Good lord metalcore is in a sorry state. Weakened and watered down to the point of non recognition by bands who still use the label, but essentially produce pop music these days, in a desperate attempt at sounding modern. Thank Thor then for I Prevail. Other bands take note. If you want to make an innovative and modern sounding metalcore record then take a listen to the bands newest output “Trauma.” The 5 piece from Michigan effortlessly combine huge breakdowns and punishing riffs with beautiful melancholic parts seamlessly and to terrific effect.
There’s no better example of this than opening track “Bow Down” a discordant track that sets out the bands intentions before breaking into a soaring chorus and back again. Having come through a serious vocal injury that threatened the bands very existence, Brian Burkheiser has emerged better than ever sounding like the late Chester Bennington, a perfect accompaniment to the harsh vocals of Eric Vanlerberghe. The band flex their song writing muscles on “Every Time You Leave” a gorgeous track that is surely destined for rock radio, but in fairness that could be said for any number of tracks on this album. My personal favourite track is “Rise Above” a track that’s equal parts Linkin Park, Hatebreed and even Skrillex. One of the first singles “Breaking Down” is a deeply introspective number that combines harrowing guitar work from Steve Menoian and Dylan Bowman with another bout of towering vocal work. At this stage of the album, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the first half can’t be topped, so it’s downhill from here. You’d be wrong. I Prevail offer so much more than other bands of their ilk as is apparent on “DOA” and “Gasoline” with its gritty hip-hop interludes and dare I say, it nu-metal influences.
I made a Linkin Park reference earlier and I’m about to again as “Hurricane” reminds me of the rock titans in their prime albeit with a slightly more aggressive edge and this isn’t a bad thing. I’m not sure how the band’s song writing process works, but whoever writes the lyrics isn’t afraid to bare their soul. “Let Me Be Sad” is a wonderfully sombre piece of work, that builds into another beautifully executed epic. A heavier number, but the same can be said for “Low.” As Vanlerberghe bellows “this is how it feels when you hit rock bottom,” it sounds like it’s coming from somebody who’s genuinely been there. Its hearts on sleeves time again as the band bow out with the chilled out acoustic vibe of “I Don’t Belong Here”
I’m not exaggerating when I say that he entire album is an absolute triumph. A testament to what can be achieved when faced with adversity, “Trauma” is the sound of band at the very top of their game. Pierce The Veil and We Came As Romans move over, I Prevail are the new kings of the genre.