By Katey Khaos

From Dayton, Ohio comes one of America’s greatest metalcore bands, The Devil Wears Prada. They’ve recently released their fourth full-length studio album, Dead Throne, which was partially recorded close by in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Before the band kicked off the overseas portion of their tour that begins in Australia, I had the chance to talk with guitarist/vocalist Mike Hranica and answer some questions sent in by Pulse readers!

The title “The Devil Wears Prada” is famous as both a novel and a movie (and, of course, a metalcore band!) ~ why did the guys choose it as their name? Hranica jokes, “We’re just massive fans of Mom-fiction-literature.”

TDWP identifies themselves as a Christian band ~ so does the fan base for TDWP differ from that of a non-religious band? Hranica doesn’t think so: “We’re very open to fans regardless of their beliefs, and that’s something we’ve been all about since we started to play bigger shows.”

While recording Dead Throne, did any of the guys in TDWP pick up any Massachusetts habits? Hranica admitted, “We did, actually! Some crazy language, that’s all I’m going to say.” That’s not the first time an out-of-state band has commented on our wicked “hahd-coah” lingo! That’s just another reason MA is awesome, right?

About a year before Dead Throne was released, TDWP released a limited edition comic/CD combo set entitled Zombie EP, which is unlike anything TDWP had done before. What were the main inspirations for the Zombie EP? “Just to have fun writing something different. It was something that would present us with a bit of challenge, but also give fans and listeners something new and fresh before we released the next full length,” says Hranica. “We thought doing a comic book as a companion to the Zombie EP was a natural and fitting idea.” Hranica later went on to say how his idea for a zombie-themed disc came after reading Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide in 2009. If you can manage to get your hands on the comic, I strongly suggest checking it out!

What does TDWP have planned for the future? Here’s some good news ~ after returning from Australia, TDWP will be tearin’ it up on stages across the U.S., including The Palladium’s on December 14th! “I’m very excited to get back onto a stage and play some shows,” Hranica admits.

Alright, Mike, last question: if your famous last words were a lyric from one of TDWP’s songs, what would it be? “Simply put, “Holdfast.”’

Don’t miss The Devil Wears Prada when they come to Worcester on December 14th, and for more information, be sure to check out www.tdwpband.com!