Concert Review: Slaughter to Prevail @ Empire Live, 07/08/2023

On July 8, 2023, the doors to Empire Live opened later than usual. Deathcore filled the air as Slaughter to Prevail made their way to the streets of downtown Albany. The lines began early as fans eagerly awaited to see this Goliath of a band play their first show in Albany. Slaughter to Prevail is a Russian deathcore band originally from Yekaterinburg, Russia, but they are now based in Orlando, Florida. They have recently been on tour with Falling in Reverse and Ice Nine Kills. Alex the Terrible originally gained a cult following online for his YouTube vocal covers of legendary metal bands like Linkin Park, Mudvayne, and Static X. His incredibly unique vocals make for crazy twists on the original songs. What sets a band like Slaughter to Prevail apart from others is Alex the Terrible’s extremely deep vocals. The band’s overall commanding stage presence and Alex’s ability to morph his voice into something truly not from this world need to be witnessed to be believed.

It was as though half of Albany had packed into Empire Live to witness the band’s performance. The members walked onstage equipped with their iconic masks to cheers and chants from the crowd, which only grew louder as the band exploded into their first song. Each subsequent song was even more intense than the last, as the crowd formed a pit, circle pit, and wall of death. Crowd surfers came in waves as the band moved from one song to the next. The most notable part of the show was when Alex the Terrible took time to introduce their song “1984.” He began by addressing the travesties of war, and while they may be proud Russians, the band stood with Ukraine. This brought loud cheers of support from the crowd as the band erupted into their song. As the show came to an end, the band took a selfie with the crowd before exiting the stage, only to be brought back by the crowd’s excited cheers. Slaughter to Prevail ended the show with a bang by playing the first song they ever wrote, “Crowned and Conquered,” as the crowd went wild.

Photo Gallery by Nick DiCocco

Photo Gallery by Hilary Crannage