I, Prevail – “Lifelines” [Album Review]

I, Prevail walks onto the scene at an interesting time in rock history. “The radio” used to jam everything from classic rock and grunge to all forms of modern rock. Listening to “the radio” as a prepubescent, I could vicariously experience grunge yelling, “Eeeeeeeeeeeezaaan ressi heee ehhh onna bidddowww maaadaah onnn heeee” (I still don’t know the lyrics to “Evenflow”) and at the same time hear some solid new songs from like… Linkin Park or Three Days Grace.

Then, all of a sudden, when I wanted to hear “new rock”, those same songs OR Imagine Dragons would play, which… when did indie/pop rock become “rock”? I love me some “Raaaaaadioactive… raaaaadioactive” but not when I’m tryna rock, bruh. This, in turn, drove me to satiate my lust for all things dj0nty and aggro to metalcore, but deep down, I still long for that ear worm, radio rock. Fix your face. You know what I’m talking about.

Lifelines is the first hard rock record I’ve heard in a while that is single after single after single, meaning literally no filler or stale tracks. Songs 1 through 5 go balls-to-the-wall and contain my fave track off the album, “Chaos”. What to expect – banger opening riff, vocal-driven verse and big choruses, the trifecta of what makes rock historically awesome – The formula of which is even depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Slow down the tape. It’s there.

“Alone” pulls back on the reins for a moment and is a great example of the dynamics to expect on this album where rock meets a more ethereal, pop/electronic vibe and the feels get real-real. I was lifting when I first gave Lifelines a listen, and when it got to chorus of this song, the guy on the bench next to me took out one of his ear buds and asked me if I was okay, to which I responded, “Just… got some sweat in my eyes, bro.” *rubs eyes vigorously* Fear not. The grrrr picks right back up thereafter, but you’ve been warned.

The juxtaposition of tracks like “Already Dead” and “My Heart I Surrender,” an acoustic-driven return from IP’s “Heart vs. Mind,” shows that this band not only can b0unce but also pull on your heart strings like Geppotto. This album will make waves. Buckle up.

Lifelines Track Listing:

01. Scars
02. Stuck In Your Head
03. Lifelines
04. Come And Get It
05. Chaos
06. Alone
07. Outcast
08. RISE
09. Already Dead
10. Pull The Plug
11. One More Time
12. My Heart I Surrender
13. Worst Part Of Me

Run Time: 43:52
Release Date: October 21, 2016

Check out the song “Stuck In Your Head