True Power
True Power is the third studio album by the American rock band I Prevail, released on August 19, 2022. The album was proceeded by the singles "Body Bag" and "Bad Things". "Self-Destruction", "There's Fear in Letting Go", "Deep End" and "Closure" also later became singles. It was the final studio album to feature founding member and clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser before his departure from the band on May 15, 2025.
| True Power | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 19, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:27 | |||
| Label | Fearless | |||
| Producer | Tyler Smyth | |||
| I Prevail chronology | ||||
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| Singles from True Power | ||||
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True Power is the third studio album by the American rock band I Prevail, released on August 19, 2022. The album was proceeded by the singles "Body Bag" and "Bad Things". "Self-Destruction", "There's Fear in Letting Go", "Deep End" and "Closure" also later became singles. It was the final studio album to feature founding member and clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser before his departure from the band on May 15, 2025.
Background and recording
[edit]The album was produced by Tyler Smyth, who also produced the band's previous album, Trauma. In an interview with Wall of Sound, guitarist Steve Menoian discussed the process of making the album:
"[We] were...drawn to way more of, just like rock and roll vibes on this record and I think part of that was like bucking expectation, but it’s also part of just what we were drawn to at the time. So I feel like we wanted to always have this record...[keep] you guessing and not feeling like you could ever really predict what’s coming in a lot of spots. And I feel that just was kind of the natural songwriting evolution that we were drawn to [on] this record and yeah, I think it’s a cool blend of styles for what we were able to create."[1]
Composition
[edit]True Power has been described as metalcore[1][2] and nu metal,[1] with elements of pop, trap, electronic, and grunge.[2] Vocalists Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerberghe both incorporate rap vocals on the album.[3]
Release
[edit]On June 17, 2022, the band released the lead single "Body Bag".[4][5][6] On July 12, 2022, the band released the second single "Bad Things".[7] On August 19, 2022, the band released a music video for the song "Self-Destruction".[8] The album was released on August 19, 2022.[4][5][6][7] On November 22, 2022, the band released a music video for the song "There’s Fear In Letting Go".[9] On March 16, 2023, the band released a music video for the song "Deep End".[10][11]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Kerrang! | 4/5[12] |
| Hysteria Mag | 9/10[2] |
| The Spill Magazine |   [13] |
| Sputnikmusic | [14] |
| Wall of Sound | 8.5/10[3] |
True Power has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Paul Travers of Kerrang! 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."[12] Chanel Issa of Hysteria Mag felt that "[the album] breathed new life into I Prevail’s sound, placing them in high contention for the coveted title of kings of the metalcore sandpit.[2]
Melinda Welsh of The 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."[13] In a less positive review of the album, Jesper L. of Sputnikmusic considered the album to be a "reminder that overblown production can’t hide lazy songwriting."[14] Wall of Sound stated "I Prevail take everything they did on Trauma and dial it up to 11."[3] On November 2, 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
[edit]All songs written by Brian Burkheiser, Steve Menoian, Eric Vanlerberghe, Tyler Smyth and Jon Eberhard except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "0:00" |
| 0:41 |
| 2. | "There’s Fear in Letting Go" |
| 3:54 |
| 3. | "Body Bag" | 3:16 | |
| 4. | "Self-Destruction" | 2:26 | |
| 5. | "Bad Things" | 3:48 | |
| 6. | "Fake" | 2:51 | |
| 7. | "Judgement Day" | 2:46 | |
| 8. | "FWYTYK" | 3:17 | |
| 9. | "Deep End" | 3:26 | |
| 10. | "Long Live the King" | 3:00 | |
| 11. | "Choke" | 3:02 | |
| 12. | "The Negative" | 2:20 | |
| 13. | "Closure" |
| 3:09 |
| 14. | "Visceral" | 2:44 | |
| 15. | "Doomed" |
| 3:47 |
| Total length: | 44:27 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Bad Things (Stripped)" | 3:41 |
| 17. | "There’s Fear in Letting Go (Stripped)" | 3:02 |
| 18. | "Deep End (Stripped)" | 3:30 |
| 19. | "Hate This Song (feat. All Time Low)" | 2:56 |
| Total length: | 57:44 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits retrieved from album's liner notes.
I Prevail
- Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals, composer
- Steve Menoian – lead guitar, bass, composer
- Eric Vanlerberghe – unclean vocals, additional clean vocals, composer
- Dylan Bowman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Gabe Helguera – drums
Additional Musicians
- Bonnie McIntosh – piano on "Doomed"
Production
- Tyler Smyth – production, engineering, mixing
- Jon Eberhard – additional production
- Joey Doherty – additional production contributions
- Ted Jensen – mastering
Design
- 23in – art direction, cover design
- John Van Unen – digital illustration
- Strange Practice – design
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 5 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 42 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] | 68 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 28 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] | 84 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 50 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 96 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[22] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[23] | 48 |
Singles
[edit]| Title | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|
| US Main. | |
| "Bad Things" | 1 |
| "Deep End" | 4 |
| "Closure" | 25 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Brown, Paul (August 18, 2022). "Start Your Countdown Until You Bear Witness to I Prevail's Heavy True Power…". Wall of Sound. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Issa, Chanel (August 18, 2022). "I Prevail True Power". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c "I Prevail – True Power (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "I Prevail To Release New Album "True Power" In August, Debut "Body Bag"". The PRP. June 17, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "Hear I Prevail's Super Heavy New Song "Body Bag"". Revolver. June 17, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Kielty, Martin (June 18, 2022). "Watch I Prevail's Body Bag single from third album True Power". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Rogers, Jack (July 12, 2022). "I Prevail Have Released An Emotionally Massive New Track 'Bad Things'". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Jack (August 19, 2022). "I Prevail Reveal Dystopian Video For 'Self-Destruction'". Rock Sound. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Jack (November 23, 2022). "Watch I Prevail's Gravity-Defying Video For 'There's Fear In Letting Go'". Rock Sound. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "I Prevail Share "Deep End" Music Video". The PRP. March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "I Prevail Release New Music Video For "Deep End'". Heavy Mag. March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Travers, Paul (August 17, 2022). "Album review: I Prevail – True Power". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Welsh, Melinda (August 19, 2022). "Spill Album Review: I Prevail – True Power". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Jesper L. (August 25, 2022). "I Prevail – True Power". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – I Prevail – True Power". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – I Prevail – True Power" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of September 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – I Prevail – True Power" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 26/8/2022 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – I Prevail – True Power". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 26/8/2022 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 26/8/2022 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ @billboardcharts (August 29, 2022). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/2)..." (Tweet). Retrieved August 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
