After bursting onto the scene with their hit cover of “Blank Space” in 2014, I Prevail has been growing in popularity within the metalcore scene with each subsequent release. After the success of their last record, ‘TRAUMA,’ the band seemed to be on an uphill climb in their music journey. With ‘TRUE POWER,’ I Prevail continues to develop their interesting combination of metalcore with hip-hop elements and high energy choruses. However, this style can only go so far and ultimately falls stagnant.
At first, ‘TRUE POWER’ shows a lot of potential and explodes with energy. The climatic chorus of “There’s Fear In Letting Go,” the two-step power of “Body Bag,” and the dark hip-hop-influenced groove of “Self-Destruction” have so much promise. The album actually starts off fun. But by the time “Bad Things” comes around, there really isn’t much else happening. Sure, the catchy riff in “Choke” and the infectious chorus of “The Negative” bring some value to the back end of the record, but as a whole, ‘TRUE POWER’ fails to maintain the mindlessly enjoyable songwriting of the first few tracks. “FWYTYK” and “Long Live the King” heavily lean into hip-hop influence with epic choruses, but it treads the same formula as the openers and doesn’t add anything of variety or value to the record.
The problem here isn’t that the record isn’t consistent, but rather it is too consistent. Instead, the record plays it too safe and doesn’t go beyond the comfort of the band. Everything done here is what they’ve done before, which leaves much to be desired. This is ironic in light of “FWYTYK”’s lyrics that talk about pushing limits for their new sound. While it may not be particularly awful, the lack of originality and ingenuity in their music leaves ‘TRUE POWER’ feeling bland and stagnant and lacking character. I’ll admit, there are a few songs here that are genuinely fun to mindlessly listen to, but when it comes to the music itself, there really isn’t much happening below the surface.
As a whole, I Prevail misses the mark in crafting a record of unique songwriting and intriguing composition. While some of the components of ‘TRUE POWER’ are genuinely enjoyable and interesting, these parts don’t make a cohesive whole. Their newest effort works well as a mindless listen, but when looking at the music intentionally, ‘TRUE POWER’ falls short of what it could be. While I Prevail has found their niche and fan base, their most recent endeavors fail to go beyond surface level composition.
