Review Summary: The Album shows refinement and advancement from Plagues. The guitar work is tighter, and drums are awe inspiring. The Synth work is also a nice addition to the band's work. Altoghter a tight album
The Devil Wears Prada when people say these words 2 completely opposite things come to mind. To chick flick goers the movie based on by the book comes to mind. But the TDWP were talking about now is the one Scene, and metal heads come to thing of . The Devil Wears Prada released 2 cd before " With Roots..." Their debut Dear Love a beautiful discord was an album that got them some ground in the metalcore genre but it would be Plagues their sophomore album that would gain them their mainstream success. It included brutal vocals mixed in with beautifly clean vocals , Plagues showed refinement from Dear Love. Their 3rd release showed not only refinement but advancement. The Vocals are even more emense and the clean vocals are even more hypnotizing the guitars tighter and drums can blow anyone's mind away. The by Track review is :
Sassafras: " This is the faith this is the faith complex" which opens the album with a assault of spine chilling Screams from Mike, guitars, and drums. The songs gives you a sample of what this album is all about : none stop assault of aggressive music. 9/10
I Hate Buffering: Rawr! screams Mike and the song is off the synth work in this album is awesome and the drums are awe inspiring. And no one can resist Jeremy's enchanting vocals which manage to bind your ears to the music. 9/10
Assitant To The Regional Manager: An epic guitar riff opens this song and Mike's vocals glide on this until unlike the last 2 songs Jeremy sings his part early on in the song but are still just as enchanting. Mike then takes the control of the microphone and continues his assault as he howls " Assembly : Disintergration" then in the middle of the dark and damp arises probably the best guitar riff played in the album, maybe their music carrers. Mr. Hranica finishes the songs with a brutal closing. 10/10
Dez Moines: The First song released on their myspace gives high hopes to the album. The begining is a ping-pong between screaming and singing the best chorus of the album is showcased the song continues with some good guitar work and synth work and the song comes to what you think is the end when the chorus again lashes out at you. 10/10
Big Wiggly Style: The opener of this song is immense and then both Mike and Jeremy join force to sing/scream a hypnotizing chorus Mike continues the song until and epic guitar solo begins which shows even though Chris Rubey does have the voice of DePoyster he still owns on guitar the sing/scream chorus comes and gives and epic ending to the song. 10/10
Danger : Wildman: " I Know a Ghost!" Mike screams and then the songs continues to bash at you and then DePoyster sings a very beautiful chorus. A highlight of this song is of Our Last Night's Trevor Wentworth lending his vocals in which him and Mike go to close the song 10/10
Ben Has A Kid: DePoyster's Chorus on this song is very good the song also includes a very well played guitar riff that leads up the chorus. 9/10
Wapaklypse: I remeber watching an interview were they asked Mike Hranica of some of the topics written about in this album and he answered one song is about politics and this is that song. The songs has a crushing opener and magnificant choruses and again a very tight guitar riff.
Gimme Half & Louder Than Thounder: Both come together to form a couplet that mirror each other in every way. Gimme Half opens with a nice piano entry but then the song adds crushing guitar work The song is mostly dominated by screamed vocals until the climatic end where Jeremy's vocals are added. 10/10, Louder Than Thounder opens again with a piano entry but the songs remains quite as it is comprised completely of Jeremy's soft singing as he questions " What would it take for things to be quite" a beautiful ballad that none can deny 10/10
Lord Xenu: Jeremy's pleads for things to be quite are disregarded with the album's closer which is a brain bashing song full of energy that let's you know that the band is not gonna let your ears go until the very last note. As the ending of the song is at the horizon Mike screams " False Statements fall to the feet of dead gods" is repeated over and over again until the end and then the song drifts away.
Well With Roots Above and Branches Below shows that the band have progressed as songwriters. With such crazy names like sassafras, that sounds like something Dr. Seuss would have wrote, and references to the office, scientolgy and their road crew it makes you wonder what the message these songs convey , but hey even with crazy names the album is a strong ballad and makes you eager for what The Prada got's in store next time around.
