The Devil Wears Prada Is Eternal at Starland Ballroom

On November 3rd, 2024, The Devil Wears Prada makes their remarkable return in Sayreville's Starland Ballroom with Silent Planet, Like Moths To Flames, Seeyouspacecowboy and Greyhaven.

First band to kick off this evening was Greyhaven. Greyhaven is a four piece post-hardcore metal band from Louisvile, Kentucky. Members of the band consist of Brent Mills (Vocals), Nick Spencer (Guitar), Johnny Muench (Bass), and lastly Ethan Spray (drums). Not going to lie, I have not really heard of this band until they stepped foot on stage and has left me impressed and since their performance, they definitely gained me as a new fan. To open their set, they have opened with "In A Room Where Everything Dies" which was released back in 2022 from their album 'This Bright And Beautiful World' via Equal Vision Records. As of April this year, the band has shared with us their latest EP 'Stereo Grief' via Solid State Records which consists of singles such as "Confined Collapse", "Sick And Lavish" and many more. They really did bring the energy that the crowd needed to let out and I'm sort of surprised I did not get injured during their set due to the amount of crowd surfers that came over the barricade. If you are a fan of Dying Wish, Paleface Swiss, you are definitely in need for a treat.

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Next to take the stage was Seeyouspacecowboy and HOLY COW they were absolutely AMAZING! Seeyouspacecowboy is a hardcore band from San Diego, California and has been absolutely blowing the music scene away since 2016. Members of the band consist of Connie Sgarbossa (vocals), Ethan Sgarbossa (guitars), Taylor Allen (bass), Timmy Moreno (guitars), AJ Tartol (drums). Fans immediately went feral once Connie went on stage and her vocals were absolutely stunning. This was my first time ever seeing the band perform live and seeing how much love everybody has for them is truly heart warming.

So many fans in the crowd have told me how much Connie has inspired them and how much of an impact she has made on people in the LGBTQ community and so many people in the crowd wouldn't be who they are today if it wasn't for a metal queen like her. The band kicked off their performance with "Disdain Coupled With a Wide Smile" from their album 'The Correlation Between Entrance And Exit Wounds' via Epitaph and Pure Noise Records. I have not seen so many crowd surfers in such a smaller venue and remember when I said about Greyhaven how I was surprised I didn't get hurt? Well... unfortunately I ended up getting hurt. A crowd surfer came and since there were so many of us in the photo pit in such a cramped space, I got hit in the head once again but honestly I'm so used to it at this point so nothing phases me. After the first three songs, I decided to go into the crowd with my camera to get some crowd shots. This was around the time when the band was about to play "I Am a Trans-Continental Railroad, Please Run a Train on Me", Connie dedicated this song to those in the LGBTQ community, including herself and this was the most chaotic pit I've ever placed myself in. It sort of seemed like I was trying to fight for my life in there because of all the chaotic movement that was taking place.

Overall, it was the most energy I've seen in a pit in a while. To close off the night, they closed their set with "Chewing The Scenery" and Connie jumped onto the barricade and handed people in the crowd her microphone and she kept going from two stepping on the stage to letting the crowd surfers take the microphone. At the end of the song, Connie and the rest of the band called for a wall of death and told everyone to move. Luckily for me, I found a spot in the pit where I did not have to worry about getting kicked in the head.. again. If you have yet to check this band out, please do. If you are a fan of hard-core bands or early 2000's emo punk bands, you would love them.

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Next up was Like Moths To Flames. Like Moths To Flames is a metalcore band from Columbus, Ohio that was founded in 2010 by lead vocalist Chris Roetter. The rest of the band currently consists of Zach Pishney on lead guitars, Cody Cavanaugh on rhythm guitars and Roman Garcia on drums. The band has been signed with UNFD since 2018 and have toured with bands such as Crown The Empire, Currents and The Color Morale. The band released their sixth studio album “The Cycles of Trying to Cope” back in May and it's been a smash hit with their fanbase and now it's reaching new heights on this tour.

Like Moths To Flames channeled their heaviest traits with “Over The Garden Wall” from their most recent album. Roetter’s fry screams are killer live as he can hit high screams with ease. The guitar riffs in this track show off the talents from Cavanaugh and Pishney. The breakdown followed with fast creative riffs had the crowd moving. Like Moths To Flames is more known for their heaviness, but Roetter asked the crowd if they wanted something a little lighter. After a unanimous cheer from the crowd they played the lead single from their recent album “Kintsugi”. This track shows off the other half of Roetter’s vocal talents as he nailed his cleans on each chorus. The crowd loved it as they crowd surfed like crazy. Like Moths To Flames ended their set with “Bury Your Pain”. Their usually closing song because it gets the crowd amped up. The crowd screamed the lyrics to the last breakdown and people were flailing their bodies around the pit like pinballs. Like Moths To Flames set the stage for the show's direct support where things get turned up a notch.

