At the beginning of July, Russian heavy metal band Slaughter to Prevail announced that they would be hitting the road for a small tour to celebrate the release of their 4th full-length record, Grizzly. Lucky for me, Dallas was one of the cities that they would be stopping at just 5 days after the new album dropped. Slaughter to Prevail has been on my radar for several years now, but unfortunately I had never had the opportunity to see them perform live. However, after what I saw Tuesday night, I am happy to report that it was worth the wait.
The band wasted no time charging the venue full of energy, opening the set with one of my favorite tracks off the new record, “Banditos.” One song in and the crowd was already warmed up and moving along to the heavy chugs of the guitars. The vibes rose even higher when the band followed up the new song with the old, brutal classic “Baba Yaga,” which sent several excited fans careening over the barricades, and I couldn’t blame them. There’s just something so exciting and visceral about seeing Alex the Terrible only four feet in front of you and hitting the most gnarly growls you’ve ever heard with absolute ease. The performance was so good that I kept getting distracted before remembering the camera in my hands and thinking, “Oh right, you’re here to shoot. You should probably keep doing that.” It’s a good thing I am a good multitasker.
Slaughter to Prevail
The night never lost its adrenaline rush as the band played many tracks off the new album, some of which had previously been released as singles. Fans absolutely lost it during “Viking” when Alex dropped the mic and screamed at the top of his lungs, his raw scream echoing off the walls and reaching the back of the venue where I was with no difficulty. Soon, massive circle pits began opening up and continued on throughout the rest of the set. Then, the moment all of us had been waiting for. The moment that Slaughter to Prevail has started to become known for. The moment that I believe recently broke a world record. The massive wall of death. Most of the time when a band calls for a wall of death, anywhere from half to two-thirds of the audience split down the middle to make it. But not Slaughter to Prevail fans. I watched as the entire room split front to back to create the biggest wall of death the venue has ever held. As soon as the beat dropped during “Bratva,” hundreds of fans slammed into each other in an enthusiastically violent blaze of glory.
Slaughter to Prevail
I’ve been to hundreds of metal shows in my life, but I can genuinely say that Slaughter to Prevail’s performance on Tuesday made its way into my top 3 favorite concerts ever. The energy you feel when you watch these guys perform is electric and could make even the most shy, nervous fan want to slip on a horned mask and start throwing some spin kicks in the pit. Luckily for US fans, the band is scheduled for a North American tour this August through late September. This is definitely not a show you want to miss!
