SUNDAY DROP - SPIN #94
If you asked me to play an album on our turntable that showcases quality and energy across the entire track listing, I would choose this week's spin. 2019's 'Trauma' album by metalcore band, I Prevail has so much upside to it and I feel they get overlooked a lot in the music industry. I'm hoping if you haven't heard of I Prevail before reading our blog that you will go out and add this album (or their others) to your collection. I started my love for this band with this album and had it on repeat at one stage for my long trips up to Sydney for work. They performed at Download Festival in Sydney back in 2019 and I was lucky enough to see them nail their live performance. I know that my sister enjoys their music too and has already guessed the MWSP correctly. In terms of energy, they are up there with the best I've seen (Limp Bizkit being up there too) and would see them every time they performed in Australia, if I could. I did miss their recent sideshows for Good Things festival at the back end of 2023 due to work travelling.
Night Kat Kiz seems to like majority of their songs too (even some of the heavier sounding ones) and got the head nods and approval from our 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter too. I think that I will play this one out in the front sun room and let the kids draw on the cardboard boxes left over from Christmas. They are having so much fun but if we stop watching, they'll go and draw all over the walls. 'Trauma' has a very cool LP design with clear and magenta splatter. It matches the colour scheme of the jacket and looks awesome spinning on the turntable. The first week of 2024 has blown by and before we know it, we will be putting the Christmas tree back up again.
Image: Gabe Helguera (Drums), Eric Vanlerberghe (Unclean Vocals), Dylan Bowman (Rhythm Guitar), Brian Burkheiser (Clean Vocals) and Steve Menoian (Lead Guitar & Bass)
It's time to #dropthestylus on 'Trauma' and experience the clean/unclean vocal tandem of I Prevail. As soon as I placed Side A of Trauma on the turntable, the kids ran to sit on my legs. We have been having fun with some music, where I air drum along and they do too. They laugh when I do the kick drums because it makes them bounce in the air a lot. Although it is very tiring drumming with added weights on the legs.
After seeing this band perform live, I knew that I had to have more of their music. They've since released 'True Power' in 2022 and I'm looking forward to anything that they are planning to release later down the track. 'Trauma' starts off with the huge single, 'BOW DOWN'. Before the stylus moves into the first track, please make sure your volume is at a suitable level. I do recommend however that you spin this record at a loud volume in order to immerse yourself completely. Our 5 year old little boy at first was saying, "Too Loud" but by the end of the first song he was smiling from ear to ear.
What an opening song! It was the lead off single released to promote the album too. I didn't realise that there were five singles released from the album but it doesn't surprise me at all. If you are struggling with people doubting you or always trying to tell you that you're not good enough, this song acts as an anthem in response to all of that. It has a nice mix of breakdowns and lyrics that hook you in. The band wrote this song to the music industry that are constantly trying to change and control their musical direction and image. "You'll never know, it's the price I pay. Look into my eyes, we are not the same. Yeah, this where you fall apart (fall apart). Yeah, this is where you break. 'Cause I'm in control and you'll know my name, 'cause I gave my life, gave it everything yeah, this is where you fall apart (fall apart). Yeah, this is where you break (where you break). To everybody who doubted, get on your knees and BOW DOWN".
The back and forth between Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals) and Eric Vanlerberghe (scream-unclean vocals) works well for the band. I'm glad that Burkheiser was able to recover from his vocal chord polyps and continue with his career. It wouldn't be the same band without him adding his clean vocals to it and you can hear a lot of inspiration pouring out of him within these songs. They had a moment during a tour in Australia where his voice gave out and he started to have depression and anxiety creep into his mind because of it. The crowd managed to lift his spirits by singing for him and look at the band all these years later. 'PARANOID' is about all of those insecurities and how they can affect every aspect of your life. Inspiring for the band's lyrics but never nice seeing someone suffering. This song features some nice drumming by Gabe Helguera and he loves to teach drums from what I can see online. Maybe we can get our kids some drumming lessons as they grow or show them Night Kat Kiz's guitars.
Sleep Token had a moment last December in London, where their lead singer was unable to finish the final show of a heavy touring schedule. I don't know the exact number but it felt like they performed over 200 times or more last year and it was understandable that his voice was giving out. Instead of cancelling the show, the crowd was asked to sing the final 4 or 5 songs while Vessel did his best on stage. Suffering from an illness and performing to please the crowd was something the fans appreciated a lot and they stepped up to help out. Vessel managed to get his voice back slightly to finish the night and the band is now on a much deserved break. So awesome when musicians understand that fans wait and pay a lot of money to see them.
