Scott's Spotlight #55: I Prevail

December 10, 2025

Scott's Spotlight #55: I Prevail

Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #55. For more information about this series, please click here:

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Time to step outside of my comfort zone, a bit. I’ll be back to prog soon enough, I promise. Today I’ll be putting the spotlight on the newer metalcore band, I Prevail. Metalcore, if you were like me and didn’t know, is a fusion of Heavy Metal and Hardcore Punk. I Prevail were formed in late 2013. They soon released a single that quickly put them on the map, a cover of the Taylor Swift hit “Blank Space”, which they released on December 1, 2014. Soon after they released their first EP, which on some versions of it, included Blank Space (the initial iTunes version had it as a separate single from the EP). That cover rose to #9 on the Billboard Rock Chart. I Prevail arrived quickly. The original line-up on the EP titled “Heart vs. Mind” is as follows:

Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals

Eric Vanlerberghe – unclean vocals

Steve Menoian – lead guitar, bass

Jordan Berger – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Lee Runestad – drums

The band’s style is characterized by the balance between the “clean” and “unclean” (aka “harsh”) vocals, along with heavy guitar and double-kick drum rhythm. The harsh vocals aren’t quite to the level of “death metal growls”, but it is a close cousin. In addition to “Blank Space”, the following songs had music videos : “”Love Lust and Liars”, “The Enemy” and “Crossroads” (not the Robert Johnson classic made famous by Cream). I am also enjoying the acoustic-based ballad “My Heart I Surrender”. Not long afterward, rhythm guitarist Jordan Berger left I Prevail, and the band hired Dylan Bowman on rhythm guitar and Tony Camposeo on bass, initially as touring members, but later full time members. By 2015, they were touring, first with 2 tours of their own, then opening for Crown the Empire, Hollywood Undead and Pop Evil.

Having made a splash with “Blank Space” and the EP, they released their first full length album in October of 2016, called “Lifelines”. The line-up for this one is:

Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals

Eric Vanlerberghe – unclean vocals, clean vocals on "Lifelines"

Dylan Bowman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Steve Menoian – lead guitar

Tony Camposeo – bass guitar

Lee Runestad – drums

The style is very much in line with the EP. I do like a lot of the syncopated riffs, on the title track, for example; they sometimes hint at “Djent” style progressive metal, although maybe not as complex. The album was preceded by the first single, which would be the album opener, called “Scars” in June of 2016. Another pre-release single appeared in August 2016 called “Stuck in Your Head’. The next single “Alone” was released around the same time as the album, and two more singles were released in 2017: “Come and Get It” and “Lifelines”. The album may be their most successful, thus far, achieving Gold status in Canada and selling nearly 20,000 copies in its first week of release alone, and 93,000 by September of 2017. I think “Alone” is probably my favorite of the ones I have heard from this album. During the 2017 tour however, Brian Burkheiser developed a polyp in his vocal chords, which had an impact on the band’s momentum, as he was put on emergency vocal rest..Prior to that they had opened for bands such as Pierce the Veil and We Came as Romans. Bassist Tony Campseo left in December of 2016 to focus on music production, and Drummer Lee Runestad left in May of 2017. They were replaced with touring members Eli Clark on bass and Gabe Helguera on drums.

The next album called “Trauma” dropped in March of 2019 following Burkheiser’s recovery. To promote the album, On February 19, 2019, the band asked their fans to share the album announcement 100,000 times before they released the first single. The fans responded and the band released “Bow Down” just 7 days later on February 26. The album was called “Trauma” as the theme is based on the depression that Burkheiser went into after his vocal chord issues sidelined him and the band, as well as the death of Kyle Pavone from the band We Came as Romans, with whom they had toured. While Gabe Helguera takes the drum throne for the album, Steve Manoian laid down the bass tracks for the album. Additional singles released from the album are “Breaking Down”, “Paranoid” (not the Sabbath song), “Hurricaine” and “Every Time You Leave” which features female Canadian singer Delaney Jane. “Every Time You Leave” is a heavy ballad, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. “Breaking Down” has a slower tempo, but still has the contrast between the clean and harsh vocals, which reminds me a little of Linkin Park’s style. “Hurricaine” is also a moderately slower one which I am enjoying. “Bow Down” received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance” while the album was nominated for Best Metal Album, though neither of them won. The band toured as an opening act for A Day to Remember.

