i prevail breaking down behind the scenes video
[Photo via YouTube]

I Prevail break down a two-day music video shoot—watch

I Prevail are less than a day away from their highly anticipated sophomore album, Trauma. With three tracks continuing to build that anticipation, the band are offering up more content to hold you over until tomorrow.

They’re teaming up with AP to share what went into making the videos for two of the new tracks, “Bow Down” and “Breaking Down.”

Read more: 10 famous people you didn’t know were in heavy music

“Bow Down” marked the first new track from I Prevail following clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser’s vocal injury in 2017 and subsequent surgery to remove a polyp.

Prior to the track’s release, Burkheiser opened up about the injury and its effect on their forthcoming record.

“After my vocal injury, I almost gave up and left my band,” he says. “I was in the worst mental state of my life and felt like everything we worked for was over. Early last year though, I told myself that if we were going to get back and write another record, it needed to be done our way.

“No label telling us who to work with or what our music should sound like. No negativity coming in from outside sources. No cookie cutter BS. Just us and our producer [Tyler Smyth] making songs that came from a place of 100 percent authenticity. This record means everything to me. Sorry it took so long, but Trauma was born all through real experience, and we needed time to get it 100 percent right.”

The following week, the band dropped the first track with Burkheiser explaining it was a commentary on the music industry.

“We wanted to get some aggression out about the industry, and a few days later, we knew we were sitting on something special,” he explains.

“Breaking Down” dropped the same day with a video highlighting a struggle with depression. Weeks after its release, Burkheiser opened up on the importance of both the song and the video.

“It’s taken me a minute to post about ‘Breaking Down’ because it’s still a subject that is very hard for me to touch on,” he says. “I’ll never forget my first conversation with [director Ben Proulx] about how the last couple years of my life have been such a blur and even though there has been plenty of success, my mind put me in a place where I just couldn’t enjoy anything. I cut off so many people because I was in such a dark place and couldn’t find a way out.

“Initially I figured we would have someone else play the role [in the video], but I’m so glad Ben and [Connor Hayes] pushed me to open up and play the role of myself. This song means so much to me, and I hope even though it doesn’t end on a positive note, those who deal with similar issues can know that they aren’t alone in this. Not every day is going to be great, but this song and this record have given me a breath of life that I honestly never thought I would feel again.

“I was at the lowest point of my life last year, and even though I still have my days where things can seem unbearable, I know that this band is where I am meant to be. If you’re like me, just take things day by day. Take the good with the bad, and know that there is something out there waiting for you. Sometimes it can just take time to find out exactly what that is.”

Now I Prevail are offering up some behind-the-scenes footage. The clip shows everything from how vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe endured capture in “Bow Down” to how that black sludge played out in “Breaking Down.” Check it out below.

“Paranoid” rounds out the trio of singles ahead of Trauma’s release, their first album since 2016 debut Lifelines.

Trauma drops tomorrow via Fearless Records, and preorders are available here. The band hit the road in April along with Issues and Justin Stone. Tickets are on sale now with dates below.

Dates:

04/24 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
04/25 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
04/27 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
04/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
04/29 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
05/01 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05/02 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
05/04 – Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House
05/05 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
05/07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
05/08 – Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium
05/10 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Westfair Amphitheater
05/11 – Wichita, KS @ Wave
05/13 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
05/17 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
05/18 – San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theater
05/20 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
05/21 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
05/23 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Clyde Theatre
05/24 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
07/11 – London, ON @ Harris Park*
07/12 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theatre
07/14 – Mansfield, OH @ Mansfield Reformatory*
07/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
07/16 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Riverfront
07/18 – Oshkosh, WI @ Ford Festival Park*
07/20 – Cadott, WI @ Rock Fest*
07/22 – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
07/23 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
07/24 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
07/26 – Bethlehem, PA @ Sands Bethlehem Event Center
07/27 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater
07/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
07/30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
07/31 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
08/01 – North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
08/03 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
08/04 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
08/05 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
08/07 – Belvidere, IL @ The Apollo Theatre
08/08 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
08/09 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live
*Festival date with I Prevail only

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