I Prevail “Violent Nature”
I Prevail has always been a band that mix up their ingredients to push musical boundaries while staying true to their core form. New album Violent Nature is no different. Except this time there is an ingredient missing.
The bands first full release without long term vocalist Brian Burkheiser adds more of remaining singer Eric Vanlerberghe to the mix with guitarist Dylan Bowman steeping up as a designated hitter in the vocal box as support.
With the album produced in house by bassist Jon Eberhard, this is arguably the bands first release that is truly I, Prevail. Untouched by outside forces, uninhibited by personnel and unleashed musically.
The album lays out ten tracks that are sonically smooth, dynamically emotional and enough slabs of metal to cause scenes at their upcoming shows.
Opener Synthetic Soul, is a somber opening, showing the softness of Eric’s vocals before the band drop in and take us on an industrial metal tone to match the content.
The band do unleash some nuclear heavy tracks such as the title number with the refrain of ‘I’m a sick motherfucker with a violent nature’ that will spawn circle pits around the world, only to be superseded in brutality by God, with drops you feel in parts of your body you didn’t even know existed. It tingles.
They’ve always mixed styles, NWO dabbles in drum and bass and grime within its metalcore structure, while Crimson & Clover is a beautiful soulful ballad that is a lighters-out worthy.
Eric’s main role in the vocals here could’ve been limiting to the band, however by taking on the lead role we get to see a range only dabbled in previously and a band free to roam.
The gentle sereneness in Pray, or the angelic soar in Into Hell with its catchy chorus of ‘closet thing to heaven, I’ll follow you into hell’ a surefire crowd favourite and some of Eric’s best work.
Recent single Rain was advertised of ‘acceptance of things outside your control’ and to be fair, that is a feeling throughout the album. Outside forces have impacted the band and they have rolled with that, stay focussed on new material and it all arrives with this album.
As the emotional Crimson & Clover and then the ball stomping God complete the album in a rare way in that it keeps getting better with each track, the final burst is Stay Away, a melting pot of grunge, shoe gaze and metal that perfectly captures a final onslaught of the bands dexterity, fluidity and revolution.
With the changes that have happened, this could’ve been a car crash of an album. Instead, we got an album that does something few albums do these days. It incrementally gets better with each track and then gets better again with each listen. I, Prevail streamlined, levelled up and then dropped this pile-driver of an album on the world. Be ready.
Album Review By Iain McCallum
Violent Nature is out on Friday 19 September via Fearless Records. Pre-Order/ Pre-Save HERE…
