Release Date: August 19, 2022
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Metalcore, Hard Rock, Rap Metal
Label: Fearless Records
The Detroit, Michigan-based post-hardcore/metalcore heavyweights I Prevail are back with True Power -their third and most dynamic album yet. Their brand new album will be released to the world this Friday via the band's longtime label Fearless Records. The band incorporates the extraordinary talents of vocalist Brian Burkheiser, vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe, guitarist and bassist Steven Menoian, guitarist Dylan Bowman, and drummer Gabe Helguera. True Power was a collaborative effort with an eclectic group of music producers behind the mixing board. The band once again recruited MYTH -full name Tyler Smyth- who is also known for his time as the co-vocalist in the metalcore band Dangerkids. In addition to the talents of Joey Doherty (Glide) and Jon Eberhard (Until I Wake, Conquer Divide). I Prevail was formed in 2013 and has come to make a monumental impact within the alternative music community since. I Prevail grew quickly among the band's own expectations. The band grew a remarkably large, dedicated fanbase from scratch through self-promotion and DIY touring around the globe over the course of their formative years. One thing after the other led the band to rise to the top of the music industry. With a back story unlike many artists, the band has reached a new pinnacle of accomplishment and fame since the release of their Grammy-nominated album, Trauma (2019). To date, the band has accumulated more than nearly three billion global streams, has seen upwards of three hundred fifty million views on YouTube, and saw their single, "Hurricane," top Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2020 -officially making the single the top song on US rock radio at the time. Two Grammy nominations came their way in 2020 for Best Rock Album for Trauma and Best Metal Performance for their hit, "Bow Down." I Prevail has also garnered gold and platinum plaques for their songs, "Stuck In Your Head, "Alone," and Scars." The latter of the tracks reached gold status in Canada, Australia, and the United States. Now, True Power is confidently going to take the band to even greater heights. I Prevail boldly opens True Power with an intro track, that leads right into the smouldering hot number "There's Fear In Letter Go." The first of fourteen more tracks that the band took a "no rules" approach to the album's songwriting, pushing the band's poppy side to the surface, but effortlessly blending it with the band's heavier side. The majority of the track is a back and forth between Vanlerberghe's harsh screaming vocals and Burkheiser's clean vocals, with the instruments matching their tone respectively. All before the track hits a breaking point and utter insanity ensues during the track's intense breakdown -which features quite the groovy and powerful guitar riffs. "There's Fear In Letting Go" became a huge mantra for the band's five members. Saying, "it can be scary letting go of things, but it can also help you take back everything that's yours," and that is exactly what they have done on True Power.
Following is the album's lead single, "Body Bag." A track that the band doesn't hold back on. Releasing one of the heaviest tracks they've ever recorded, the band strays hard into their metalcore side and lets out a lot of pent-up aggression on the track. The breakdown of "Body Bag" starts to showcase some of the new dynamics the band brought to the album, with a sort of rap-esque vocal style from Burkheiser. "Self-Destruction" pushes the envelope from what the band is best known for. It's challenging to fully explain the depths I Prevail go on "Self-Destruction," and something that needs to be experienced firsthand. It's half-metalcore, half-rap metal. It's got a very emo rap type of beat, with these poppy choruses backed by these massive sounding metalcore chugging guitar riffs. The breakdown on "Self-Destruction" is unique as well. It becomes a full-blown metalcore, emo rap explosion, along with a massive wall of bass.
The latest single, "Bad Things," is a track you'd absolutely expect from I Prevail. It's a straight-up, no-tricks post-hardcore song with mixed use of screams and clean vocals. However, the guitars and bass on the track are hellish sounding. "Bad Things" will definitely be on rock/metal radio for some time. True Power takes a turn on the album's eighth track, "FWYTYK," an abbreviation for fuck what you think you know. "FWYTYK" is quite a poppy number, reinforced by a wall of electronic bass and shifts back into their hip-hop side -while not roaming far away from their heaviness. I describe this one best as a "heavy pop" song. If I Prevail stripped this one down and altered parts here and there, this track could be a pop banger. Speaking of bangers, "Deep End" showcases the band's sentimental side and a softer rock/pop rock mixture of a tune. Clean vocals from the co-vocalists, a poppy chorus, and instrumentals that aren't very heavy. "Deep End" is a contender as a future single. As True Power comes to a close, another one of the album's heaviest tracks "Visceral" detonates with extreme precision. Another track chock full of down-tuned, chuggy, and immense-sounding guitar riffs, accompanied by the sonic blast of screams, guttural growls, and clean vocals. "Visceral" embodies the song's lyrics without any effort at all. True Power's final track is "Doomed" -the album's most soft and stripped-down tune. It's a straight-up piano ballad, and the band delivers some of their most heartfelt lyrics on it. Additionally, it has the same sort of style and vibe as Linkin Park's "Heavy," but in their own twist of sounds. With True Power, I Prevail has entered a new stage in their career, both as songwriters and as humans. Their last album, Trauma, took a couple of unfortunate and distressing events in their personal lives and they took these events and channelled them into their music. With a newfound sense of confidence and the ability to grow as human beings, they've become their true selves to embody their true power on the album's fifteen tracks. Over the years, people tried to mess with the band's process, so this time around, the band -with the help of Fearless Records and their manager- I Prevail was able to get into the studio and do things their way, resulting in taking a "no rules" mentality during the songwriting, that leads to one of their most diverse and heaviest albums to date. The band has been empowered, and wants to empower their fans to go, "I can accomplish whatever I want to." The band says regarding their newfound message: "We've gone from day jobs to playing huge shows, we've released our trauma and turned it into true power, both personally and musically, so we're out here showing that it's possible." Be sure to catch I Prevail on tour this fall across North America with Pierce The Veil, Fit For A King, Stand Atlantic, and Yours Truly. More info and dates here. You can pre-save and pre-order a physical copy of True Power here.
