With Roots Above and Branches Below

With Roots Above and Branches Below
Studio album by The Devil Wears Prada
Released	May 5, 2009
Recorded	January – March 2009, at The Foundation Recording Studios, Connersville, Indiana
Genre	Metalcore
Length	40:17
Label	Ferret
Producer	Joey Sturgis
The Devil Wears Prada chronology
Plagues (2007) With Roots Above and Branches Below (2009) Zombie EP (2010)
Singles from With Roots Above and Branches Below
"Danger: Wildman" Released: August 4, 2009 "Assistant to the Regional Manager" Released: April 6, 2010

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk.net	(80%)[1]
Allmusic	[2]
DecoyMusic	[3]
FemaleFirst	[4]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[5]

With Roots Above and Branches Below is the third studio album by American metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, released on May 5, 2009, through Ferret Music. Upon its release it charted the Billboard 200 at number 11, selling 31,000 in its first week. It is considered their breakthrough album, receiving high critical reception by many.

Background

The Devil Wears Prada began writing for With Roots Above and Branches Below after attending 2008's Warped Tour. They started performing "I Hate Buffering" for live audiences for the remainder of the tours they were on that year.^[6] They began production and recording of the album during early 2009, while so, vocalist Mike Hranica stated "We're really excited for this album. It's definitely going to be darker, heavier, and more epic. Expect a much heavier, more metal record." Drummer Daniel Williams stated that the new album would be "wilder and crazier" with songs that would features new elements such as choruses, and James Baney stated that the album would be more mechanical, but that it would still contain their same distinct style.^[7]

Release

With Roots Above and Branches Below was released on May 5, 2009, through Ferret Music.^[6] The album was released in two editions; a standard version and a deluxe CD/DVD version. The deluxe CD/DVD includes the disc and a DVD that contains a making of the album that also premiered online. There are some clips that were deleted after being presented for a short time online that are also featured on the DVD. The album cover artwork was illustrated by Dan Seagrave, who is well known for his work for metal acts including Morbid Angel, Suffocation and Demon Hunter.

The music video for the song "Danger: Wildman" was released on August 4, 2009, and the video for "Assistant to the Regional Manager" was released April 6, 2010.^[8]

Reception

The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 11^[9] with sales of 31,000 in the first week, making it the band's most successful album at the time of its release.^[10] The album also peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Independent Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, and Christian Albums charts.^[9]

Promotion and marketing

The first material released from the album was the song "Dez Moines". It was uploaded to the band's MySpace profile on March 13, 2009 and was released as a free download for fans. On the band's co-headlining US tour with A Day to Remember, Emarosa and Sky Eats Airplane, they offered fans special download cards for the songs "Dez Moines" and "Assistant to the Regional Manager".^[11]

"Dez Moines" is also available as downloadable content for the video game Guitar Hero World Tour and was released on May 7, 2009 as a part of the Ferret/Metal Blade Records Pack.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Mike Hranica, all music composed by The Devil Wears Prada^[12].

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sassafras"	3:16
2.	"I Hate Buffering"	3:05
3.	"Assistant to the Regional Manager"	3:37
4.	"Dez Moines"	4:04
5.	"Big Wiggly Style"	4:13
6.	"Danger: Wildman" (featuring Trevor Wentworth of Our Last Night)	4:01
7.	"Ben Has a Kid"	3:57
8.	"Wapakalypse"	3:44
9.	"Gimme Half"	4:21
10.	"Louder Than Thunder"	2:37
11.	"Lord Xenu"	3:26
Total length:		40:17

Personnel

Band members[12] Mike Hranica - lead vocals Jeremy DePoyster - rhythm guitar, clean vocals Chris Rubey - lead guitar Andy Trick - bass Daniel Williams - drums James Baney - keyboard, synthesizer, piano

Production[12] Engineered, mixed and mastered by Joey Sturgis Produced by The Devil Wears Prada and Joey Sturgis A&R by Carl Severson Illustrations by Dan Seagrave Layout by Sons of Nero

Chart performance

Chart (2009)[9]	Peak position
US Billboard 200	11
US Top Christian Albums	1
US Top Hard Rock Albums[9]	1
US Top Independent Albums[9]	1

References

1. ^ Beringer, Drew (2009/05/01). "Devil Wears Prada, The - With Roots Above and Branches Below - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1030902. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "allmusic ((( With Roots Above and Branches Below > Overview )))". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1548125. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
3. ^ Fritz, Nicholas (2009/05/05). "The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above and Branches Below". DecoyMusic. http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/2889. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
4. ^ Harrison, Ruth (2009/05/11). "Album Review: The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above and Branches Below". FemaleFirst. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/reviews/Album+Review+The+Devil+Wears+Prada+With+Roots+Above+and+Branches+Below-8183.html. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
5. ^ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/WithRootsAboveAndBranchesBelow.asp
6. ^ ^{a b} Beringer, Drew. "A Lot Of The Devil Wears Prada News" AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
7. ^ "The Devil Wears Prada - Studio Update.2 video" NME. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
8. ^ Behind the Scenes - The Devil Wears Prada. Noisecreep
9. ^ ^{a b c d e} "With Roots Above and Branches Below - The Devil Wears Prada". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/the-devil-wears-prada/with-roots-above-and-branches-below/1249425. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
10. ^ "THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's 'Zombie' Projected To Sell 15K-20K First Week". Blabbermouth.net. 09/26/2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=145138. Retrieved 2010/10/06. 
11. ^ "TDWP NEW SONG/PRE ORDERS NOW AVAILABLE!" Ferret Music. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
12. ^ ^{a b c} (2009) Album notes for With Roots Above and Branches Below by The Devil Wears Prada (band) [liner]. Ferret Music (F123).