Near the end of 2014, I Prevail surprised rock fans with a heavy cover of an unexpected song: Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” Less than five years after its initial release, I Prevail’s version went Platinum.
Needless to say, their cover of Swift’s 1989 track helped solidify their heartfelt and explosive sound with fans, and as founding member and co-vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe recently explained, it opened a lot of doors for the band.
But those doors didn’t lead to more cover songs.
“After we did that cover, the next step right away was to write the best records, to put out any confusion or doubt that we were successful from just one song,” Vanlerberghe explained to Chuck Armstrong on Thursday night’s Loudwire Nights (May 11).
Nearly a decade later, though, Vanlerberghe seems open to the idea of tackling another cover.
“Look at Disturbed and “The Sound of Silence” and Five Finger Death Punch,” he said. “I think throughout bands’ careers, it’s a cool thing to see…you just don’t see it coming. For us, I wouldn’t say it’s out of the cards, but I haven’t heard a song yet that I’ve been like, ‘Oh man, we should cover it.’ We jam covers in rehearsals and soundcheck—it’s fun jamming different songs. Maybe one day we’ll find one that we’re like, ‘Yeah, this is good enough to be recorded.'”
For fans who have caught I Prevail live, they know that bits and pieces of covers will find their way into their setlists.
“This last tour, we covered Slayer‘s “Raining Blood” going into one of our songs,” he told Chuck. “You take people by surprise every night, especially when you’re doing ones that I don’t think people expect you to play. Would you think I Prevail is about to get up there and rip some “Raining Blood” by Slayer? Probably not.”
What the Co-Writing Process For I Prevail Looks Like
When they’re not doing their best Slayer impressions in front of screaming fans, Vanlerberghe and I Prevail are dedicated to writing their own original music. For the most part, that process has long been a collaborative thing for the band.
“The few of us that write, we are sitting around in a room with our producer and just vibing out ideas,” he said. “Someone may have a tag or a couple of lyrics written out or we all might get on the same page about a mood and we just go from there. It’s an awesome—stressful, but very awesome experience. You gotta have confidence to put out bad ideas or be real with someone.”
READ MORE: Carrie Underwood Shares ‘Fangirl’ Moment With I Prevail After Show
It also helps that Vanlerberghe trusts his bandmates; he’s been writing with them since day one of I Prevail’s existence.
“You know you’re not gonna get weird looks on dumb ideas,” he admitted. “We’re all there for the same purpose, to write the best song and to feel like we’ve got a piece of ourselves in it. I think it’s hard to find a group of guys that feel the same way and have the same vision.”
What the Future Holds For I Prevail
As of right now, it seems as though I Prevail aren’t writing too much new material. With their third album, True Power, having only been out since August 2022, they’re focused on celebrating those songs through their live shows this year.
“We’ve never been a band to write on the road,” he explained to Chuck, though he did add that because some of these songs were written near the start of the pandemic, the band might be ready to start thinking about what’s next.
“It feels like some of these songs started—were born—three-and-a-half years ago, so we have that creative itch, which I’m glad, but I don’t see a record in the foreseeable future. Maybe some singles. Maybe some collabs. If an opportunity comes up, we might just have to take it.”
In the conversation, it sounded as if Vanlerberghe was even hinting at some non-music endeavors on the horizon for I Prevail. He didn’t want to reveal too much, but he did share a little bit with the Loudwire Nights audience.
“[We] might tap into some other markets if you catch my drift. Maybe some beer. Maybe whiskey. [There are a lot] of fun things planned for the future…extracurricular stuff.”
Watch I Prevail’s Official Music Video For “There’s Fear In Letting Go”
Eric Vanlerberghe joined Chuck Armstrong for Loudwire Nights on Thursday, May 11; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station. Stream True Power at this location and then check out I Prevail’s full tour schedule.
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