ALBUM REVIEW: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - FLOWERS

Formed in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, The Devil Wears Prada - vocalist Mike Hranica, guitarists Jeremy DePoyster and Kyle Sipress, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Gering, and drummer Giuseppe Capolupo - have grown into one of metalcore’s most enduring and innovative forces.

Nearly two decades after their debut album, Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord (2006), the metalcore veterans return and continue to push the boundaries of post-hardcore and metalcore with their ninth studio album Flowers, constantly evolving their sound while staying true to the intensity that made them stand out.

The new record finds the band wrestling with dualities: heaviness and melody, angst and acceptance, grief and growth. According to DePoyster, the album is about “the highs, the lows, a reckoning with what it means to be human catapulting through the chaos that life throws at us continually.”

‘That Same Place’ and ‘Where The Flowers Never Grow’ is a compelling two-part opener that immediately sets the tone of inner-darkness and introspection. The transition from the first track to the next is beautifully executed, with the second part being fast and explosive, really diving the listener into what TDWP do best: intensity and emotion.

‘Everybody Knows’, one of the album’s singles, is extremely catchy. The band are evolving, mixing in more melody, more clean vocals, more space in their arrangements, showing they don’t just want to repeat past formulas.

‘So Low’ comes next: here the band is leaning further into melody without losing their emotional intensity. Mike Hranica’s screams and Jeremy DePoyster’s clean vocals create a clear balance between heaviness and accessibility.

The following track ‘For You’ is a somewhat softer, emotional track, showing the band’s willingness to lean into melody and vulnerability. Meanwhile ‘All Out’ is most definitely a return to the heavier side of the band: fast riffs, pounding drums, vocal intensity from Hranica, a most definitely welcome anchor for longtime fans.

Musically, the record leans heavily into hooks and clean vocals – DePoyster plays a more dominant role than on many prior releases, while frontman Mike Hranica’s harsher vocals still appear but somewhat more sparingly than previous material from the band. Synths, atmosphere and a broad palette show up alongside classic breakdowns and metalcore riffing. Some tracks push nearly into pop-rock or synth-metal territory (‘Ritual’, ‘The Silence’), whereas others recall the band’s heavier roots, such as ‘All Out’ and ‘Eyes’.

‘Cure Me’ is the emotional gut punch: vulnerable, heavy, and unforgettable. ‘Wave’ is softer compared to the others, but just as affecting. Introspective in a way the band doesn’t always allow themselves to be, it feels like a quiet moment that still carries real weight.

The album closes with ‘My Paradise’, a warm, surprisingly hopeful, and just a little nostalgic closer. It's still raw, heavy at times and emotional - this is TDWP after all - but there’s an almost nostalgic undercurrent in the melody and chord choices.

Flowers shows a band unafraid to evolve and to place emotional authenticity at the heart of their songwriting. Across these 14 tracks, The Devil Wears Prada balance introspection and aggression with a maturity that shows how far they’ve evolved without abandoning the raw emotional core that made them compelling in the first place. The result is a body of work that feels honest and deeply human, proof that TDWP remain one of the most emotionally resonant bands in modern heavy music.