With Roots Above And Branches Below

Description

If you didn't have Christian metalcore at the top of the charts in 2009, you could be forgiven... but it gives you an idea of the impatience with which With Roots Above and Branches Below was awaited, and how well it delivered. The Dayton band, The Devil Wears Prada, had built an audience by performing (notably on the 2008 and 2009 Warped tours) and airing videos on MTV, but this release exceeded everyone's expectations, reaching #11 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Top Independent Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, and Top Christian Albums charts. The key was, in the words of singer Daniel Hranica, their sound being "darker, heavier, and more epic," as crazy verses alternate with anthemic choruses to create a disorienting record. Add to that the unsettling album cover by renowned heavy metal artist Daniel Seagrave, and With Roots Above and Branches Below lives up to its title, where the top is at the bottom and the bottom is at the top.