I Prevail ended their Europe and the UK tour following their album release earlier this year with a sold out show at the Electric Ballroom.
The American rock band comprising vocalist Brian Burkheiser, screamer Eric Vanlerberghe, both guitarists Steve Menoia and Dylan Bowman, as well as drummer Gabe Helguera formed in 2014 and have released two full-length albums, ‘Lifelines’ (2016, Fearless Records) and ‘Trauma’ (2019, Fearless Records), as well as their debut EP ‘Heart vs. Mind’ (2014, Fearless Records). Musically the band mixes elements from hardcore, rap and electronically enhanced percussion which creates a unique sound. The alternation between Eric’s shouted and screamed vocals and Brian’s delicately sung vocals offer an energetic dynamic which helps to tell the stories behind the songs. Especially the latest album ‘Trauma’ was a way for the band to speak about depression, anxiety, panic attack and mental illnesses.
The doors of the Electric Ballroom opened around 7pm for the patiently queuing audience outside. First up on stage was the American post-hardcore band Palisades who started off the evening with high energy and got the crowd moving. Their music shows influences from electronicore, post-hardcore and anthemic rock choruses which was well received by the audience who sung along and enjoyed themselves in mosh pits. Having set the energy levels high, the crowd went mental once I Prevail entered the stage.
Following the first bass drop leading into ‘Bow Down’ the crowd immediately picked up the energy and sang on the top of their lungs, giving the band a warm welcome. Especially songs such as ‘Scars’, ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Deadweight’ saw the crowd belting the lyrics back to the stage while ‘Gasoline’ saw the venue splitting up into a big circle pit just before the band took the time to speak to the fans about the difficulties of the past month and how thankful they are for being warmly welcomed back, leading into ‘Hurricane’ and a sea of shining phone lights. The set consisted mainly of their new material which sounded a lot heavier live but some older songs made their appearance as well which was highly appreciated by the fans. Not even Brian’s broken foot sopped the band from giving their best on stage and wildly spinning around as if nothing could hold them back. They ended the set with ‘DOA’ but came back for two encores being ‘Breaking Down’ and ‘Come and Get It’ as the audience demanded for more.
It was a great evening with amazing musicians who gave their best on stage and an energetic audience who enjoyed themselves singing along and running around in circle pits. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the bands appreciated the audience’s warm welcome. It was definitely a special time.
Venue: Electric Ballroom
Band: I Prevail
Support: Palisades
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to stay updated.
A Special Time 