From getting signed right out of high school to becoming one of metal core’s most enduring bands, the frontman speaks candidly about the evolution of the band.
Fresh off the release of the EP a decade in the making with ZII, Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada checked in for a thorough conversation on the Talk Toomey podcast.
Trekking back to the earliest days of the band, Hranica revisited what it was like to sign to Rise Records despite being fresh out of high school. The band’s meteoric ascension while still being so young, created a hell of a learning curve that came at the band quickly and required they grow faster than most artists.
Hranica also spoke candidly about the various stages of the band’s aesthetic, including the days of especially bright t-shirts and the decision to tackle Big Tymers’ anthem “Still Fly” for the infamous ‘Punk Goes Crunk’ compilation. In fact, Hranica even shared that rest of the band wanted to cover “Party Like A Rockstar” from Shop Boyz, but insisted on sticking with the NOLA legends.
Really digging into the band’s discography, Hranica again spoke frankly about how his voice has evolved throughout the band’s tenure and spoke about how their 2019 full length in ‘The Act’ is something he is particularly proud of – both he and Toomey agreed that the album has the complete listen quality that few albums ever achieve.
The frontman also talked about what touring was like prior to the pandemic and the kind of momentum that was swelling before the world was forced to hit the pause button. That segued into a discussion about how the band still managed to be productive despite such extraordinary circumstances, writing their entire ZII EP remotely – sending song ideas and recorded portions via email.
The conversation offers some real insight into one of metalcore’s most enduring outfits and underscores why Hranica remains such a fixture within the universe of heavy music. And naturally, there was some hockey talk from the obvious fanatic.
Stream the latest episode of the Talk Toomey Podcast featuring Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada below.
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