I Prevail Set To Divide Fanbase with Brutal New Single 'Violent Nature'

Think you know I Prevail... think again!

The Grammy-nominated metal outfit have just unleashed arguably their heaviest and most controversial song to date - but first let us catch you up on what has lead to this moment.

On May 15, the band announced via their socials they had mutually parted ways with clean singer Brian Burkheiser. In a short but detailed post the band explained:

This was a difficult decision, but we believe it is the right one and we are all grateful for the 10 epic years we shared together. We wish Brian nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors. Moving forward, Eric will continue to be the powerhouse frontman you’ve come to know and love. He’ll be backed up live by Dylan who you’ve seen in this role many times over the years at the shows we’ve performed without Brian. Rest assured, we will continue to deliver the high-energy shows that we’ve made a pillar of our band, and we will continue to perform all the bangers from our catalogue. All scheduled shows will go on exactly as planned.

The news came after Brian was noticeably absent from the band's recent music festival stint in the US with guitarist Dylan Bowman stepping up in his place on clean singing duties. Throughout the years, Brian spoke about his struggles with imposter syndrome and battling a rare health condition called Eagle Syndrome - where atypical structures in the sufferer's head or neck cause facial or throat pain. On top of being plagued by this, Brian recently welcomed a baby boy to his family in December of 2024.

It's safe to say the man had a lot on his plate and stepping back from the biggest thing in his life (so far) wouldn't have been an easy decision, especially with the band continually growing and being offered more touring opportunities like their recent stint in Australia last year supporting Parkway Drive.

While the way in which the band announced their departure with Brian could have been handled a little better, seeing the bigger picture, I completely understand both sides of the fence. Being a fan since 2014's Heart Vs. Mind (and the infamous Taylor Swift cover) and covering every Australian tour they've been on since 2017 (including their debut in 2017) it's hard to say goodbye to such a powerhouse vocalist in such a promising position - but life, as we know, leads us down strange and challenging paths, and it's how we take control of the narrative that counts.

Wall Of Sound wishes Brian and his family all the best as they take on this new chapter of their lives.

Back to this new single - forget everything you know about I Prevail - because 'Violent Nature' will kick you to the ground and pull your hair as they scream life back into you with this absolute beast of a track.

Coming out of the gates swinging haymakers, 'Violent Nature' wastes no time setting up this new era as frontman Eric Vanlerberghe aims to turn heads at a quickfire rate with his bellowing screams - both high pitched and deep gutturals - as he blasts back into our lives screaming "I'M A SICK MOTHER FUCKER WITH A VIOLENT NATURE!" before an onslaught of menacing guitar riffs and blastbeats smacks you in the face like a Mack Truck at full speed.

Seriously, this could be I Prevail's heaviest and most unrelenting song to date - and that's saying something. As Steve Menoian shreds away on the guitar, it's almost as if the band have been possessed by a demonic metal entity which at times helps Eric border deathcore territory with some gnarly growls that'll certainly have you questioning if this is the same band that released the album Lifelines in 2016.

Whether you like it or not, I Prevail are here to stay and it seems they're honing in on their most uninhibited selves with the commencement of the post-Brian era - and it's going to divide fans - but one thing is for sure, this outfit will fast become the biggest name in metalcore should they continue down this unrelenting path.

'Violent Nature' is out now. You ain't ready. Listen here

Words by Paul 'Browny' Brown @brownypaul