Almost 20 years after the original hit, The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiered in theaters on April 30th, and the highly anticipated sequel has once again put the film among the most talked-about topics on the internet. Many people have returned to researching the fashion world commanded by Miranda Priestly and narrated by journalist Andy.
But there's another phenomenon linked to the title that spans generations and makes a lot of noise: the band The Devil Wears Prada, one of the most interesting in modern metalcore.
The group emerged in 2005, a year before the premiere of the film starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. The name was inspired by the book written by Lauren Weisberger, released in 2003. Despite the reference to fashion culture, the band's intention was never to glamorize brands or luxury.
In interviews, vocalist Mike Hranica explained that the name carries an anti-materialistic message. The central idea was to show that, at the end of life, money, expensive clothes, and status will not matter.
“It’s this idea of not being too materialistic and just embracing it. We didn’t want anything too serious, just something fun and clever, and that’s how it came about. And when we chose the name, we weren’t planning on signing with a record label or anything like that. We never thought about it. If we had known we were going to release albums and tour the world, we probably would have thought more about it… so we ended up with a silly romantic movie name, but now it’s too late to change it,” Hranica said in an interview with Marquee Magazine.
Another fact that might impress those hearing The Devil Wears Prada's heavy sound for the first time, and which makes sense given the band's name, is that all the members are devout Christians. “You know, it’s important and it’s the foundation of the band. We’re not ashamed to call ourselves a Christian band. We feel that God put us in these circumstances for a reason, and we think that reason is to talk about it and mention it in the lyrics and at the shows. So, definitely, it’s a very important part, but it’s not like we can’t be around other people or that we’re extremist fundamentalists or anything like that. We’re not the first band to talk about God at our shows […] I think a lot of people outside imagine it’s crazy, but it’s not,” said Hranica.
Two decades later, The Devil Wears Prada has survived the changes in metalcore and remains relevant within the heavy scene. The band has gone through the emo, melodic deathcore, and genre modernization phases without disappearing. In recent years, they have earned praise for the album Color Decay (2022), considered one of the most mature works of their career.
READ ALSO: Daniel Williams, former drummer of The Devil Wears Prada, dies in plane crash.
