Since their formation in the greater Detroit, Michigan area in 2013, the metalcore/post-hardcore band I Prevail has celebrated enormous success. Their debut album Lifelines (2016) achieved gold status in both the United States and Canada, while TRAUMA (2019) repeated that success in Canada. The latter was nominated for Best Rock Album at that year’s Grammys, and the single “Bow Down” was also in the running for Best Metal Performance. With TRUE POWER (2022), the band continued forging their own musical path, refusing to conform to genre expectations.
With their fourth album Violent Nature, the band has now taken another step forward. It was recorded in two phases at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and self-produced under the direction of bassist and keyboardist Jon Eberhard. It is also the first album on which vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe handles both clean vocals and screams as the band’s sole singer. It hits hard. The album’s first single, also titled “Violent Nature,” may be the most brutal, extreme, and wild track the band has ever released.
However, not everything is quite so brutal or intense. Although the single “Rain” is anything but gentle, the song’s powerful, anthemic chorus feels almost like a lullaby in comparison, despite hints of the same anger and anguish in the lyrics. Still, it illustrates the two very different sides of this album and the opposing forces running through it.
Welcome to the new era of I Prevail. This is not only the best version of the band to date, but one that overflows with intention, passion, and energy.
