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Photo Credit: Reilly Clark

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I PREVAIL
‘Violent Nature’
Album Review

(23rd September 2025)

Interview by Amelia Torresan and Celine May

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Photo Credit: Reilly Clark

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“I Prevail‘s sound can be uncompromisingly heavy, commercially abundant, and surprisingly emotionally delicate, all of which are delivered in spades on Violent Nature.” – Heavy Magazine

“Musically, the album is a masterclass in modern metal, blending dark melodies with pop sensibilities, powerful breakdowns, and divine melodic moments. Violent Nature is an album that demands to be heard, not just listened to.” – Everblack Media

“Overall, it’s unmistakably I Prevail—yet it pushes their boundaries further than ever before. They continue to explore new sonic territory with confidence, ticking every box along the way.” – Metal On Tap

“…this is perhaps their most confident and ambitious work to date…Violent Nature proves that I Prevail have taken their biggest leap forward.” – The AU Review

“…this is arguably the bands first release that is truly I Prevail. Untouched by outside forces, uninhibited by personnel and unleashed musically.” – HiFi Way

“There are catchy pop elements throughout the album and backing of synths, but also some of the heaviest moments the band has produced in their career.” – Metal-Roos

“Violent Nature feels like the first step into a new era of I Prevail…The record shows real range, from crushing heaviness to soaring ballads, and hints at just how far they can push their sound.” – The Alternative Journal

“I Prevail have delivered a fascinating lyrical journey into darkness, suffering, pain and redemption using dark melodious modern metal cut full of pop sensibilities, divine melodies, and heavy breakdowns.” – No Barriers

“…Violent Nature proves to the fanbase that the band are not straying too far from their depths and that regular programming is here to stay.” – PitPass.com.au

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Prepare to have your face melted! I Prevail, metal powerhouse hailing from Michigan in the US, have just dropped their fourth studio album, Violent Nature. This album is a showcase for vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe like never before. While he’s always been a master of the scream, the new record really highlights his stunning clean vocals, which have now taken center stage. This new sound is a powerful way for the band to convey all the raw emotions and conflicts they’ve experienced, giving us a peek into their world with every note. 

First on the album is ‘Synthetic Soul’ with its ethereal and existential vibe that brings to mind the haunting feel of R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’. It’s dynamically fascinating, with the emotion and instrumentation building to an intense, guttural drop that feels like an emotional breaking point. If Sleep Token and Bring Me The Horizon had a lovechild, this song would be it.

‘NWO’ completely shifts the tone, heavy and guttural. The song’s title stands for “New World Order” and it is an absolute powerhouse of a song. With its monstrous, distorted, and grumbling vocals, this is the track that’s guaranteed to ignite a chaotic circle pit in the mosh. The band also experiments with some intense electronic elements to give it an even heavier feel.

Starting with a raw, emotional acoustic guitar intro, ‘Pray’ quickly launches into a heavy breakdown. The lyrics, like “Don’t pray for me, don’t pray for me, the saviour of the broken, save yourself instead,” convey a sense of hopelessness. However, the vocals and instruments betray a hidden cry for help, making this song a perfect example of I Prevail’s signature style. An acoustic version of this would surely be overflowing with raw emotion.

‘Annihilate Me’ shares a similar stripped-back intro with ‘Synthetic Soul’ before exploding into its chorus. It has a surprising “Wild West” feel, as if a tumbleweed just blew through your thoughts, before bursting into a dynamic and engaging chorus. The lyric, “come nail me to my throne, i’m the king of suffering,” really stands out, with its religious allegory. 

As the album’s title track, “Violent Nature” lives up to its name with immediate, aggressive screaming vocals. The music is just as violent and urgent as the title suggests, driven by a fast guitar riff that creates a feeling of unease. It follows the style of ‘NWO’ by offering a dynamic change in the album, as if you were listening to a musical rollercoaster.

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Photo Credit: Reilly Clark

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‘Rain’ offers listeners a come-down following the chaos and aggression of the title track. Equipped with low-tuned guitars, quick drum beats, and clean vocals, Eric begs to be freed from his misery by having rain wash over him. He concludes “we were all just born to suffer”. They’re typical drown-your-sorrows lyrics, nothing quite new, but a catchy track nonetheless.

Second single, ‘Into Hell’, is another track on this album that delivers clean vocals that certainly highlights Eric’s vocal ability. Here, he’s more assertive, recovering from his breakdown as he speaks of a true, all-consuming love, where together they can overcome life’s adversities. A lot of heat and fire imagery that can be compared to Bring Me the Horizon’s 2013-2015 era. 

‘Crimson & Clover’ slows things right down, as an acoustic ballad that continues the theme of a deep love, inner dialogue and conflict, and shows the side of Eric’s musicality that we don’t typically hear. He lays his raw emotions on the table, and this soul-searching would resonate with many. I hope he increasingly explores this side of his vocality. 

The intensity, aggression and screaming from earlier returns in full force, ‘God’ reeling listeners back in with haunting religious allegory, harsh curses, and gory lyrics like bones, skulls, blood and slaughter. There’s interesting changes in tempo and dynamic riffs. I Prevail pivot again with ‘Stay Away’, where it feels almost like a mix between the heavy and nasty, and clean and melodic. 

Across the 10 tracks, I Prevail delivered diversity, undoubtable vulnerability, and themes and sounds that fans of Sleep Token, Bring Me the Horizon, Bad Omens, Defttones and perhaps even Linkin Park would love. 

While I Prevail didn’t necessarily introduce new concepts or push boundaries, it’s a deeply introspective album that would suit a range of listeners, and it was fantastic to have tracks that allowed Eric’s voice to be explored and shine. This can also be, unfortunately, attributed to the departure of fellow vocalist, Brian Burkheiser, earlier this year. I can imagine the difficulty and uncertainty of this massive change to the band, and this also left fans wondering about their musical direction, or status for that matter. I truly commend them for their perseverance and adaptability, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their music evolves moving forward.

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VIOLENT NATURE – OUT NOW – HERE

VIOLENT NATURE 
Track Listing:

01. Synthetic Soul
02. NWO
03. Pray
04. Annihilate Me
05. Violent Nature
06. Rain
07. Into Hell
08. Crimson & Clover
09. God
10. Stay Away

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Follow I PREVAIL

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About I PREVAIL:

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, the band returns with Eric Vanlerberghe as the frontman and only singer ushering the band into their next chapter with the release of Violent Nature. Not only is this a new era, but it’s the best version of the band to date bristling with intention, passion and energy.

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Press Release 19th September 2025 (below) HERE

I PREVAIL
releases fifth studio album
VIOLENT NATURE

WATCH THE NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR PRAY

ORDER LIMITED VINYL VARIANTS HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB