I Prevail is a hard rock band based in Southfield, Michigan that came to be in 2013. The band is composed of clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser, harsh vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe, lead guitarist Steve Menoian, rhythm guitarist Dylan Bowman, and drummer Gabe Helguera. They released their debut EP Heart vs. Mind in 2014 and rose to popularity from their viral metal cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” which eventually was certified platinum in the US.
Since then, I Prevail has released dozens of singles, collabing with artists across multiple genres, and rocking out at music festivals across the globe. The band has shared the stage with Pierce The Veil, Hollywood Undead, Neck Deep, A Day to Remember, and created songs with Halestorm and All Time Low. They have performed at countless music festivals year to year like Warped Tour, ShipRocked, Welcome to Rockville, and Download, just to name a few.
Their debut album Lifelines was released in 2016 and was subsequently certified RIAA gold. Their 2019 album Trauma received two Grammy Nominations; the Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance for their song “Bow Down.” Their most recent album, True Power was released in 2022. The group will be featured at a handful of music festivals during the Summer of 2025 around the world.
We got to catch up with vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe on ShipRocked about his favorite football team, when fans can expect new music, and a strange hotel stay in Indonesia.
I’m so sorry about your Detroit Lions.
Every time I start to forget, I’m quickly reminded of that terrible night the the lions. It was their first time going to the playoffs since I can remember, I’m 33 years old. We’ve been a terrible team, and we finally made it. Dan Campbell and Jared Goff took the team to new heights. We had a bye week, which killed us and then lost to the seventh seed. I’ll cry over that later.
What’s your favorite part of being on the road?
Probably traveling. When COVID was going on, the first thing I did was I sold the car and bought a camper. My now fiancee, my girl, and my friends went on the road and traveled just to go see stuff. I love it when we get to tour and go travel to new places, new countries, new cities. It’s awesome having time off and being able to just go wander and just get a feel of what it’s like if I were to live here. Then when we go and play that show, I get this little taste of the kid that’s in the front row singing every word of the song. I get a little taste of what he or she lives like day to day. It makes me even more grateful for what I get to do.
What are some of the hidden gems you’ve found in the camper?
Nothing crazy. I only had it for about two years during the pandemic. We went way up north to Michigan and went up to Copper Harbor. That was probably the best trip. It was like a ten-hour drive. First time taking that camper and it was a hike and we did a couple festivals. We went down to Blue Ridge twice with my camper while the band flew in and played the show. We stayed the whole weekend. We got the feel of what it feels like living at a festival. It was awesome.
When can we expect new music?
Man, once I get off this boat, I’m going to get back to working on some new music. It’ll be soon. Let’s say this year, you’ll hear something.
What’s inspiring you right now?
There’s been a lot of stuff happening that’s been inspiring. I don’t want to give too much away. Just a lot of new relationships, cutting ties of old relationships, processing old relationships with people from the past. I’ll leave it at that.
Are you sad TikTok might go away?
What’s TikTok? No. I think social media has been crazy. Being able to say what you want and do what you want and post what you want should be your right. The culture of the TikTok brain, the 15 seconds in and out, it’s just mind numbing everybody. I try not to have too heavy of an opinion on it.
Have you ever had a destination inspire a song?
I can’t say I’ve ever had a destination inspire a song, but it’s given me some ideas for maybe wrapping up this record we’re working on.
Strangest place you’ve ever slept as a band?
We stayed in a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. We were touring with Bring Me the Horizon. We were supposed to have two shows there. We were there for a total of four and a half days, and the show got cancelled halfway through. The venue had technical difficulties and issues, so we had to stay in this hotel. It wasn’t so much as where we slept. It was just a crazy experience being in this hotel, in this country, around the world.
The area was surrounded by barbed wire and you had to go through metal detectors to get into the hotel. It was just a very unsettling experience at first, getting to be there for four days straight. I’m glad to say I was able to do it and see and learn more. Like I’ve said earlier, traveling and having new experiences to put in my book. You know, not that I’m writing a book just in a figurative book.
What’s in store for 2025?
We got some new music. We got tours, lots of traveling. True Power came out about two years ago now. It’s about the time we start wrapping things up and start trying to take over the world again.
Favorite ShipRocked moment?
The one where the boat didn’t sink.