album: ZII
artist: The Devil Wears Prada
genre: metal
release date: May 21, 2021
star rating: three out of five

review by Joshua Maine

I recently checked out the latest EP from The Devil Wears Prada titled ZII (or Zombie 2). It’s a sequel to the original Zombie EP they released in 2010. Having not listened to the original, I was coming to this album with no expectations.

ZII plays out as if the songwriter is living in a zombie apocalypse novel. Think if The Walking Dead had a hardcore, spinoff soundtrack. The songs are not in coherent order story-wise; they are bits and pieces that paint an overall picture of the world in which they take place.

I thought the release timing was odd because the zombie movie/TV show craze was over years ago. The first EP came out the same year that The Walking Dead premiered. Then, I realized the band was inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. I can imagine they wrote some or all of ZII during quarantine.

Several songs carry a sentiment of anxiety surrounding the spread of a virus, distrust in government, and everything collapsing as the world falls apart. That being said, the EP was just a fun, little release and nothing to be taken too seriously. I could see myself putting it on in October when I’m feeling in the mood for some zombie- or horror-themed music. Check it out or add it to your Halloween playlist; you can listen to the whole thing in about 20 minutes!