Since forming in Metro Detroit, Michigan in 2013, metalcore/post-hardcore outfit I Prevail have enjoyed vast amounts of critical and commercial success. Their first album, 2016’s Lifelines, achieved gold status in both the US and Canada, while 2019’s TRAUMA repeated that accomplishment in Canada. The latter was nominated for Best Rock Album at that year’s Grammys, with single “Bow Down” also a contender for Best Metal Performance. 2022’s TRUE POWER saw the band continue to forge their own musical path, refusing to conform to the expectations of the genre. Now, with their fourth album Violent Nature, the band have taken that to the next level. Recorded in two stints at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, it was self-produced under the guidance of bassist and keyboardist Jon Eberhard. It also marks vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe’s first foray as the only singer of the band, tackling both clean and unclean vocals. It goes hard. The album’s first single, also called “Violent Nature,” is possibly the most brutal, extreme and ferocious song the band have ever released. Not everything is quite as brutal or intense, however. Though single “Rain” is far from mellow, the song’s powerful, anthemic chorus feels like a lullaby in comparison, despite hints of that same anger and torment in its lyrics. Nevertheless, it exemplifies the two very different sides of this album, and the opposing forces that weave their way through it. Welcome, then, to the new era of I Prevail. Not only is this the best version of the band to date, but it bristles with intention, passion and energy.
