THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Mixdown Magazine

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

ONLINE EDIT.jpg

On ­first listen, Space EP felt a bit softer than the last few releases by the band. Was this intentional when writing the record or was it more organic?
We have always tried to work very naturally. When we did With Roots Above and Branches Below and the Zombie EP, it was very intentional to make those albums heavy. These days, when we are writing together, we can identify when we need to make a part heavier instead of forcing it. So, I guess with ageing it is a little bit of an organic and natural kind of process. I wouldn’t say our in­fluences are exactly soft, but I feel like we were starting to draw more from rock and post hardcore songs for inspiration in certain ways. We never really go about writing a song based on what is expected of us, or what kind of obligation is to be met. You can all tell what Space was born out of. When we did South Of The City EP, the songs felt very true, and I think there were some aspects that carried over to the Space EP.

 

I’ve heard that you felt like Zombie was the turning point for the band in terms of genre, with the EP drawing the band away from the ‘metalcore’ genre. Do you feel that Space is perhaps another turning point in the bands’ future writing direction?
I think that our writing process is definitely different, and this creates a different product. I think that the Space EP is a totally unique project to anything else we’ve released. The heavy side of things were pretty unexplored in the Space EP. We concentrated on the bounciness, which always comes down to tempos and rhythms, and that’s a big sort of underline from the present aspects in songs such as ‘Supernova’. I can definitely see us getting thrashier, much thrashier than what is apparent in the Space EP, especially after touring with Slayer again given the in­fluence that that had on Kyle. The fact that his influences are a little different from what our last guitarist Chris’s were, I think that future releases are going to be a different product, and that prospect is very exciting. I wouldn’t say that Space is where things are going to go by all means. I think vocally it becomes pretty close, but we will see. We are looking to start on our next full length in the coming months, so I don’t know, I guess it’s a mystery to us too.

 

How do you view your evolution as a writer from, say, Plagues to the Space EP?
I think everything is different. Especially Dead Throne, which was two full lengths after Plagues, I really wanted to honour the fact that everything I wrote lyrically could be a piece on its own. Looking at Plagues, there were songs on there that were totally hit or miss rather than a song being its own, which I think 8:18 is comprised of. I think that was a big part of me evolving personally.

 

There is no denying that you are one of the most iconic front men in the modern metal scene. How do you preserve you vocal cords to continue to have such a commanding roar 10 years on?
I have had really big ups and downs. Funnily enough, my biggest struggle is that when I start a tour I have to get broken in and no matter what I do, no matter how long or how short the set is, it takes me a good week, week and a half to get broken in. Otherwise I’m pretty good. I try and take care of myself, I try not to push my drinking too much. I quit smoking almost a year ago, which I am definitely proud of. I think that has helped, not for just my general lung capacity, but for my vocal chords as well. I feel good. I think I’m more fatigued in other areas by all means. When I finished the summer tour we did last year, I came back and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which basically means that my thyroid doesn’t create enough of this hormone, which causes a lot of fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety in my body on a chemical basis. Those factors have gotten to me more than my voice wearing out.

 

 

Space EP is out now via Warner Music. For more information, click here.