This Sunday, October 18, the Americans from The Devil Wears Prada came to defend their latest album Flowers before a feverishly excited crowd at The Elysée Montmartre.
Oversize
It begins in front of a still somewhat sparse crowd with OVERSIZE. The British quintet moves in a register flirting between alternative metal and nu gaze, and unfolds a rich and captivating sonic identity.
The set achieves a perfect balance between the players and the singing: the saturated, massive riffs wrap around, never overpowering, a vocal performance intimate and emotionally charged. Clearly touched by the warm reception from the early arrivals, the frontman took the time to thank the crowd several times. A nuanced and intense opening that certainly deserved a denser audience.
156/Silence
A shift in mood for the second supporting act. The relative calm of the intermission gives way to a veritable shockwave with the arrival of the Americans from 156/SILENCE.
Driven by the energy of vocalist Jack Murray, the combo delivers a set of unfaltering brutality. The ravaging screams and the hammering of the double bass trigger the first pogos of the night. The singer chants an “I need bodies!” to ignite the pit. If the density of the compositions makes the hooks a bit challenging for newcomers, the crowd is present and particularly receptive to this burst of energy.
The Devil Wears Prada
Now for the headlining band. It opens with the track “Where The Flowers Never Grow” by The Devil Wears Prada, greeted by the audience and welcomed with a bouquet of flowers at the front row, mirroring the Flowers Tour.
It must be said that the band’s latest album easily passes the live test, with the new tracks working brilliantly on stage (“So Low”, “Everybody Knows”, “For You”).
The band deftly alternates new tracks with older, louder scorchers, such as “Danger: Wildman” or “Outnumbered,” which reignite the pogos in the pit. The album Color Decay is also represented (“Salt”, “Watchtower”). On the more melancholic “Broken,” vocalist Jeremy DePoyster invites the crowd to crowd-surf to carry this emotional pause.
A short instrumental interlude led by Jonathan Gering on keyboards highlights the rhythm section before the iconic “Ritual” erupts in all its power. Placed strategically in the middle of the set, it restarts the show exactly when needed.
The setlist then continues to dip into older tracks, and it is during these moments that the drummer Giuseppe Capolupo‘s double kick proves ruthlessly effective. The twenty-year-old “Dez Moines” hasn’t aged a day. Then, “Sacrifice” closes the main set with a glorious wall of death.
Côté mise en scène, pas d’artifices : un light show efficace et un écran circulaire en fond de scène qui diffuse le logo du groupe à travers différents visuels. Une scénographie sobre, qui repose les yeux face à certaines superproductions du metal moderne. Car l’essentiel est ailleurs, dans la prestance partagée des deux chanteurs. Mike Hranica s’occupe des screams, et Jeremy DePoyster des refrains en voix claire, à la guitare rythmique. Leur interaction construit toute la sonorité du groupe, et l’alchimie qui en résulte fonctionne aussi bien sur scène qu’en studio.
Pour le rappel, quoi de mieux que le provocateur “Play The Old Shit”, accompagné du sample d’intro : “ils ne jouent jamais les vieux sons.” Les fans de la première heure seront servis, la soirée se termine sur le plus énervé “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?” pour satisfaire les puristes.
The Devil Wears Prada proves that it has not forgotten its roots, delivering a metalcore that embraces all of its heritage. Between convincing new material, brutal classics, and on-stage chemistry, the band delivers a balanced, generous, and flawless show.
