Recent years have made way for Metalcore acts with a strong sense of melody along the lines of Counterparts, The Ghost Inside, or Hundredth to explode with popularity. It never quite made sense to me that such a talented and passionate band like It Prevails was never able to catch up with their brother bands during their eleven year run.
I’ve always had a soft spot for It Prevails. I had the privilege of opening a gig for them with one of my older metal bands about five or six years ago. The kids running the show were not able to pay the full guarantee so we collectively decided to throw together a cookout for them. The five piece hailing from Portland, Oregon were extremely humble, down-to-earth dudes that watched all of the opening bands and spent the evening conversing with us.
Their live performance that evening was absolutely incredible. Never before have I witnessed such overwhelming passion and positivity from a band and such was displayed equally from each of the members. Vocalist Ian Fike was able to impressively switch back and forth between commanding growls and beautiful cleans with ease and sang with such sincerity the entire room could feel his emotional pain. I was always beat myself up for not catching them the very few times they returned to the area following that evening.
The band announced the recording of their fourth LP Perdition was underway and released two demos from the upcoming release in early 2012. The hype began to strengthen and it appeared as if this would be the record that would finally give It Prevails the attention they deserve.
Time passed, hype died down, and there was no update on the record’s progress whatsoever. I would occasionally check Fike’s facebook page to see if he posted anything regarding a possible shelfing of the album or the band’s dissolution but all I could see were tragic and heart-breaking posts regarding the current state of his life. The man has had an incredibly rough life the past few years and I felt overwhelmed with guilt for only being concerned with the man’s art as opposed to his current state of life.
A few months later was met with the official announcement from the band to hang up the towel, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Perdition was finally going to be released at the beginning of 2015 after years of delays. The record sadly received virtually no promotion and slipped under the radar due to the announcement of the band’s plan to part ways.
It Prevails’ final LP is a beyond underrated masterpiece filled with beautiful melodic leads, a powerful vocal performance from Fike, and encouraging lyrics with a powerful message. I have a specific emotional connection to the track “It Starts Today.” I dealt with depression and extreme anxiety in the past year that lead to severe self-loathing and mistreatment of that I cared about. The chorus of this song constantly would encourage me to push forward and stay positive regardless of my circumstances and what I was going through. The fact Fike could be going through so many trials and tribulations in his life and still manage to stay positive while I wallowed in negativity over petty things strongly put things in perspective.
Fans of the popular melodic metalcore bands previously mentioned must absolutely listen to this record. This particular genre is not necessarily my cup of tea, but it is a craft It Prevails mastered and executed beautifully during their decade long reunion. The blood, sweat, and tears put into Perdition comes across clearly with each listen. This record deserves your attention. Don’t let it fade into obscurity.