Dead Throne

The band's previous approach to songwriting, which would involve all band members writing collaboratively, had not been used since Plagues. It is noted by guitarist Chris Rubey that about midway through the writing process of their third full-length With Roots Above and Branches Below, their songwriting style and process changed drastically. Vocalist Mike Hranica stated the album's lyrical themes are based on anti-idolatry. He also said it's the "heaviest and most aggressive album to date." Hranica speaks on the evolution of the band as a whole: "Our early material was dumb, plain and simple, and moving away from that, I think we've grown into smarter, more creative riffs, along with easier to follow songs. It's things like that that mark the evolution of TDWP." Dead Throne was recorded from November 2010 to April 2011, with the sessions taking place at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts, Blacklodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas and The Foundation Recording Studios in Connersville, Indiana. ==Composition==

Influences, style and themes Mike Hranica explained that Dead Throne did not need "to sound a certain way throughout." ==Critical reception==

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Drew Beringer of AbsolutePunk also favored Dead Throne for the variety on the record, particularly praising The Devil Wears Prada for their instrumental song "Kansas" and their evolution as songwriters. ==Commercial performance==

Dead Throne is their highest charting release, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, selling 32,420 copies in its first week. It also topped the Billboard Christian Albums and Independent Albums chart, as well as peaking at No. 3 on the Rock Albums Chart and No. 40 on the 2011 Billboard year-end Hard Rock Albums chart. This is the last album to feature James Baney before he left the band on February 22, 2012. There is also a guest vocal appearance by Tim Lambesis on "Constance". The album has sold 92,000 copies in the U.S. ==Track listing==

{{tracklist Notes • The instrumental song "Kansas" has a spoken audio sample from Southern Baptist preacher Paul Washer. ==Personnel==

The Devil Wears Prada • Mike Hranica – lead vocals, additional guitars • Chris Rubey – lead guitar, backing vocals • Jeremy DePoyster – rhythm guitar, clean vocals • Andy Trick – bass guitar • James Baney – keyboard, synthesizer, piano • Daniel Williams – drums Production • Produced by The Devil Wears Prada and Adam Dutkiewicz • Engineered by Adam Dutkiewicz and Jim Fogarty • Mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz • Mastered by Tom Baker • Synthesizer producer, keyboards by Joey Sturgis • Additional vocal production by Jeremy McKinnon • Booking by Dave Shapiro of The Agency Group • Artwork by Dan Seagrave == Charts ==