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The world of deathcore is notoriously dogmatic. Escaping from its sonic boundaries and attempting to appeal to a broader fanbase can be hazardous for any band in the scene. Take Suicide Silence, who decided to radically change their sound on 2017’s self-titled album and promptly found an online petition trying to stop the record from getting released.
Only a trio of bands – Bring Me The Horizon, Lorna Shore and Whitechapel – spring to mind when counting genuine deathcore crossover success stories. Although with Grizzly, Slaughter To Prevail might be able to complete the Mount Rushmore of great deathcore escapologists.
The Russian-born, Orlando-based band (with the exception of British guitarist Jack Simmons) have amassed a sizeable following, thanks in large part to their striking, masked aesthetics and the impressive growls, unquestionable charisma and Instagrammable bear-wrestling skills of frontman Alex Terrible. But they’ve seemingly been content to lean heavily on a formula of breakdowns, chuggy riffs and naked, hostile aggression. Meaty and satisfying, yes, dynamically interesting, not so much.
While there was much more of a nod to melody in 2021’s Kostolom, Grizzly provides a quantum leap in the sheer scope of what STP are aiming to create. The first shock comes halfway through the opening song, Banditos. A groove-laden tornado of riffs and Alex’s trademark belch gives way to a mariachi snippet, before the band come marauding back in again.
Standard deathcore this is not – more the sort of trick oddball hardcore legends The Chariot might pull. Love or hate the song, it’s definitely weird and surprising, which has to be considered a positive.
From that point on, the band continue to flex their creative muscles. The Teutonic-sounding Sturm und Drang groove of Babayka recalls Rammstein at their most grandiose, while the opening downbeat acoustic twang of Koschei expertly sets up a grim industrial metal bruiser with Slavic undertones.
Song 3, a collaboration with Babymetal that’s also on their album, sounds very much like… well, Babymetal. The folksy, part balladic Rodina – which roughly translates to ‘Motherland’ or ‘old country’ and, like much of the album, uses Eastern European tones – is epic in scope, culminating in a fantastic shredding guitar solo.
Of course, plenty of deathcore tropes remain. Some are rather unwelcome: a riff that lasts too long here, a bit of aimless chugging there. Alex’s macho call of ‘Lift that shit, do not be a fucking pussy’ at the start of Lift That Shit makes you wish he’d stick to singing in his native tongue, as the Russian language elements on the record work significantly better throughout. But these are exceptions rather than the rule, and even the most stock parts of Grizzly will get your head nodding.
And when it’s good – Russian Grizzly In America or Kid Of Darkness, for example – it’s the type of instant, hyper-aggro metal that scratches the same itch as Pantera, Slipknot or Korn, and will surely see Slaughter To Prevail leaving others choking on their dust.
Grizzly is out now via Sumerian. Slaughter To Prevail tour North America from July 19, including appearances at Inkcarceration Festival, Louder Than Life, Aftershock, Knotfest Mexico and the 2025 Warped Tour. For the full list of upcoming tour dates, visit their official website.
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