Album review by Lucas Bell
The band name I Prevail could not be a more fitting moniker for Michigan based five piece. After a parting of the ways with their former clean vocalist, Brian Burkheiser, the new era of I Prevail started pretty much straight away. Days after Burkheiser was announced to leave, fans were treated to the first taste of the new era, with the title track of the band’s yet to be announced record, Violent Nature. A month later, the track ‘Into Hell’ was dropped, and in July 2025, the announcement came for the band’s fourth record, due for release in September 2025.
“Violent Nature is our favorite album to date,” Singer Eric Vanlerberghe says of the record. “We wanted to create something authentic that could only come from the members in the band as a collective. There were no outside producers or writers involved. Just us 5 sitting in a room together. We believe that this is the most cohesive I Prevail record we’ve ever created. Heavy parts getting heavier and melodic parts getting catchier. We can’t wait to share what we’ve created with the world. We absolutely love it and we hope that you do as well.”
Song Breakdowns
Synthetic Soul – The opening track of the record, is a statement maker. While the absence of the band’s former clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser is incredibly noticeable, this iteration of I Prevail is a whole new band. There is almost a tinge of the sounds of bands like Wage War and Architects on this track specifically. While not being direct 1:1 comparisons, the similarities are noticeable.
NWO – Going from ‘Synthetic Soul’ into ‘NWO’ is almost whiplash inducing. Where ‘Synthetic Soul’ was a bit slower and quieter, the “RAHHH” at the start of the track is almost like an activation code to start destroying shit. The track is on the shorter side, compared to the rest of the record. But the drum work from Gabe Helguera on this track goes so hard. This would be a fun one to see live.
Pray – Now, this is an interesting track. It’s almost ballad-y in its presentation. But it’s not a ballad. I’m not sure what the creative approach on this track was, but I really enjoyed it, and it’s an album highlight for me. It’s also a highlight for vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe, who shows off just what he can do with cleans to its fullest potential.
Annihilate Me – Arguably the most “cinematic” song on the record, The song is crazy large in its sonic scope. The chorus almost reminds me of ‘Show Me How to Live’ by Audioslave. Pretty good tune.
Violent Nature – This track is straight up, balls out heaviness. This was the song that introduced the new era of the band, and it shows just how heavy these lads can get. I like the song, but not between ‘Annihilate Me’ and ‘Rain’. Too much sonic whiplash.
Rain – While the song is quiet on the verses, it shines on the choruses. The intro brings you into thinking the song is going to be heavy, before the switch up with the almost whisper vocals on the first verse. Probably my favorite song from a songwriting perspective on the record. It baits and switches in ways that I like to hear in a song.
Into Hell – ‘Into Hell’ was the second song released in anticipation of the record, and shows the softer side of the record, compared to ‘Violent Nature’. I think having both of these songs out before the record dropped was perfect, as it showed the duality in the songwriting.
Crimson & Clover – A track I wasn’t expecting on this record, was an almost acoustic ballad. Opening with a beautiful acoustic guitar riff, the verse layers over a light synth that doesn’t take away from the vibes of the song. Some more light electric guitar plucking on the second verse adds to the beauty as well.
God – Clocking in at 2:37, this is the heaviest two minutes and thirty seven seconds on the record. ‘NWO’ and ‘Violent Nature’ are heavy. But they don’t even come close to the sounds on this track. The song seethes hatred. And while there is no indication of who the person is that is having this track directed at, they had to have done something hectic to warrant this level of aggression.
Stay Away – Closing the record is ‘Stay Away’. This is another interesting track to me, as it vibes heavily of bands like Deftones and Thornhill, which isn’t a bad sound for these guys. I just don’t know if this is the song I would pick to close the record off. While it does loop nicely back to ‘Synthetic Soul’, it just doesn’t “feel” like a closer.
Final Thoughts
Violent Nature is a bold first step in the new era of I Prevail. While not every song has been a hit for me, I can tell there are some that will grow over time. The album seems inconsistent with tone at times, which might appeal to some. But having songs like ‘Annihilate Me’ and ‘Violent Nature’, and ‘Crimson & Clover’ with ‘God’ back to back really throws me out of the loop a bit. There are concepts of genius on the record, and I hope they use those concepts as building blocks for the future, whatever that may hold.
Score – 7/10
Standouts – Pray, Into Hell, God
