The Devil Wears Prada - 8:18 [Blue]

Bleak, cathartic and crushingly heavy, 8:18 is The Devil Wears Prada at their darkest, and this blue vinyl pressing in a gatefold jacket gives the 2013 album a bold new look.

Named for Romans 8:18, a verse about present suffering weighed against glory to come, the Dayton band's fifth studio album was the first made without founding keyboardist James Baney and the last with guitarist Chris Rubey and drummer Daniel Williams. Matt Goldman and Adam Dutkiewicz produced, and the slimmer lineup pushed the music toward a rawer, more guitar-driven sound than the synth-laced records before it.

"Gloom" opens the record with a punishing, doom-laden crawl, "First Sight" pairs crushing riffs with Jeremy DePoyster's soaring clean vocals, and "Martyrs" hits with relentless speed. "War" grinds forward with a slow, ominous weight that feels almost suffocating, a fitting showcase for the twin-guitar attack.

Mike Hranica's anguished screams carry lyrics wrestling with doubt, faith and despair, making it one of the band's most personal and emotionally raw records, with hope flickering at the edges.

For metalcore fans who prefer their heaviness with real feeling behind it, this remains a high point in a long, restless catalogue, and it sounds suitably imposing on a slab of blue wax.