The kids are excited because we played a bit of cricket today on the big field and astroturf wicket. It was only the second time that they have seen the big wicket and they were amazed by how long it was. I only bowled to them from half way because the full pitch was too much for their little selves and we had some fun. Night Kat Kiz finished the day 51 not out and I'll have to bowl some off-spin to her next time. I found my old Australia cricket shirt for our son and took some photos of him all dressed up. He was excited, even though it was so big on him. Earlier in the week my Dad took me to the Sydney New Years Test match between Australia and Pakistan. We sat in the seats he loves in the old Members stand and had great weather for the entire day. It was enjoyable watching the batsmen warming up in the nets earlier in the day and sharing a crisp cold beer with my Dad in the top bar. We both couldn't remember seeing the Sydney test looking so good and enjoyed watching David Warner's final test match before retiring. Always love watching the test and on my bucket list is to watch the entire five days at the SCG (weather and result pending).
Third track on the album is called 'EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE' and it features Delaney Jane from Canada. This one softens the album in a good way and offers more of a duet between Burkheiser and Jane. Very singable track and one that got the kids swaying side to side a bit. If you get a chance, check out the live acoustic version of this track here. I had some fun drumming along to this next song called, 'RISE ABOVE IT'. The tandem of clean and scream is back and pumps up the listener to be content with where they are at in life. "I will stop at nothing, cause I was made to rise above it!".
There is some deep bass and trap style music on this album and it is showcased a bit on this track when the feature of Justin Stone comes on. A track to spin or stream if you've had a bad day or self-doubts starts creeping into your thoughts. Sometimes I feel like we are struggling as parents, more so myself as a Dad when the kids aren't listening. Some days they are just growing so much that their little brains go haywire. Today was great but we had a few challenges with the kids not listening. Just need to keep reminding ourselves that we are doing well and it's not meant to be easy.
Our little girl is closer to three than two now and yesterday had her first night in a big girl bed (single bed instead of her baby cot). She was overwhelmed with the change at first and our son was jealous of the attention that was being given to her. She ended up having fun and managed to sleep all the way through the night in her new surrounds. We checked on her up until Night Kat Kiz and I went to bed and she looked so relaxed and happy. I woke up around 6.30am this morning and laid with her. She was awake but so comfy that she didn't want to get out of bed straight away. Side A has some strong songs to round it out and overall I haven't found a weak song. 'BREAKING DOWN' discusses the same theme as previous tracks and builds on the fact that traumatic experiences can result in an ongoing feeling of being damaged. While 'DOA' sounds like someone trying to live through life by masking the numbness inside -"Feeling dead on arrival". Our kids have had enough and are now watching some Ninja Turtles on the tele. They have been dressing up as the turtles and practicing some Ninja moves around the house - little purple and blue eye mask around their heads, very cute. With the kids out of the room now, it gives me time to flip the LP and drop the stylus on Side B.
Probably the hardest song on the album and one that starts with someone burning down a place and coughing - "Lets burn this fucking down, yeah". 'GASOLINE' has a special place in my heart and I'm sure my sisters too. Was such a pump up song while driving to work and found myself singing along to it quite a few times. A lot of energy was spent when they sang this one live and if you have some enemies out there, it would be the one to put up loud and leave everything with the song. I was thinking of the next song while I was floating in the city cave float therapy a couple of weeks ago. 'HURRICANE' is the flip side of the coin of the previous song and has some of the best lyrics on the album. "Lately, I don't give a fuck. Cause I can't be myself when I'm with anyone. Maybe, I'm already gone. I'll never be the same. It hit me like a hurricane, it hit me like a tidal wave and I don't know why I drown my mind in everything they say". I think it could be the tempo drumming and beat of the song that makes me sing along to it and remember the lyrics. There are a couple of bands that have caught my attention recently - Motionless In White, At the Gates, Falling In Reverse, A Day to Remember, Currents, Beartooth, Bad Omens and Wage War to name a few. Check out some of these bands if you haven't heard of them - You're Welcome!
'Trauma' has some really down songs that pull the heartstrings and create a sense of catharsis and reminds us that If you are feeling a bit sad, music can be the remedy that you are searching for. 'LET ME BE SAD' is the next track that the stylus is moving towards and it discusses the theme of accepting sadness and processing through it. They don't want to lose the memories and completely forget what they are upset about either. There are some lyrics that I find myself singing each time that I hear this track. "I'm doing everything I can to try and fix it, but knowing me, I'll probably miss it. These voices get so vicious, feels like I'm rippin' stitches". The album has some emo feelings intertwined in the songs like My Chemical Romance and Getaway Plan do on their albums to great effect.
