Review Summary: Plagues may not be anything special in the endless world of music, but stands out from many other metalcore albums. At the time of it's release, Plagues was somewhat original in its own way. It offers more flare than a good portion of most other metalcore
Metalcore may just be one of the most generic music genres that exists. It's the same ideas used over and over. Breakdowns, riffs, harmonies and lyric topics just seem to be recycled by one band after the other. There are very few artists in this genre that try to mix things up. That being said, this album in no way was an attempt by The Devil Wears Prada to make a one of a kind, completely unique recording, yet there's underlying talent behind the band as a whole that makes Plagues an exceptional metalcore release. Let's start with Mike Hranica, the lead vocalist. His screams are very distinct and he has plenty of range. Guitarist and cleans vocalist Jeremy DePoyster is another highlight of the band. His vocal work is outstanding on every song, but his true singing talent shines in Html Rulez D00d. The guitar and bass work by DePoyster, Chris Ruby, and bassist Andy Trick is nothing special, but they still deliver exceptional riffs and such. As for drummer Daniel Williams, he may just have some of the best drum work in this genre. Lastly we have keys and synth, a must-have in metalcore. James Baney does a good job with augmenting each song with piano and synthesizer without transforming them into techno madness. It’s balanced quite well.
Plagues features ten songs, and not one song in particular is spectacular. The catch here is some small fragments of each song. Take the opening song Goats on a Boat for example. The song is fairly boring except for a few parts such as the breakdown, which offers some handy bass and guitar work making it very well executed. The next song: Number Three, Never Forget is one of the least favorable songs on this album. The intro and outro are very similarly structured and have top notch cleans, but the entire middle section of the song is mediocre. The songs This Song is Called, You Can’t Spell Crap without “C”, Nickels is Money Too, and The Scorpion Deathlock are just the same.They have exceptional instrumental work and vocals with a few standout points in each song, but are simply average. What really gives these songs a kick is the constant change in sound. The Devil Wears Prada keeps things interesting by changing riffs and melodies throughout the song. One fraction of a song may be bland while another fragment may be borderline technical guitar work and mesmerizing synth. Overall, each song has at least one element that makes it enjoyable and different. Plagues definitely deserves recognition apart from being mixed in with the disappointments metalcore acts spit out.
Top tracks: Hey John, what's your Name again?, Don’t Dink and Drance, Html Rulez D00d, Reptar, King of the Ozone
