Having never heard of Portland, OR's It Prevails before, and not being very familiar with the Rise Records roster, I wasn't really expecting much from "The Inspiration". But I have to say, as soon as I popped this fucker in I was relatively shocked, and hooked from the start, as the band cranks out 10 concise tracks of the best possible form of contemporary metalcore in a mere half-hour. Stylistically quite reminiscent of Shai Hulud (one of my favorite bands of all time) and Misery Signals, there's a ton of tactfully technical riffing that utilizes lots of interaction between dual guitar parts as well as roving basslines, so expect a good number of time/tempo changes and shifts between lightly chunky rhythms and loads of intense melodies. And aside from one or two quick moments late in the disc (which are guest spots anyway) there's no singing, just straight up screaming or shouting vocals that actually possess a real sense of sincerity—so there are no "emo" sounding choruses or any of that commonplace bullshit. It's just truly powerful songwriting that results in a great example of passionate, energetic metallic hardcore. Aside from the fact that the layout's not all that engaging (perhaps another factor in why the album's contents far exceeded my expectations) they've basically got everything nailed down: The recording's nice and crisp with a great bass presence and just the right amount of burly heaviness to counter the constant melodic backbone of the compositions, the vocals sound super fierce without losing feeling, and the lyrics carry just the sort of explorations you'd expect given the character of the music:
And we strive, to survive. We can't grasp the concept that we will die. We throw stones at the beckoning hands that will one day wash us away, we shove them down our throats with water two times a day. Because we're surrounded by things that always die, we can't comprehend anything infinite. That this world will carry on without us. But our resents will lift, our burdens will disappear, and our consciousness will fade.
Great shit. I'm all over this record and can't wait to hear more from these cats. I don't know if this is their debut album or what, but I'm sold. Awesome.
It Prevails "Explanation: Content"
It Prevails "An Anomaly"
Absolutely recommended, so make the grab if these jams hit the spot:
Comments
Hot damn, this was really, really good. I certainly didn’t except something like this from the ever-annoying Rise Records, who gave us the atrocious Drop Dead, Gorgeous and the annoying The Devil Wears Prada.
4.9.2007 | By xGabrielx
Wow, I really like this stuff. I’ll definitely have to pick it up.
4.9.2007 | By Tyrone
Very., very good CD.
4.9.2007 | By xBenx
This is some of the most poweful shit to ever enter my ears!
4.9.2007 | By xJonniex
another great find.
4.9.2007 | By Adrianoso
Considering how disappointed I was by the latest Misery Signals, this will make a great consolation. Sounds absolutely amazing!
4.10.2007 | By Dick
agreed-good Misery Signals -ish styled quality-better than the Means cd even
4.10.2007 | By erk digital metal