The Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica Discusses ‘8:18′ Album, Touring + More

Mike Hranica of the metalcore outfit The Devil Wears Prada was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show over the weekend. The frontman discussed the band’s new album, ‘8:18,’ their upcoming tour plans and the evolution of their group. If you missed Full Metal Jackie’s show, check out her full interview with Mike Hranica below:

It's Full Metal Jackie bringing you two full hours of metal each and every week. On the show with us this week is The Devil Wears Prada singer Mike Hranica. Mike, how are you?

I'm great!

Thanks for being on the show; we're here to talk about the new album '8:18' out in stores now. The 8:18 tour will be getting underway Nov. 2 running through Dec. 20. Overall, Mike, '8:18' presents a heightened sense of sadness and misery. When that's the goal, is there a danger of becoming immersed with those emotions beyond the recording studio?

I think the reasons that those emotions are, I don't know, within existence in the first place is because they are here outside of the recording studio, which might sound really pathetic and melodramatic, but yeah, I mean like I choose to write I guess sadder things because they are prevalent in my life and I think it's worth reflecting over and I think it's very immediate, and I think it makes for good, a good creative product as far as writing or music.

Mike, the band's collective faith is a key aspect of what you're all about. What is it about faith that makes it such a powerful creative tool, and how did you best use it to make this album?

I don't know if I would categorize it (faith) as a creative tool. Faith has always been very important for our band, simply and I think that if you believe in something enough the discipleship should be a factor within that belief. Umm, we chose our faith and why it is involved in our music. And, I also think faith is very important in doing a really good thing as far as keeping us all together and trying to keep us all on the same page, because it is difficult spending a lot of time around the same people a lot of the year and being so involved not just professionally but so personally as well. Faith has been a wonderful component for just within those matters as far as doing our best to get along and again being on the same page and trying to spread something that we believe to be so good.

Mike, compared to the rest of your catalog, this album will sound a bit different. There's such a fine line between establishing a familiar style than diverting from it. What excites you most about this new album '8:18' and what scares you about it?

I mean, I'm excited simply in the relevance of a new piece of a new record and new song and getting to express something, which is obviously the fundamental behind making something like this, but I mean as far as fear I guess the vulnerability which I guess is also, I don't know, something that is going to happen, something inevitable with expressing something. I mean it's ours, the EP and the live DVD/CD so, umm, a lot of that fear is beginning to become more suffocated I think and I've become more comfortable with coming up with '8:18' and the fact that it has been reflected as different and a contrast within our band's music.

I don't know, I think that we've come along far enough to where I don't have to fear what people think because I know what I think and I don't know, I think that criticism is sort of factored into a very particular place within myself as far as I've come to more of an understanding that not everyone is ever going to understand everything and particularly what I create and what I have to say and with that in mind, the criticism and the vulnerability and the fact that the songs sound a little bit different or the record as a whole sounds a bit different, it's all just a piece of the equation -- just a sort of consequence I guess.

Since the band started in 2005, on stage or off, how have you changed more?

Onstage I think it's definitely a bit different. I think different songs require a different action and a different motion and energy as far as how they are, how they are reflected live and I think that evolved and changed. And, it's also a direct product of whatever is most inspiring to me at the time music I am enjoying and watching. Offstage, I think I say this often and I hate to be so monotonous with it, to me I see my career within this band, not so much the, as the, horribly thread bare statement that everyone says oh it's more mature, it's more mature.

I don’t, while I think that is applicable to The Devil Wears Prada, I see the motion and the growth of this band more in us maturing. So, with that in mind I think that offstage is very very important in simply that I was 16 when I joined this band and I'm 24 now. That evolution of a person growing up, and that, I mean that's not specific to me it's a teenager growing into a young adult. I guess it's a little bit of a difference with me compared to a normal person would be a lot of travel, but um yeah otherwise I think it's been a very drastic change offstage growing into more of an adult and I think that's strength pairing with leadership, but I might be too close and too subjective to accurately describe that.

Mike, good luck on the tour the 8:18 tour that gets underway Nov. 2 goes through Dec. 20. Tell us about the other bands on the bill.

Let's see, The Ghost Inside is direct support, which we're excited about. I heard the band a few years ago and I thought they did a really good job encompassing what I would call a mesh between misery signals and bury your dead. So it's real bouncy, real heavy and a notable melodic influence as well. Their direct support, we've toured with them in Australia and around Europe a little bit but it's our first time in North America with them, so we are very enthusiastic about that. They are cool dudes and good band.

Best of luck and congrats on the new album '8:18' out now. See The Devil Wears Prada on the 8:18 tour starting Nov. 2nd. Mike thanks again for being on the show. Appreciate it.

Yeah, absolutely, thank you for having me.

This coming weekend, Full Metal Jackie will welcome Michael Poulsen and Rob Caggiano of Volbeat to her show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country -- for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com.