Ten years into their career, I Prevail still feel like underdogs. That chip on their shoulder powers Violent Nature, the band’s heaviest and most ambitious record yet — and according to frontman Eric Vanlerberghe, it’s their way of planting a flag.
“Our story has always been a bit of an underdog story,” Vanlerberghe says. “From the beginning — having a cover, a self-done EP, to our first record — it wasn’t until Trauma and True Power that people started going, ‘Okay, yeah, they’re gonna be around for a while.’ Now more than ever, putting this record out, it just feels like a middle finger in your face if you doubted us.”
That defiance is baked into the album’s lead single. “‘Violent Nature’ was undoubtable,” he says. “It’s the kind of song where you just turn your brain off and run through a brick wall. We knew it would shake up the fan base.”
But the new record isn’t just heavy for heavy’s sake. It’s born out of catharsis. “Every record has been rooted in some form of healing, and this one was no different,” Vanlerberghe says. “We were grinding five days a week, eight to ten hours a day. After the last couple years, I definitely needed that.”
It also marks the first time Vanlerberghe has handled all lead vocals. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that singing is about confidence,” he says. “To hop in that booth and just go for it — having the guys cheer me on gave me that confidence to full send.”
For I Prevail, the studio and the stage are now inseparable. Producer Jon Eberhard, who also fills in on bass, brought a live-show mentality into the sessions. “We used to just write songs that sounded good on a record,” Vanlerberghe says. “This time we thought about what would happen in front of 10,000 people. Do we want circle pits the whole time? Do we want that lyric the whole crowd screams back? Having that perspective was huge.”
Of course, the climb hasn’t come without resistance. Vanlerberghe is blunt about the noise from online trolls. “Early on it was hard. Now I just remind myself, ‘I know who I am, and I don’t know who the fuck you are.’ Say what you want — I’m gonna keep grinding and keep doing what I love.”
And while fans often turn to I Prevail’s music during their darkest times, Vanlerberghe admits it’s a two-way street. He points to one track in particular. “‘Pray’ might be the one that resonates most. It’s about having someone burn you and then look back with pity. Like, I don’t need your pity — I’m better off on my own. Hopefully people find it freeing or cathartic. That’s what music gave me when I was younger, and now I get to give that back.”
For Vanlerberghe, the mission is simple: stay hungry, stay honest, and keep proving people wrong. “Ten years in, it still feels crazy. But I still feel that youthful energy — still wanting to write big songs, still wanting to connect with people. That’s the most important thing.”
Watch the full interview with Eric from I Prevail below!