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A Force Of Nature With ERIC VANLERBERGHE From I PREVAIL · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: What's up there for my prevail hanging out here with
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: my boy Chris. We just dropped a new record, Violent Nature,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: and uh, we're about to talk about it.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Fantastic. Erry, thanks for joining us today. It was a pleasure.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Hey, thanks for having me man.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Oh wise, brother, So, I provi released your four studio album,
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: vole at Nature just last week. Like it hasn't been long, mate,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: But how's the early reception being? Is it what you hope?
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: It's been incredible. It's been incredible just seeing the love
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: on it. Playing some of these new songs live. Uh.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: We played one of the songs before the record came
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: out out of CD release show and people were just
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: jumping and it felt great. Man, it felt great. It's
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: good to finally have it out.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Oh. The press release alludes to the fact that you've
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: taken things to the next level with vallet Nature. Would
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: you agree with that statement?
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I think that's a fair fair assessment. We
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: uh yeah, I mean, just like every record in the past,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: we always look back and go, Okay, what can we
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: do better? And uh, how can what we what can
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: we improve and what can we how can we cut
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: the fat? And uh yeah, with the heavier stuff. I
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: feel like we've gotten found creative ways to get heavier
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: and uh, and when it comes back to writing the hooks,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the choruses, we spent a lot of time make sure
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: that we loved every single one of them before it
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: was you know, made sure that each one felt like
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: a ten out of ten before went out the door.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: And yeah, yeah, just you know, after ten or eleven,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: you know, eleven so years of writing, I think we're
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: just starting to get it, just starting to how can.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: You dive into the album a bit more deeper from
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: a musical point of view, might and like what you've
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: gone for this toime ran.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the last couple of records we had,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: I think it was like fourteen songs on each of them,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: and uh, I think looking back, we just how can
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: we improve, Like I like I said earlier, how can
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: we what can we do better this time around? And
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: I think with this record, we were very focused on
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: making sure that there's no filler on the record. You know,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: if we started a demo and it started to feel
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: a little too in the same vein as another song,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: or we just couldn't find the right way to bring
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: it to life, and you know in the right way
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: that made it could stand alone, not just be a
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: track filler. We cut it early. We were like, okay,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: put a pause on it, put it in the side,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: you know, we'll maybe we'll revisit it later. And then
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: we just look back on the last record and we're like,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: all right, how can we make these choruses just more hooky?
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Like how can we make these undeniable sing along as
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: at shows? And put a big emphasis on that. But yeah,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: I'm very stoked with what we did, and and just
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: having ten songs just means we can start writing sooner
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: and start putting up you know, putting out new stuff
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: quicker down the pipe.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: And I guess now the album stops at the track
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Synthetic Soul, which pipens with an ambient pian and passage
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: before rumble of guitars after the heaviness, and then it
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: drips in an album sort of like a schizophrenic kesgirl friend.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: And what was that chosen as the first song to
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: highlight the sonic disparity on the album.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: It was. But what's funny about it is that that
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: was we were nearing the last few days we had
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: to demo, and then we were going to the studio
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: to track drums and vocals, and it's uh. We were like, hey,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: maybe let's really want to try and write something in
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: this vibe and and maybe it could be like an
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: interlude or break up, you know, these two songs, and
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: that worst case, maybe there'll just be a live track
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: that we go in between songs live. And after two
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: days we got back to the studio one of the
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: last days of demo, and we were like, oh, man,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: I think the song needs to be more than just
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: an interlude. And yeah, once we started just letting, we
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: let the music kind of got where we needed to
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: take it, you know, And once we were done with it,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: we were like, this has to be the first song
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: on the record, right, So we cut the original first track.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: We didn't even move it. We just cut it, yeah,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: because we were like, oh, that doesn't even feel cohesive
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: anymore with the record. So we cut that song. This
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: went in place, and I think looking back on it,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: it was like, Wow, this I think is a great
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: opening track because it's got the softness and the eeriness
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: then into the chorus and then it brings just a
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: taste of heavy and it just perfectly worked out to
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: be like something that encapsulated the rest of the record
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: sonically for us.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, beautiful. You recorded the album maybe two stints won
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: in December last year and another one in February this year.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Was there a raisin stat or was that your circumstance?
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Oh, just time and had to get back home for
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: our families for Christmas and Thanksgiving. But yeah, we went
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: down there, crushed a batch of songs, had the singles ready,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: and then went and finished the last last bit of
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the record. And yeah, it was, Uh, it was a great,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: great experience because we've always done it and and you know,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: our our houses, you know, and and uh student friends,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: producers houses, or we were in an airbnb and this
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: time it was it was really good experience to going
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: a nice studio and track and a vocal booth and
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: a drum room and yeah, yeah it was awesome.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: Was it difficult picking up again when you went back
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: in February? Though? Like, was it did you pick up
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: where you left off or does it feel to you
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: like two separate sessions? It was.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: It was a lot of picking up where we left
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: off because all the songs were written demoed out in
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: our in our building, like in our rehearsal space, so
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: everything was you know, tracked and you know, rough track,
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: and the ideas were all there, and uh so we
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: went to do the first bit. It was getting in
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: the rhythm of it all and feeling the songs again.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: And then when we went home for that little bit
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: of time and came back, we had the other songs
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: that were like almost done tracked with drums and the
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: final vocals, and hearing the life it got from the
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: demos to the final recordings just made me more excited
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: just to hurry and get back down there and finish it.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: So definitely definitely felt like a continuation.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, now this album also sees you assumed both clean
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: and harsh vicals for the first time. I'd say, how
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: was that transition to you?
