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Consider the contrasting names of two bands scheduled to perform Thanksgiving eve at Saltair.
The Devil Wears Prada is a band with Christian roots, while Whitechapel is a decidedly secular band with no roots in a chapel, lily-white or otherwise.
These two bands will unite with two other metal bands — For Today and Enter Shikari — to allow Utahns to give thanks for these touring acts during what's traditionally a slow holiday week.
Like The Devil Wears Prada, For Today is a Christian band. And like Whitechapel, Enter Shikari doesn't wear any Christian influence on its ripped sleeves.
Rest assured, though, that this isn't a Christian-rock tour. If, for example, you just want to offer Thanksgiving praises to some higher power other than God, none of the participating bands will start the excommunication paperwork.
It's a sign of the times that many of the heavier bands in the metal world come from religious backgrounds and that metal fans seem among the most tolerant in the music world.
Mike Hranica from The Devil Wears Prada, Alex Wade from Whitechapel and Mattie Montgomery from For Today talked to The Tribune about whether Jesus Christ really is a superstar.
The Devil Wears Prada • The Ohio-based metal band tackled a subject on its latest record that has been rarely addressed since Byzantine Iconoclasm in the eighth century.
"The Dead Throne" debuted inside the Top 10 on the Billboard albums chart after its September release. Although it's not a concept album, much of the record castigates idolatry.
"God is the one idol," said Hranica, lead singer and songwriter. "Anti-idolatry is based on my faith. It's a huge part of the foundation of what I write about."
Idolatry can reveal itself in many forms, and one of the principal evils Hranica perceives is the deification of musicians. "[It's] not to look down at fans," he said. "It's an anti-hero theme, and people needed to hear that. Making heroes out of bands is nothing good."
Being humble is the key to keeping a band focused on music for the right reasons. "Bands can last longer if we're not put on a pedestal," Hranica said. "I'm not living to be someone else's idol, because I have enough issues to deal with."
"The Dead Throne" follows the band's first EP, 2010's "Zombie," which exhibited a heavier sound and more aggressive guitars and drums than previous efforts. That sound continued on "The Dead Throne," which focuses less on the so-called "clean vocals" of guitarist Jeremy DePoyster and more on the "scream vocals" of Hranica. "It's a more sinister sound," he said. "Writing heavier is natural for us."
For the record, the band took its name from the book The Devil Wears Prada, rather than the film. The name reflects the band's rebuke of idolatrous images.
For Today • The members of this band from Sioux City, Iowa, aren't atheists.
The band will head into the studio in January to record its new record, the follow-up to 2010's breakthrough album "Breaker." Montgomery said he is clear about his message as he is writing lyrics to the already-composed music.
"We will preach the same message about Jesus of Nazareth that has [been] preached time and time again over the centuries," Montgomery said. "We want to highlight the fact that we do not represent ourself, our music or our genre, but we represent Jesus, the most influential man in the history of the world. That's the story we tell. That's why this platform was given to us."
The success of the band, Montgomery said, was pre-destined. "We've chosen to acknowledge what we were made for," he said. "There is no more fulfilling feeling that to do what we were made for."
As for musicians, the band counts among its influences Martin Luther and Billy Graham. "These are people I aspire to be," he said.
Whitechapel • The metal band from Tennessee drew upon different subject matter than Jesus when it came time to decide upon a name.
"Someone in the band had just seen the Johnny Depp movie," said guitarist Alex Wade, referring to the 2001 Hughes Brothers film "From Hell," about the infamous Jack the Ripper murders in the Whitechapel district of London. The name fit because we're a "quote-unquote death metal band," Wade said.
The intense band, suffice to say, is not a "Christian" band. "We never brought religion into it," Wade said. "We never wanted to be a religious band."
With that said, it doesn't mean the members of Whitechapel see Jack the Ripper as an idol. "Everyone in the band has their own beliefs," Wade said. "We are an evil-sounding band, but no one is an atheist."
Thank God for that.
The Dead Throne Tour
P The Devil Wears Prada headlines, with openers Whitechapel, For Today and Enter Shikari.
When • Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m.
Where • Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna
Tickets • $18 at 24Tix