Russell HughesI Prevail – Trauma (Fearless Records)
How do you even begin to write a second album when your lead singer might not even be able to lend his voice to the tracks?
How can a band recover from that sort of trauma and come out the end stronger than ever and ready to send their career on an upward projection?
These are the battles that faced I Prevail. These are the battles that I Prevail have won.
Trauma is a masterpiece of misdirection. It’s an album that rarely settles down as it flows from one end of the spectrum to the other. It’s a hard hitting example of modern metal at its finest, and it proves the durability of the band as well as an incredible their hunger for success.
The combination of metal, hip-hop and electronica isn’t exactly brand new – Crossfaith, Fire From The Gods and others have been there and done it – but I Prevail flow between them so well it feels like this band were born for it.
Rise Above It is a perfect example of all three styles being smashed together like elements in a furious chemists’ lab. Its massive breakdown quickly dissipates and allows the song to calm down before it’s built back up again in a true rollercoaster of an audio experience.
It’s a complete contrast to Bow Down, a much more traditionally sounding metal song. The fact that it’s Trauma’s opening tune does little to give away the contents that are to follow and that makes it a perfect way to kick things off.
Gasoline and Deadweight follow in these footsteps, and for those looking for destructive metal should look no further than these staples. The former is one of the hardest hitting, purest examples of balls-to-the-wall metal you’ll hear this year, the latter has shades of Wage War running through its melodic choruses and aggressive verses.
Those looking for a bit of something else should turn towards Hurricane or Low for its pop-rock, soaring, crescendo building chorus and singalong vibe – although stay tuned for a massive surprise on Low.
Despite two songs sharing a name with Wage War’s most recent album and one with While She Sleeps, I Prevail remain an original, exciting and effortlessly engaging band.