Portland metalcore band It Prevails just released their third full-length, Stroma (Mediaskare Records), which is their strongest to-date. Continuing with the ‘tradition’ of having lineup shakeups with each new release, this disc marks the return of original drummer Aaron Marsh and early-on rhythm guitarist Nic Toten. The band is currently off on “The Beautiful & Spineless Tour” coast-to-coast tour. which stops at Party Expo in Brooklyn on August 18th. The lineup for the tour includes No Bragging Rights (tour headliners), We Are Defiance, Onward To Olympas and Boys No Good (8/8 – 8/14) & Burning Twilight (9/3 – 9/6).

This new disc, Stroma, is the followup to 2009’s Capture & Embrace and, musically, it continues in the same melodic hardcore vein. The disc starts out with the barreling, high-energy track “Holes” and doesn’t let off the throttle until the disc’s twelve tracks (40 minutes) have run their course. While the band retains the melodic hooks of past releases, this time around, the guitar leads have been de-emphasized in favor of more percussion-heavy, melodic “full band” sound.

Lyrically, the band continues to write about the “struggles, life lessons, negative situations, and mistakes” and principal songwriter / vocalist Ian Fike delivers these predominately uplifting lyrics seamlessly switching between his clean and heavy vocals (the later delivered in a higher pitch than on previous releases). The track “Break Away” showcases the depth and versatility of Fike’s vocals and the track includes guest vocals from Brendan Foley of Betrayal. Adam Jackson from Twelve Tribes also makes a guest appearance on this disc and joins Ficke on the track “Artisan”.



It Prevails obviously sees this disc as a turning point for the band as, in a recent interview with Rock Edition, Ian Fike talked about the album’s title and how Stroma means “the framework, the building base of something. When me and Aaron were putting the skeletons of the songs together — Aaron kept saying this is the framework of our new ideas, this is what we’ve grown into….writing ‘Stroma,’ it was so much fun. We had all these riffs, and it was very natural how it all came together.”

“The Beautiful & Spineless" Tour Dates
08/05 Lewisville, TX – Dad’s Venue
08/06 San Antonio, TX – The White Rabbit
08/07 Austin, TX – TBA
08/08 Baton Rouge, LA – Here Today Gone Tomorrow
08/09 Mobile, AL – American Legion Post 88
08/10 Daytona Beach, FL – Stingrays
08/11 Tampa, FL – Transitions Art Gallery
08/12 Jacksonville, FL – The Pit
08/13 Douglasville, GA – The 7 Venue
08/14 Raleigh, NC – The Brewery
08/15 Fredericksburg, VA – The Refuge
08/16 Linthicum, MD – LHUMC
08/17 Lemoyne, PA – The Champ
08/18 Brooklyn, NY – Party Expo
08/19 Albany, NY – Bogie’s
08/20 Manchester, NH – Rocko’s
08/21 Buffalo, NY – Broadway Joe’s
08/22 Pittsburgh, PA – 42nd Street Rock House
08/23 Columbus, OH – TBA
08/24 Mt. Clemens, MI – The Hayloft
08/25 Toledo, OH – Frankies
08/26 Steger, IL – Another Hall In The Wall
08/27 St. Louis, MO – Fubar
08/28 Omaha, NE – The Commons
08/29 Wichita, KS – The Eagles Lodge
08/30 Tulsa, OK – Reverb
08/31 Denver, CO – TBA
09/01 Ogden, UT – Mojo’s
09/02 Boise, ID – The Grange Hall
09/03 Spokane, WA – The A Club
09/04 Pullman, WA – The Bell Tower
09/05 Portland, OR – TBA
09/06 Klamath Falls, OR – Yesterday’s Plaza
09/07 Rocklin, CA – Studio 21
09/08 Stockton, CA – Plea For Peace
09/09 Bakersfield, CA – The Dome
09/10 Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
09/11 Tempe, AZ – The Fixx

Links:
It Prevails