Band Interview: The Devil Wears Prada

Metalcore heavyweight crew, The Devil Wears Prada are back with a brand new EP entitled ‘ZII’. Due to be released on May 21st via Solid State Records, ZII represents the next chapter of The Devil Wears Prada.

Fans will be able to see/hear the new songs performed live for the first time at the band’s forthcoming live stream event, which takes place on May 15th (2PM PT/9PM GMT). You can pick up tickets here.

Ahead of the live-stream, Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life had the pleasure of chatting with Jeremy DePoyster (rhythm guitar, vocals) of The Devil Wears Prada. Chowing down on ZII, the livestream and zombie apocalypses in general!

Hi this is Jeremy with The Devil Wears Prada, thanks for having us!

1. Considering the beloved nature of the Zombie EP and the growth of TDWP since it’s release, was there any trepidation about revisiting that period musically?

Certainly! We know what a cult status the EP holds with our fans, and the way it goes off live, and we actually started working on a sequel before writing The Act but the songs then just didn’t feel up to the task. When Kyle and Jon revisited this time, the songs were at a totally new point. The way they were able to marry the dissonant riffs and chugs that you need from a Zombie EP with some future synth beds was perfect, and it felt like the time was right!

2. Was it easy to turn that part of your brain back on? To focus mainly on delivering unbridled heaviness but still being TDWP?

I think we gave ourselves total freedom with The Act to do whatever we wanted in that moment, sort of a “why not?” moment after our previous few releases. The songs and sounds that came out of that process really felt like we had found our footing as a group, but while The Thread and Numb started to hint at the aggression, the riffs that Kyle delivered on this EP just took it to a totally new high. We’re constantly trying to pin the tail on the sonic donkey, so-to-speak, and I think the six of us feel really empowered coming out of this new EP to hone in on the heavy goodness.

3. Would you call this the start of the next chapter for TDWP? Kind of like how Zombie was back in 2010 leading into Dead Throne?

Absolutely in every single way. Where 2019 may have felt a bit tired, like we’d been doing it for 15 years, 2021 feels brand new. I can feel the energy around not only us, but our peers, and all of the groups that were putting out huge releases in that time period are doing the same now. ZII is only the beginning for us, and you can count on seeing a non stop barrage of music coming from us heading forward. We feel like we’ve just hit our stride and are ready to start delivering.

4. What is about zombie apocalypse scenarios that you like so much?

I think something like 18 million people watched one of the Walking Dead finales, so we’re certainly not alone in that, but there’s something about how the playground that a distinct theme offers Mike lyrically and the rest of us musically really lets the exploration push things further than we normally would. And the bleakness and hopelessness lends itself well to the emotional nature of a lot of our songs, and the aggression just plays so well in a live show.

5. How are you feeling about the upcoming livestream and are you mentally prepared for the experience of performing for fans around the world on screens rather than them being right in front of you?

We are absolutely enthusiastic about the stream. The last two streams we did were a bit conservative, as we were unsure about how many fans would tune in and how much we felt like spending in an experimental environment, but it was a huge hit and a lot of fun. This time we’re cranking it up to 11, bringing in our live lighting guy with a huge show, the guy who mixed the record to make sure it sounds amazing, we’re just thrilled to play a show even if it is a virtual one! And the bonus is that it allows those who can’t make it out to a show to get to come anyway!

6. Aside from ZII in full, what else can fans expect from the livestream? Are you planning to dig deep into your catalogue and can we expect some surprises?

We are throwing in some other fan favorites (no spoilers!) to really ramp it up into the EP, but ZII is definitely the focal point. The feeling of playing together in a room is just so magical that we could play anything and have a blast, but I think we’ve chosen a wide variety of songs to lead into the apocalyptic fun that closes it out.

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