“We’ve started to define what the new era really sounds like”: Eric Vanlerberghe takes us inside I Prevail’s revitalising new album

I Prevail are entering a bold new era with their fourth album, Violent Nature, still very much fuelled by the fire we’ve seen on previous efforts. A sharpened blend of their heaviest breakdowns and most melodic hooks yet, it captures a band embracing who they are while pushing everything else further.

But this time around, there’s a major shift. With the departure of co-vocalist Brian Burkheiser, Eric Vanlerberghe now leads the charge as I Prevail’s sole frontman. Rather than shy away from the challenge, he's stepped up to the plate and Violent Nature thrives because of it, bringing a new kind of intensity built on experience, confidence and connection.

We sit down with Eric to talk through the making of Violent Nature, what it means to take full control at the mic, and how the band are navigating this exciting new chapter…

How does it feel to have arrived at album number four?
“We've been doing this for over 10 years now, and it’s wild to sit back and reflect. You start to see the progression, you know? Where we were when we wrote each album, what challenges we were facing, what was happening in our lives at the time. But I will say, working on this latest one – with all the changes happening in our lives right now – it felt fun and refreshing. It felt natural. We had this confidence from the last 10 years behind us. And with that, we could finally start to define what the new era of I Prevail really sounds like.”

There's been big change with Brian leaving and you taking on sole vocal responsibilities. How did that affect the writing process?
“It’s still us writing the record, so that hasn’t changed. In the past, there were times because of health issues or other last-minute stuff, where we had to just figure it out on the fly. So over the last few years, I’ve been working on my craft a lot more, and I think I came into this writing process with more confidence than I would have had otherwise. And having the support of the guys around me made all the difference. Like with the song RAIN, that was the first one where we were like, ‘Alright, let’s write a straight-up chorus melody.’ We hummed out some ideas, put down some scratch lyrics, and then jumped into the booth to see if the key worked for me. And honestly, singing is so much about confidence. But knowing I had the guys right outside our little makeshift recording booth, fully supportive – no judgement, no-one laughing if my voice cracked – they were like, ‘You’ve got this. You’ve done it before. Let’s go.’ That kind of trust and encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to really go for it.”

The songs fans have already heard – Violent Nature and Into Hell – are very different in tone. Does the album reflect this?
“Yeah, we’ve always approached releases the same way: dropping one song, then following it with something on the opposite end of our sound. Kicking things off with a track that’s all screaming and heavy felt like the next evolution of that. It’s like, ‘Here’s one of the heaviest songs we’ve made,’ and then we follow it up with something super-melodic, basically a love song. We planned it that way. It’s fun watching the reactions: people thinking we’ve gone full deathcore, then we completely flip it. I love metal, it changed my life, but I also love country, pop and anything with great melody. We’ve never wanted to be a one-trick pony. Bands like Linkin Park and A Day To Remember showed you could do both: the heavy and the catchy. That’s the kind of band we’ve always aimed to be. This record is just a continuation of that.”

The record is called Violent Nature – would you say that’s the main theme behind it?
“I don’t like giving too much away in terms of ‘this song means exactly this’. There were themes we kept in mind while writing, but we really let the music guide us. I know it sounds cliché, but we’d start creating the music first, and then the lyrics and direction would follow naturally. There are a lot of sub-themes throughout the record, and I’m excited to see what fans take from it. That’s one of my favourite parts – hearing how people connect with the music in their own way. Growing up, music changed my life. Certain songs pulled me through tough times, gave me perspective, and I took so much from that. So, to now be in the position where we’re putting music out into the world, it’s an incredible feeling. Someone I’ve never met, halfway across the world, might hear a song and say, ‘I feel that.’ Maybe it means something different to them than it did to us when we wrote it, but that’s the beauty of it.”

The record was entirely produced by yourselves. What was it like being fully in control?
“Yeah, in the past, we’ve worked with some incredible producers and writers, doing a few co-writes here and there. But having someone like Jon [Eberhard] – our bassist and keys guy – take on a bigger role this time was a huge shift. He had a hand in [2019 album] Trauma and wrote a lot on [2022's] True Power, but now that he’s been touring with us for a few years, that experience brought something totally new to the table. The difference is, Jon’s up onstage with us every night. He knows which parts of songs hit hardest live – whether it’s a lyric the crowd screams back, a breakdown that opens a pit, or a moment that lets us interact with the audience. That perspective really shaped how we approached writing this time. Writing in-house as just the five of us gave the whole process a different energy. We were thinking not just about the music, but how the set flows, how songs connect live, and how to make those moments unforgettable. It was a fun challenge and one we really embraced on this record.”

And finally, where are you hoping Violent Nature takes you?
“With every record, we’ve been lucky to see growth – new fans coming in while still holding on to the ones who’ve been with us since day one. That’s the goal: to keep evolving while staying connected to our audience, whether they found us years ago or just last week. Once this record drops, we’ve got some festivals and shows, but come early 2026, it’s full grind mode. I just want to play this album – and all our music – around the world.”

Violent Nature is released September 19 via Fearless

Read this next:

• Lunch meat, making friends and broken-down buses: Life on the road with I Prevail
• I Prevail: “Thirty years from now when we’re all 60, we want to still be doing this for a living”
  
• Dayseeker: “This album is about the personal issues I’ve dealt with, trying to navigate life as our band becomes a little more successful”