Article Contributed by Nick Gumas
Published on 2026-04-07
Returning to Los Angeles and the great enthusiasm of their devout Southern California fanbase, Russian deathcore act Slaughter to Prevail shook the grounds of the Hollywood Palladium as they played over the weekend to a sold out crowd. Supported by heavy metal acts Whitechapel and Attila, the audience was primed to receive the hour of unfiltered energy given to the crowd in a performance that omitted zero opportunities for intensity.
An upbeat and danceable underground tech composition pulsated through the speakers in the minutes leading up to curtain, proving a strong juxtaposition to the vigor of the evening’s main event. As the band appeared and took the stage, fully masked and led by frontman Alex Terrible, the ground began to shake from the opening notes of their opening anthem, their 2021 single, Bonebreaker.
An evening that showcased the group’s full repertoire of hits, their sound aggressively echoed throughout the venue as they played a complete representation of their work including “Russian Grizzly in America,” “Baby Yaga,” and “Babayka.”
The group left the limelight midway through their performance to allow for an illustrious two-minute drum solo by percussionist Evgeny Novikov, calling attention to the upbeat proclivities of the artist. As the band returned to the stage, Terrible remarked “He’s a fucking machine” before taking a moment to declare his excitement for his upcoming debut at Daytona Beach’s Blood 4 Blood festival later this summer. Highlighting he was not only performing, but bare-knuckle fighting before an audience in the same night, the singer promised the event would be “fucking historic.”
Provoking some audience participation during the evening, Terrible remarked “I know every band does this shit… but we’re going to do it because its so much fucking fun.” before asking the audience to all squat down and jump in unison as they began their 2024 single “Kid of Darkness.”
Ending the evening with a lengthy representation of his deepest philosophical beliefs, Terrible silenced his accompaniment and removed his mask to address the audience with a personal reflection of his thoughts on universal improvement, stating, “I really believe that this world is a tough place to live in… and a lot of people want to change this world in a good way, somehow. I really believe that if you want to change something in this huge fucking world, you better start with your fucking self.” Passionately continuing, he prompted a strong call to action, as he opined “Take this fucking responsibility on your shoulders. Change yourself. Strive to fucking change yourself. I was a completely different person 10 years ago… I started to change myself, and its fucking difficult work, and then the whole world changed completely with me.” Receptive to this monologue, the crowd cheered as loudly as they had since the performance began as the band ended with their 2024 single, Behelit, Terrible acknowledging its inspiration from the popular anime, Berserk, beforehand.
A lengthy period of silence and house lights hardly deterred a single fan from leaving before the show was over, as the attendance stayed almost entirely intact for the encore. After several minutes, lead guitarist Jack Simmons returned to the stage to rile everyone up before the full band returned to close out the set with their 2021 single, Demolisher. An unambiguous declaration of the group’s talents and unadulterated tonal magnitude, ears were left ringing for hours to follow as the crowd left, having been given every opportunity to mosh their frustrations away throughout the set.
Check out more photos of Slaughter to Prevail at the Hollywood Palladium
