From Hospital To Honeymoons: I Prevail’s Eric Reflects On Seven Trips To Australia

After more than a decade of breakdowns, sold-out rooms and slowly levelling up into full-blown arena territory, I Prevail are about to touch down in Australia for their biggest headline run here yet. And judging by frontman Eric Vanlerberghe’s stories… this place has already put him through enough to earn frequent flyer status.

Ahead of kicking off the Violent Nature Tour this Sunday in Perth with special guests Imminence and Invent Animate in toe, we caught up with Eric to talk standout Down Under memories, his love affair with Australia’s heavy scene and the surprisingly wholesome bucket list items he’s still trying to tick off. From a terrifying hospital visit before his very first Aussie show through to tattoo pilgrimages, quokka encounters and declaring Sydney home to the world’s best margaritas… turns out I Prevail’s relationship with Australia runs deeper than just turning venues into cardio sessions…

I Prevail – ‘VIOLENT NATURE’

The First Time I Prevail Played Australia, Eric Thought He Might Die (!!!)

Eric’s most unforgettable Australian memory isn’t exactly the postcard version.

Rewinding to I Prevail’s first ever Australian tour supporting Motionless In White, he remembers arriving in Perth and suddenly feeling like something was seriously wrong.

“We were at soundcheck and all of a sudden it felt like I’d been hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat.”

The situation escalated quickly. Eric was rushed to hospital for scans, with doctors initially concerned it could be a brain bleed.

“I’m messaging my now-wife – who at that point had only moved to Michigan a month earlier – at three or four in the morning saying, ‘Hey, I’m in the hospital. They think I might have a brain bleed and if they don’t get me in within two hours I might die… but I don’t think that’s going to happen.’”

Thankfully, it turned out not to be a brain bleed at all, but a genetic nerve issue in the back of his neck that had become severely aggravated.

Even so… he still made the show (!!)

“I got back to the venue basically as the rest of the band were walking on stage. I threw my in-ears in and wore what I wore at the hospital.”

Twelve years into I Prevail and Eric says he’s still never missed a show.

“That one wasn’t going to stop me.”

Somewhere Between Margaritas, Tattoos And Quokkas, Australia Became A Second Home

Thankfully, Eric’s Aussie memories have become significantly less medically dramatic since then.

One of his non-negotiable Sydney rituals? Sipping fat margs at Cantina OK!

“There’s a place called Cantina OK! in Sydney and that’s a staple every time I come over.”

This new trip’s especially meaningful too – Eric’s wife is flying out to Sydney to start their honeymoon early: “She’s coming out for the first show and then we’re going to Tokyo for a week and a half after. But I told her we have to go to this bar, it’s got the best margaritas in the world.”

Then there’s another recurring tradition: tattoos.

One of Eric’s closest mates in Australia is Sydney tattoo artist Dan Razor, who’s been steadily building out his sleeve over multiple tours.

“Every time I go over there I get a new piece.”

And because apparently he’s fully committed to collecting Aussie experiences at this point, he also made sure to shout out Rottnest Island.

“Seeing the quokkas was another great memory.”

Eric Reckons Aussie Metalcore Has Its Own DNA

When the conversation shifts to heavy music, Eric lights up.

Because from his perspective, Australian metalcore isn’t just thriving – it genuinely sounds different.

“You guys have such an incredible scene of heavy music,” he says.

He reckons there’s a distinct identity running through Australian bands that stands out immediately.

“When you hear certain bands you can kind of tell – you’re like, ‘I think these dudes are Aussie.’”

Eric specifically shouted out Make Them Suffer, Northlane, Alpha Wolf and Justice For The Damned.

“They all have such uniqueness to them. You can’t always quite put your finger on it… but it feels like it was bred Down Under.”

And while he says heavy music is thriving in the US too, Australia’s crowds hit differently.

“I feel like when I see bands tour over in Australia, you guys just have a little bit more appreciation for heavy.”

At this point, after seven visits, Eric says Australia has started feeling less like a tour stop and more like routine.

“It’s crazy that I get to go over to Australia and play, I think this is our seventh time, and go, ‘oh yeah, there’s that cool coffee spot down there. I’m going to hit the record store down there. There’s a trading card shop I’m going to go to’,” he says. “It almost feels like a second home, which is so cool.”

But there’s Still One Big Aussie Bucket List Item Left…

Despite seven visits, Eric still reckons he’s barely scratched the surface.

One memory that stuck with him came during I Prevail’s Parkway Drive arena run, when their late manager took them out to explore one of WA’s national parks.

“We’ve got beautiful places in the States too, but it felt so foreign and alien seeing that over there.”

Now he wants to come back properly. Bring his wife. Do the nature thing. And there’s one more thing he’s determined to figure out: sport.

Eric recalls arriving in Sydney during what he thinks was either an AFL or rugby final and ending up in a packed bar trying to understand wtf was happening.

“I’m a big hockey and baseball guy… but holy hell seeing the amount of people out there.”

His official Australian bucket list goal?

“I would love to see one of those games and feel like a proper Australian.”

Honestly mate – we’ll allow it.

I Prevail’s Violent Nature Australian Tour kicks off this Sunday in Perth with special guests Imminence and Invent Animate, ad you can peep all the dates and ticketing details down below.

I Prevail 2026 The Violent Nature Australian Tour

With Special Guests Imminence + Invent Animate

• SUNDAY 14 JUNE – RED HILL AUDITORIUM, PERTH
• TUESDAY 16 JUNE – ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE THEATRE, ADELAIDE
• THURSDAY 18 JUNE – JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE
• SUNDAY 21 JUNE – RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
• TUESDAY 23 JUNE – HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY

Tickets on sale now via destroyalllines.com

Further Reading

I Prevail Announce Massive 2026 Australian Arena Tour

RedHook’s Alex Powys Talks 10 Drummers Who Influenced His Playing On ‘Mutation’

I Prevail: Five Things You Might Not Know About ‘True Power’

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