label Rise Records. While I still prefer 2007's Plagues, With Roots Above and Branches Below is a solid album from beginning to end. Besides being constant road warriors, that album is why the band's stock has risen this year and has fans old and new thirsty for a new album in 2010.

The Devil Wears Prada (photo by Gordie Ball)

Tuesday, Emo's should be packed. I'd be shocked if the show wasn't sold out at this point. This is their last Austin appearance for quite some time. In 2010 they will be touring with Kill Switch Engage and there aren't any Austin stops on that calendar. In fact, only Houston and Dallas get tour stops. It shocks me to not see San Antonio listed, as both bands made appearances there in 2009 on Warped and Mayhem Fest.

The Devil Wears Prada's touring mates are some heavy hitters in their own right in terms of fan base. All That Remains, Story of The Year and Haste The Day are a good fit to play under TDWP and the hardcore kids should love it. For me they are hit or miss, but I'm going for TDWP. So should you.



For more on The Devil Wears Prada, visit the following link:

TDWP on MySpace

A Look Back at Mayhem Fest 2009

Slayer's Kerry King

This summer my good friend Ajay Miranda and I went to San Antonio to check out Mayhem Fest. We had to go to San Antonio as it does not stop in Austin unfortunately. Mayhem was also Ajay's first real metal experience outside filming local metal bad asses, Pack of Wolves in March. We were there for Double Stereo with press passes and got to be up close and personal, right at the front of the stage in the photo pits. The only artist that couldn't be filmed was Marilyn Manson. No big deal, I was there for Slayer and the other great bands. Manson was quite the live show though. I will say that.

Slayer's Tom Araya

It was a dream come true for me as I finally got to see Slayer for the first time and be right up front against the stage. It was the closest you could could get without actually being in the band on stage. The AT&T center was packed as I looked behind me and saw a sea of people. The upper level seats were full as well. They performed all their classics, stuff from the early records and later stuff.

Black Dahlia Murder

The best part of the day during Mayhem was getting to check out some of the lesser known bands coming up in the metal world. It was really cool for me as we don't often get these type of metal shows in Austin like Dallas or San Antonio do. Austin is getting better about it lately, but metal still gets put to the back burner behind indie, modern rock and other genres. I'll do my best to be part of the solution and change that.

Cannibal Corpse lead singer George Fisher

Some bands I got to see for the first time included Cannibal Corpse, All That Remains and my favorite of the day part of Mayhem Fest, Black Dahlia Murder. I got an interview with new guitarist, Ryan Knight and just launched it. Surf through my blog or check out Double Stereo to check that out.

All in all, it was one of the best memories of my summer and my life. I rocked with Slayer and can die happy now. I can't wait until next year's Mayhem Fest to see what Kevin Lyman pulls off. In case you were one of the unfortunate ones who didn't catch Mayhem this year, check out this amazing promotional montage Ajay shot and edited for Double Stereo.



Watch in high quality here on Vimeo.