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Taking the stage next was Silent Planet. Silent Planet formed in 2009 in Azusa, California by lead vocalist Garrett Russell. Silent Planet also consists of Mitchell Stark on guitar, Alex Pocock on bass and Nick Camarena on drums. Silent Planet specializes in metalcore with some progressive tossed in. Silent Planet is signed to Solid State Records and has toured with bands such as Dayseeker, Motionless In White and The Plot On You. Silent Planet writes their music around a multitude of present day social issues which inspires the listener to be more open to ideas around them. Silent Planet released their latest record in November of 2023 called “Superbloom”. They would play a plethora of songs from that record such as “Collider”. Russell showed off his ability to transition from cleans to screams on this track as the verses are packed with low brutal screams, but they lead into a smooth chorus that had people crowd surfing up hoping to scream the lyrics back at the band. Stark showed off his skills on a more than unique breakdown that had a progressive metalcore sound to it.

Caramena put his skills to the test all night slamming the kick pedals and lightning speed. The band fed off the energy of the crowd and they took full advantage of the moment. The crowd did multiple walls of death along with dozens of other antics in the pit. It was a blast for everyone involved and they didn't want their set to end, Silent Planet closed off their set with fan favorite song “Trilogy”. The crowd went insane as they started a circle pit when Russell unleashed the opening scream. Towards the last verse Russell hopped off the stage and jumped into the crowd. Dozens of fans crowd surfed towards in an attempt to sing into the microphone. Russell graciously let the fans sing their heart and souls out. That heat was turned up to the max, but it was about to get even crazier when the headliners would take the stage.

SILENT PLANET | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE

It was finally time for the headliners of the tour. The Devil Wears Prada was set to take the stage. The Devil Wears Prada is a metalcore band originating in Dayton, Ohio and are currently signed to Solid State Records. The band currently consist of vocalist Mike Hranica, clean vocalist and guitarist Jeremy DePoyester, guitarist Kyle Sipress, Jonathan Gangering on keyboards, bassist Mason Nagy and drummer Giuseppe Capolupo. The band has toured with bands such as Killswitch Engage, Beartooth and Fit For A King over the years with multiple appearances on warped tours. The Devil Wears Prada specializes in metalcore and in their early days Christian metal. The band has strayed away from their Christian metal roots over the years. The band has released eight studio albums with their most recent being “Color Decay” released on September 16th, 2022. This album was a smash hit even though it had a different sound. They turned their pure abrasive booming metalcore into a more melodic emotional metalcore sound while keeping elements from their roots. This revolution in identity shot them into new heights as they have grown in popularity and personally.

The lights went out and a giant light up version of the band's logo lit up. The band took the stage one by one with DePoyester jogging on stage pumping his fists in jubilation while doing a little dance. The opening riff to “Mammoth” rang through the venue as Hranica was last to take the stage. Hranica and the crowd screamed “I WON'T,LET THIS RUIN ME” and smoke blew from the fog machines as the song chugged along. Capolupo nailed the pedals and the flashing white lights kept up with his speed. The pit blew open and bodies were flying around. Fans chanted “PRA-DA” as they were dying for more. After some brutally heavy songs they slowed the pace down with songs “Salt” and “Broken” both off of Color Decay. This song hit everyone in the feels as it talked about coming to terms with the struggle of mental health and addiction. DePoyster asked for crowd surfers and the crowd did not disappoint. People kept flying into the air giving security a workout. It was pure chaos all around and the band and crowd were living in the moment.

Things got even crazier when Hranica told the crowd that he wanted the pit to look like a Devils game. Hranica is a big hockey fan as he was paying homage to the local pro team the New Jersey Devils and their history of being rough and tough on the ice. Prada took a break to have the fan vote for the next song. They said they couldn't figure out a way to do a vote online so they did the old fashioned way of who screamed louder. The first option was “Reptar King of the Ozone” and the other was “HTML Rulez D00d”. Both songs are from their 2007 breakthrough album “Plagues” which they played in full at this years When We Were Young Fest. People screamed equally to both songs. The band had to redo the vote two more times and Reptar King of the Ozone won the battle and chaos soon followed. A brutally heavy classic from the band had fans losing their minds. It was time again for them to slow it down. Next up was “Cancer”, a song that captivated the crowd emotionally. A tear jerking moment that had hundreds of people singing along. A beautiful moment that shows the beauty in unison of live music. It was about time for a wall of death. The whole band called for one at the breakdown of “Sacrifice”. Hranica unleashed the callout and Sipress, DePoyster and Nagy smashed away on the breakdown. A slow chugging breakdown accompanied by Capolupo smashing the snare to the beat. The room was split and in the blink of an eye the two sides converged on each other. A classic wall of death executed to perfection. The band walked off stage, but no one was fooled as they knew it was time for the encore. Prada played “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over” from their debut 2006 album “Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord”. This song has a unique breakdown because Gangering on the keyboards were also a part of it. Not very often you hear keyboards be an integral part of a breakdown.

The band gave the crowd one more song and asked for everything they had. Also off of plagues was their usual closing song “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?”. A song that is so heavy the pit looked like a warzone.It was pure chaos in the pit. If anyone had a college degree it was clearly crumpled up and tossed in the garbage. Those people were going to be feeling it in the morning, but that's what makes a The Devil Wears Prada show so special. A devoted fan base living in the moment and going insane to an incredible live band.

The band walked off stage and that was another installment of The Devil Wears Prada Is Eternal tour. As of now Prada will headline a European tour in the Spring of 2025 followed by multiple festival appearances. Fans eagerly await the drop of new music and tours from the household name of the metalcore scene.