Slaughter To Prevail
Grizzly
Sumerian Records
Needless to say, but since the band’s inception back in 2014, the ensuing decade-plus has been a helluva ride for deathcore denizens, Slaughter To Prevail. With various ups-and-downs, Alex Terrible’s mob now ride high on the streaming charts and festival circuits, so what better way to consolidate that success than with their third full-length in ‘Grizzly’?
In many ways, that is an apt title as it’s vicious and beastly throughout. Opening salvo, ‘Banditos’, replete with an odd skit towards its close, rips the ears off with sawing guitars and Terrible’s ungodly growls: the Slaughter To Prevail formula. Oh, plus a breakdown – the band’s bread and butter.
The band certainly push their sound to the extreme, with insane discordance on ‘Imdead’, featuring Ronnie Radke, and brutal thuggery on ‘Lift That Shit’ and ‘Conflict’, but it is the more subtle elements that stand out the most. The Gregorian-esque chanting on ‘Babayka’ adds a tremendous mysticism, whilst the acoustic intro to ‘Koschei’ offers an aurally-interesting if brief respite from standard proceedings. But it is the orchestral opulence and melodicism on ‘Behelit’ where the band find their stride, before the staccato, double-bass-driven outro pulverises you for daring to think they’ve gone soft.
‘Grizzly’ won’t turn anyone who dislikes deathcore or Slaughter To Prevail into believers, but it will keep those already on-board where they are. It’s violent, it’s bloody and it will make many a gym-goers playlist. Terrible et al. make brutal music that is pushed to the extreme, and there will be no compromise. So, you can like it or lump it!
Slaughter To Prevail – Facebook
Reviewed By Lee Carter