Slaughter To Prevail – ‘Kostolom’ [Album Review]

After the huge success of their recent singles “Demolisher” and “Baba Yaga,” two tracks showcasing a slight shift in direction for deathcore titans Slaughter To Prevail, there is a fair bit of anticipation around the release of their new album Kostolom. With the nu-metal leanings of both singles, does the rest of Kostolom follow a similar path and see the band dig deeper into those influences?

Chat around the release of those two tracks saw Slaughter To Prevail and their shifting direction talked about in the same breath as albums like Iowa or the darker, less commercial side of bands like Korn and, as Kostolom whips into life with the groove-drenched “Bonebreaker,” it’s easy to see why. The two singles quickly follow as the Russian/UK wrecking machine lurch from one bouncy nu-metal/deathcore beast to the next while the spoken-word intro to “Made In Russia” leads to four minutes of pure Slipknot-inspired rage.

Fronted by Alex Terrible, a man who can make your eyes water listening to his guttural vocals, Slaughter To Prevail has a leader who has captured the attention of the metal and deathcore scenes as well as becoming a bit of an internet favourite. On Kostolom though, as already demonstrated on “Baba Yaga,” there is more to the tattooed frontman’s vocals than just guttural howls. Throughout the album, his vocals range from demonic growls to polished cleans with a dash of sinister spoken-word passages thrown in for good measure and show that he is far from just being a one-trick pony (albeit one that is very good). Thankfully, while the cleans certainly push Slaughter To Prevail into new areas, old-school fans will be pleased to know that his gutturals as demonstrated with his skittish delivery on “Demolisher” are still second to none.

The big question though is how much of a mainstream appeal do Slaughter To Prevail and Kostolom have? Have they got enough in the tank to snatch some of the market who fell in love with Iowa or are they destined to be an underground favourite who regularly pop up opening for some of the heavier modern metal bands or on some of the alternative festivals? For now, we’ll just have to wait and see because, although the musicianship on Kostolom is faultless, there are moments like “Made In Russia” where the blueprint follows a well-trodden path. Undoubtedly, at its finest, Kostolom is utterly devastating but there is still that niggling worry that Slaughter To Prevail will get sucked under by a pack who is also chasing the nu-metal/deathcore mainstream success.

Kostolom Track Listing:

1. Bonebreaker
2. Demolisher
3. Baba Yaga
4. Made In Russia
5. Zavali Ebo
6. Agony
7. Your Only
8. I Killed A Man
9. Bratva
10. Ouroboros
11. Head On A Plate
12. Father

Run Time: 49:01
Release Dates: August 13, 2021
Record Label: Sumerian Records