Out Now
Fearless Records
I Prevail are a band who has polarized opinions on just about every track they have recorded.
Unafraid to fully embrace the term musical expression, these Michegan rockers have not only raised the bar for excellence, they have pushed it so far northwards that bands for years to come will be left pondering how to scale the same lofty heights.
Put simply, they are a musical tsunami of rage, beauty and contempt, haphazardly tossing a myriad of genres into the one melting pot and pouring it unapologetically over every inch of your musical psyche left exposed.
Their new album True Power seems a statement by virtue of the title alone, so I strapped myself in, fully expecting the unexpected.
I Prevail delivered immediately with opening track 0_00, a swirling mass of mechanics and noise that builds in intensity as it screeches its way into your soul.
It’s a short intro that plunges headlong into the static mass of noise that is There’s Fear In Letting Go.
The track rides differing waves of emotion, with industrial tinges giving way to anger which is soon dispersed into a soothing calm before exploding into itself once more in an eclectic cycle that follows no rhyme nor reason.
There are many layers to this song that could easily collapse into a black hole in the hands of a band who try to please but the only people I Prevail are aiming to please are themselves.
An almost King 810 style confrontation sways into an almighty breakdown and my body is screaming at me to flee, but I find myself drawn in further to a sonic landscape that is impossible to define.
Body Bag threatens more danger, a hectic drumroll snapping back the spine of the tune before vocalist Brian Burkheiser barks, screams and sings his troubles away.
I can almost picture the morgue where this Body Bag was conceived, and trust me, it’s not the sort of place you want to leave your loved ones.
I normally cringe at sudden bursts between harsh and clean vocals but somehow these guys make it work, possibly with the threat of the constant unknown locking you in.
There’s an almost rap like breakdown that surprisingly doesn’t last long and already I Prevail have thrown down the challenge to those twisted enough to accept.
These guys create a tour de force with each song, sound effects and samples strewn throughout that add yet more layers to each offering.
I’m fucked if I know how they do it.
Self-Destruction powers to life courtesy of a staggered guitar lick before descending once more into madness and another assortment of overlapping genres that blend seamlessly despite being the polar opposite on most occasions.
It’s nothing if not catchy – as long as your attention span is minimal to say the least. How they remember which direction they are supposed to be going next is a mystery that shall forever remain unsolved, but I doubt I could keep up with a map and a compass.
Bad Things promises a bit of light-hearted fun and rattles into being on an almost Egyptian-sounding elongated chant that comes in with a tempered calm that surely must come before the impending storm.
But no, I Prevail don’t want you to get comfortable and find solace in the schizophrenic tones, instead sticking to almost the same tempo throughout. I knew it couldn’t last, they must have worn themselves out…
Then the loose bass slaps kick in and things intensify markedly, building into a violent volcanic eruption of noise that could and maybe should be split into two songs.
Of course, that’s what the logic musician would do, but I Prevail don’t subscribe to that theory, obviously.
The name Fake splashes across the screen, announcing the next track, and before it starts I know it wasn’t written about anyone involved with these guys.
A level, controlled vocal delivery gives the early impression this must be a radio friendly number, but only for the briefest time before the guitars get the shits and intensify, dragging Burkheiser with them into a darkness that should be difficult to escape.
Of course, I Prevail are made up of musical Houdini’s so they don’t just escape the cycle, they puncture its tyres before sliding straight back into pleasantries that insist on telling me I’m Fake.
So there you go, they see through my flimsy facade already.
Clever fuckers.
Judgement Day comes out swinging, a hardcore punk edge dripping with intent before Burkheiser decides to test his cleans again, setting this personality up for a lengthy fall back into aggressive territory. The two styles face off with each other for supremacy and if I was a betting man I would have my money on the pissed off version coming out on top.
I’m rooting for him anyway because this shit is good.
Really good.
FWYTYK (your guess is as good as mine) promises another English lesson and surprises with an R & B style opening that takes you back to that soggy Twilight series.
But not for long. That’s a definite plus for this band in knowing that if you don’t take to one part of any song chances are it will change drastically before you can even mouth the words Fuck…Me…
Then BANG! The smackdown arrives and order is restored. I have never heard a band switch from serenity to anarchy so quickly and effortlessly, which is probably a good thing because there’s no way this stuff is taught at the School Of The Arts.
Deep End is ushered in by gentle rain and a soothing calm that hopefully lasts long enough to regain my bearings.
This is the obvious love song, but I get the feeling the divorce party is waiting around the next corner impatiently. But it’s me who gets impatient waiting for the flipside that is kept at bay quietly. So that’s another side of I Prevail. They WANT to fuck with you sonically.
In fact, I get the feeling they enjoy it a little too much, but I’m not playing their game.
I have the power to press skip which I hesitantly do so let me know if I bailed too early…
Long Live The King sounds like an inspiring track, and from the anthemic intro it could be a call to arms or a congratulatory nod.
Or both.
Burkheiser is having fun running through a maze of vocal deliveries, egged on by a stunted yet controlled sonic backdrop that takes on a life of its own. It would be interesting to know how much time was spent in production for this record because you get the feeling only one thing would have to be slightly out to bring the walls crashing down uncontrollably.
It is a credit to not just the band, but also producer Tyler Smyth, who manages to balance repelling forces of nature to not only sound like they belong, but sound like they were actually meant to be.
Choke leaps from the boxes with a loud and aggressive guitar riff before Burkheiser raps, spits and menaces his message in a barrage of destruction that kicks dirt firmly back in its own face and enjoys dong it.
This is my pick so far, an almost nu metal underlying structure that is infected with hardcore DNA and all of the anarchic punk intent I Prevail could squeeze into three minutes.
The Negative will surely be turned into a positive next, a stream of electronics carrying a clean passage of vocals that rap/rocks its way into almost familiar territory but brushed with enough strands of I Prevail blood to twist things quickly on their head. These guys are masters at crafting a musical composition and manage to keep things engaging in places where confusion would normally reign.
Closure sounds like it could be a break-up song and starts the same way.
It’s a little too pretty to start, but that’s what I Prevail do. They almost challenge you to dislike what they dish up, confident in the knowledge there will be at least one small section of each song that appeals to differing tastes.
I’m not too keen on this one, so stumble for the skip button once more, opening the door for the more up-tempo sounds of Visceral.
Burkheiser is back to being pissed off again, and I find myself wondering if it’s at me for daring to cut the last song short.
This track is more like it, eclectic enough to be unpredictable but angry enough to keep the tissues in the box.
So here we are at the finish line with Doomed, and what a journey it has been.
If you sat down and listed all of the genres covered over the last three-quarters of an hour I would only genuinely like maybe three or four of them, but somehow I Prevail manage to present them in an irresistible way that makes you forget musical prejudice and appreciate each note and vocal line for what it’s worth. A rare victory indeed.
Even Doomed seems upset the album is drawing to a close, crying into its own self-importance in a whiny fashion that screams for sympathy.
They ain’t getting any from me, especially with a formulaic track like this to complete what to this point has been an enlightening, frightful and sensational collection of songs that just don’t give a fuck.
But obviously, I Prevail do because Doomed is a tear-jerker better served for the closing credits of Titanic.
I’m sure they have their reasons – or perhaps they don’t – but it proves that I Prevail start, travel, and finish to the beat of their own drum and no-one else’s and for that much respect has to be given.
