''True Power'' is the third studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

I Prevail I Prevail is an American rock band formed in Southfield, Michigan, in 2013. They released their debut EP '' Heart vs. Mind'' (2014) and rose to popularity from releasing a metal cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" as a single, which eventuall ...

, released on August 19, 2022. The album was proceeded by the singles "Body Bag" and "Bad Things". "Self-Destruction", and "There's Fear in Letting Go" also later became singles.

Background and recording

The album was produced by Tyler Smyth, who also produced the band's previous album, ''

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: *Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source *Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic inju ...

''. In an interview with ''Wall of Sound'', guitarist Steve Menoian discussed the process of making the album:

Composition

''True Power'' has been described as

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early ...

, and

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

, with elements of pop,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

. Vocalists Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerberghe both incorporate rap vocals on the album.

Release

On June 17, 2022, the band released the lead single "Body Bag". On July 12, 2022, the band released the second single "Bad Things". On August 19, 2022, the band released a music video for the song "Self-Destruction". The album was released on August 19, 2022.

Critical reception

''True Power'' has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Paul Travers of ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' complimented the album's dynamics and production stating, "I Prevail have expanded on the lighter moments from Trauma. But there’s always an explosion waiting to drop, and producing those jaw-dropping moments is one of the things they do so well." Chanel Issa of ''Hysteria Mag'' felt that "

he album He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

breathed new life into I Prevail’s sound, placing them in high contention for the coveted title of kings of the

sandpit. Melinda Welsh of ''Spill Magazine'' praised unclean vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe for "[stepping out of his comfort zone...to deliver some softer-spoken rap style lyrics and clean vocals..." and called ''True Power'' "their most aggressive album yet." In a less positive review of the album, Jesper L. of friendly ''Sputnikmusic'' considered the album to be a "reminder that overblown production can’t hide lazy songwriting." ''Wall of Sound'' sated "I Prevail take everything they did on Trauma and dial it up to 11." On November 2nd 2022, their single 'Bad Things' have peaked number 1 on the Billboard Active Rock Radio Charts, the first time since 2020 with their hit single, Hurricane.

Track listing

Personnel

I Prevail * Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals * Eric Vanlerberghe – unclean vocals, clean vocals * Steve Menoian – lead guitar, bass * Dylan Bowman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Gabe Helguera – drums Production * Tyler Smyth – production mixing,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2022 albums I Prevail albums Fearless Records albums