The third full I Prevail album is 2022’s “True Power”, released that August. The lead-off single “Body Bag” released in June. followed by “Bad Things” released in July. “Body Bag” starts out very heavy with lots of the harsh vocals, and a very fast tempo. I get the idea that they wanted to show that they hadn’t lost their heaviness after some of the slightly less heavy songs on “Trauma”. Other singles include “Self-Destruction”, which was released simultaneously with the album, “There’s Fear in Letting Go”, “Deep End” and “Closure”. I am presently listening to “Bad Things” (as I type this) and am enjoying it more than some of the earlier tracks on the album as it is less harsh and more melodic. I have also enjoyed “Deep End” and “Closure" of those singles. This album seems to also have a bit more of a Rap-Rock vibe than their previous efforts. Billboard hit #3 on the UK’s official Rock & Metal chart. The leadoff single went to #1 on the Billboard Active Rock Radio Chart on November 2, 2022. This time around, I Prevail were the headliners, with notable act Pierce the Veil opening for them (who they opened for earlier).

Things began to change for I Prevail in May of 2024, when it was announced that Brian Burkheiser would not be performing with the bands on their upcoming tour dates due to having a condition known as “Eagle Syndrome” which causes great jaw and mouth pain. During that time they released two collaborative singles with other well-known bands. The first was “Can U See Me In The Dark?” with Halestorm in June of 2024, and “Hate this Song” with All Time Low in September of 2024. Fast forward to May 15, 2025 and the band announced that they had parted ways with Burkheiser. It must have been decided before the public announcement, because just a few days later on May 23, they released the song “Violent Nature” which would be the title track of their upcoming album, released on September 19, 2025. With the split from Burkhiser, it has been announced that Eric Vanlerberghe would handle both clean and harsh vocals going forward. Jon Eberhard is now the band’s official bassist, and was the album’s producer. The breakup has not been without controversy. As reported by “Loudwire” in August of 2025, Burkheiser’s new project Scatterbrain has been prevented from releasing new music by I Prevail; how they are doing that is not made clear, but speculation is that it is a contractual issue (possibly a non-compete clause) from his previous record contract as a member I Prevail. (https://loudwire.com/brian-burkheiser-blocked-new-music-i-prevail/)

As for “Violent Nature”, it seems to be getting excellent reviews from the critics. I have enjoyed the album opener “Synthetic Soul” and “Rain” in particular. “Rain” is also a favorite of my lovely bride Allison, along with the title track. While I like some of the lead guitar work on the title track, a lot of the “screamier” parts get a bit too much for me. “Into Hell” is another one I like more. Also, these guys are bold enough to include a track on the album called “Crimson & Clover” that ISN’T a cover of the Tommy James classic! The track is more of a ballad and one that I am enjoying. There have been 5 singles released from the album, thus far: “Violent Nature”, “Into Hell”, “Rain”, “Annihilate Me” and “Pray”, all of which have charted well on the U.S. Hot Hard Rock Chart. The tour for this album is coming well after the release, happening in the fall of 2026.

So while I Prevail isn’t always what I am looking for, particularly in the more aggressive aspects of their style, they are clearly a very talented band with a lot of dedicated fans. I like Steve Manoian’s guitar work in particular, and Eberhard and Helguera are a tight rhythm section with many precise morse code style patterns. I like some songs more than others, but those who enjoy heavier more aggressive music would like them very much.

Check out the “Links for Listening” below.

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Prog On! (or in this case ROCK ON!)

Scott

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LINKS FOR LISTENING:

From “Heart Vs. Mind” (EP):

“Blank Space”

https://youtu.be/czb_CZfWko8

“My Heart I Surrender”

https://youtu.be/-HhxH0bOutw

From “Lifelines”: