I Prevail’s Eric Vanlerberghe Opens Up About Stage Fright, New Era + ‘Violent Nature’

I Prevail’s Eric Vanlerberghe has peeled back the curtain on one of the more surprising parts of his career, his stage fright.

In an interview with Loudwire, Eric revealed unlike most vocalists who freeze in front of festival crowds, his fear came from the smallest rooms, those early local shows where every face felt like it was staring straight through him.

“Looking back at my local bands… There’d be 15 people there, 20 people there and I could not speak to save my life,” he admitted.

“But when we started touring… three, four, five hundred people… It was like, ‘Oh, this is easier.’ I don’t have to look at five people and know that they each have an identity and a consciousness and they’re each judging me right now.”

Ironically, one of the more recent moments that rattled him didn’t happen onstage at all, it was at bandmate Dylan Bowman’s wedding. The best man speech triggered a familiar panic. “I just had to stare at my phone… ‘Look up. Finish two lines, look up.’… Focus, focus, focus.”

New era

Meanwhile, Eric’s taken on the heavy lifting vocally in I Prevail’s new era, stepping into clean singing after Brian Burkheiser’s departure. It wasn’t an easy shift, but trial by fire moments over past tours gave him the confidence to push through, he reflected on those early substitutes, entire tours where the band had to adapt overnight, learning harmonies and melodic parts on the fly.

The band’s internal support system became crucial as they worked on Violent Nature and new material. “To be able to go in there with confidence… I’m not gonna have the guys back there snickering… it’s all 100 percent like, ‘Yeah, you got this,’” he said.

That trust helped him deliver big melodic hooks, including the standout track ‘Into Hell’, which fans have embraced.

Vanlerberghe also spoke about the careful balance of influences that shape I Prevail’s sound, while he listens widely, anything that sparks emotion, he avoids music too close to their lane during the final writing push.

He doesn’t want subconscious imitation muddying the message.

Despite the nerves, Eric thrives on the challenge, whether it’s amphitheatres, pyro heavy staging, or learning to command the full width of a festival setup, he’s committed to pushing I Prevail’s live show harder every year.