Side B is moving along nicely and I find myself looking out the front window as I write this. The breeze is coming through the windows and the sun is shining outside. I'm glad that I got the lawns done yesterday and I still need to wash the cars and clean the pool. A Rylo's work is never done! 'LOW' is the next song that spins our way and even though the tempo and feeling of the song is positive and upbeat, the lyrics are discussing the low feeling that the persona has. Paired with the following song of 'GOODBYE (INTERLUDE)', this is emotionally the saddest part of the album. It's a chance to regroup and get a drink while this one is playing, as it is an interlude.
I say that because the knockout punch of 'DEADWEIGHT' is about to start and was almost my favourite track on the album. I remember hearing it for the first time when I was washing the car at our old place. I had the headphones on and washing away, then this song came on and I stopped to check out who it was. I also had to turn up the volume to almost the maximum because it was slappin' hard. Basically what I've been saying all this time - don't have people in your life that are going to bring you down. Life is short and there is absolutely no time at all to waste your energy on that. "Yeah, I'm cutting out the deadweight, Yeah I'm cutting out the ones who drag me down. All this negativity weighing down on me, All this negativity weighing down on me. Cutting out the deadweight". I know I haven't mentioned the guitar work of Menoian and Bowman and maybe I should have earlier in the spin. I think that I was getting so into the album that I forgot but technically very good and I think Menoian also plays the bass guitar too.
Last song that the stylus begins playing on the album is called, 'I DON'T BELONG HERE'. I've felt that way a couple of times in my life and it isn't a very nice feeling to experience. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has felt that way, and it is ok to admit it out loud. I also want to know who plays the keys on this track! Lyrically a strong finish to the album and I challenge anyone to sit and listen to this album WITHOUT singing anything. It is IMPOSSIBLE! "I feel so far away, minutes turn to hours and the hours into days. I gave up everything, You don't know what you got until you throw it all away". I would like to hear Sleep Token cover this track as I think the sound and lyrics suit their style. I'm watching the stylus as it moves beyond the last song groove and into the dead wax. What did you think of 'Trauma'? Let me know below in the comments or on our social pages.
Thanks for joining us on your Sunday afternoon and spending it with myself (Rylo) and my little family. I hope that you enjoyed the album this week and found another band to add to your record collections. I've given you a few other bands to sink your teeth into as well. I'll see you back here next week for our next spin and a very big Congratulations to my parents who will be celebrating their 41st Wedding Anniversary tomorrow - love you both very much.
"Run away, run away, man-infested destiny. No escape, no escape, headfirst into the outbreak, yeah. This is our apocalypse, doomsday at our fingerprints. Trigger the countdown, run up the headcount. We're all invited, invited to the meltdown" - Motionless In White - 'Meltdown'
Until our next Spin, be Kind to the Ninja Turtles and be Kind to your Wax!
YEAR RELEASED | 2019 |
PRODUCED BY | TYLER SMITH |
LABEL | FEARLESS |
PRICE RANGE | $50+AUD |
SPEED PLAYED AT | 33 1/3 RPM |
ALBUM BEFORE | LIFELINES (2016) |
ALBUM AFTER | TRUE POWER (2022) |
FURTHER LISTENING | MOTIONLESS IN WHITE - SCORING THE END OF THE WORLD (2022) |
FAVOURITE SONG | BASICALLY THE WHOLE ALBUM, CAN'T CHOOSE |
RATING OUT OF 5 | 5 |
WHAT'S INSIDE THE RECORD SLEEVE | 1 X ULTRA CLEAR WITH NEON MAGENTA VINYL, LYRICS PRINTED ON JACKET |
Favourite lyric:
"Nothing but red inside when I close my eyes, Vision built that you can't deny. Born and bred to take back what's mine, Break or Bow down, you decide. Tell 'em all that you can't be saved. Tell 'em all that you dug this grave. Learn to live in this mess you made, Now it's mine to send up in flames" ~ Gasoline - Side B
TRACK LISTING
LP / SIDE | SONG | TRACK LENGTH |
SIDE A | BOW DOWN | 4:02 |
| PARANOID | 2:24 |
EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE (FEAT. DELANEY JANE) | 3:36 | |
RISE ABOVE IT (FEAT. JUSTIN STONE) | 3:04 | |
BREAKING DOWN | 3:26 | |
DOA | 3:16 | |
SIDE B | GASOLINE | 2:33 |
HURRICANE | 3:43 | |
LET ME BE SAD | 3:34 | |
LOW | 2:45 | |
GOODBYE (INTERLUDE) | 1:42 | |
DEADWEIGHT | 3:04 | |
I DON'T BELONG HERE | 3:41 |
I Prevail performing at Download Festival in 2019 - Sydney