8:18

The contrast between human suffering and revealed glory lies at the heart of The Devil Wears Prada’s fifth album. Taking inspiration from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, *8:18* is a dense, unrelenting work that contrasts matching melodic flights with searing metalcore passages that rank among the Dayton, Ohio–based Christian band’s heaviest work. The two-pronged attack of Mike Hranica’s harsh screams and Jeremy DePoyster’s radiant, clean vocals has a bracing effect, enhanced by the atmospheric keyboard work of new recruit Jonathan Gering. The band’s close attention to craft and dynamics gives these convulsive, self-lacerating songs a resonance that goes beyond their visceral impact. As tracks like “Sailor’s Prayer,” “Number Eleven,\" and “In Heart” make clear, TDWP continue to uphold the metal virtues of shredding guitars, slamming beats, and spine-cracking breakdowns. There\'s also an industrial influence, heard most distinctly in the robotic thrum of “Care More.” Pop-tinged songs like “War” provide relief from the bruising sonics of “Black & Blue” and “Home for Grave.

The biblical verse "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" inspired the album title of the Devil Wears Prada's 8:18, and in that spirit, the lyrical content onboard is filled with hope, even though it comes from a very bleak place.

As far as metalcore goes, The Devil Wears Prada always got the nuances and specifics right. A healthy balance of clean and screamed vocals, heavy and melodic riffs, and rhythms to breakdowns have always been a part of their writing. I feel that lately, metalcore is starting to drift from fast and br