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: It's it's still learning experience and a learning curve for sure,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: especially playing these songs live and finding that that transition,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: going from the harsh to the first clean note and
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: having the building the stamina to do you know, a
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: seventy minute eighty minute set. You know, I want to
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: want to once we start headline to deal to jam
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: them all in. But uh, with the track and recording,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: it was, uh, it was a fun process to find
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: my voice, and I don't think I found it fully yet.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I think that's still yet to come. But uh, to
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: be able to experiment and and try things was it
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: was really refreshing on this record for me personally.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: I think you're being a bit modest, Mike, because not
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: only did you assume by the thralls you fucking now
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: died run Like, did you know you could sing claims
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: that well? Or was it a bit of a rufty.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: In the past past tours we've Dylan and I our guitarist,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: had to fill in for medical reasons and other reasons,
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: just having to hop up there and last minute do
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: a tour, and and I picked up a little bit then,
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: So it was like kind of you know, getting cast
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: in the fire and just you know, Dylan's saying ninety
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: percent of it, but there's parts where you know he's
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: playing and needs me to hop on and sing a part.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: So I had that little bit of being thrown on
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: the fire. So I knew there was something. What was it,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: I didn't quite know yet, But but going into the studio,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: you know, actually coming up these melodies and singing them
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: myself in here, and it's like damn, okay, I can
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: do that, all right, Let's let's try and push it
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: or let's let's bump it up a key. Let's see
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: where I can go, Let's see what I can't do.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: Let's It was a lot of fun learning, like, Okay,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: that's where my range is, that's where my high end is. Okay,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: I can put fry in this grit on it when
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: I'm singing this style or this way, and it's, uh,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: that's what I mean. It's I'm still learning. But it
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: was such a it was it was a cool, cool
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: moment when we started working on the vocals.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Did a change your way you're writing approach? Like now
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: in Europe we're writing claim sunk for yourself as well?
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: I did a sine things at all that Uh.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Not, not particularly. We've always been a band that we
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: focused when whenever we've been writing is uh, let's make
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: the song sound as as good as possible. Let's make
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: it the best thing we can do, and then we'll
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: go through and I'll sing it and oh, okay, that's
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: a little unnatural. Okay, let's let's tweak that a little bit.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: And we've always kind of done that, but we we
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: focused on making the song. You know, whether if I'm
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: doing a belty thing into a falsetto into a scream,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: if it sounds good, we're gonna We're gonna go for it,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: and then I'm just gonna have to figure out how
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: to do it live. I'll figure it out.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: You sort of touched on this bit before, bro, but
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: ever since, Like I remember when you Guys came out
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: first in your first album, and I just like it
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: blew me away, like just the lengths you went to
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: you with your music and other people won't going to
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: like does that come naturally to you, guys? Or is
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: that something you have to work at? Oh?
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Thank you? Yeah, if you're talking like stylistic choices and stuff,
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I mean I grew up listening from everything, man, like
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: whether it's like deaf core death metal, to pop music
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: to to I even you know, I even dig some
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: country like rock. Just there's been so many different bands.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: I just love music, and the rest of the guys
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: have all had similar where they it's not just this
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: kind of style of music they like, and so to
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: be able to look at and see what we like
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: about all where's the Venn diagram touch on little bits
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: of everything and and just going for it, especially like
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: the first EP was like, well, we want to have
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: a song that taty. We want to have an acoustic song.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: We want to have something that's got a little bit
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: of electronic in it. We want to do something that's
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: got like a pop punk rock radio kind of driving,
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: you know, guitar part, Like we want to we want
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: to kind of experiment it with with it all. And
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: then I feel like when we did Lifelines, we kind
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: of pulled back on the pushing the limits just a
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: little bit, and it left room for the next record
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: to really, like on Trauma, to really expand on you know,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: what we wanted to do since the beginning.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, very nice. Now you guys around here, just last
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: year we'd Parkway Drive for the twentieth anniversary store and
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: I saw you the Bridsbee Show and you now for
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: more reports? You now that night after night, Like, have
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: you given thought to coming back and doing your own
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: headline shows? I'm sure you get a couple of.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Table absolutely, man. After that, I was floored, first of all,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: Parkway Drive our legends and for them giving us that
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: opportunity was so so sick. And yeah, I feel like
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: we played in front of a ton of new fans
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: and people that may not even hurd of us and
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: and the bummers. Now it's like, oh we want to
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: go write a record. Oh we got some states touring.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: Oh we got these obligations. All right, When when can
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: we get back? When can we get back? So if
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: it's not twenty six, it's gonna be early twenty seven,
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: We're getting back as soon as possible.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sounds good, brother, will into veintime. You take care
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: of yourself, ball at nights. You is out now and
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: it's uh my to I've been following you guys from
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: the start and I think this is your best break
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: it And I know they didn't even Betty to come brother,
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: So congratulations. We'll see when you get yet, Chris.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much man. That means that means the world. Yeah,
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to come back. Thanks for the opportunity
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: and for everyone listening. Thanks, thanks for the love and support.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: Motherfucker what the vie nicer gotta sign?
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: Fuck?
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: What a fun starter bride?
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: What I has a Well?
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: Why don't like that? I thought the fucking not of
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: red like gotta sign a fucking what the fire nicer
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: gonna sn.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: Stop? I want to.
• 13:10
  Speaker 5: Why not, sir, Come break me and find me actually
• 13:27
  Speaker 5: a fort.
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: By drive time you want to stop, I want to?
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: Why not, Sir?
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: I like that side.