Slaughter to Prevail Kick Off Final Grizzly North American Tour in Orlando
After years of extensive touring around the world, Slaughter to Prevail announced they’ll be going on hiatus for the entirety of 2027 and 2028 to write new material and spend time with family.
Luckily, they announced one final run of tour dates before taking that long hibernation alongside up-and-coming deathcore outfit Rev3rent. The tour officially started earlier in the week with their appearance at Aftershock in Sacramento, but Hard Rock Live in Orlando is technically the first standalone stop on the tour.
Catching the first stop of a tour can be hit or miss: the bands are still getting into their rhythm and working out all the kinks, but you also get to catch them at their most energetic, which can lead to an incredibly high-energy show. Orlando lucked out because they got themselves an absolute barnburner.
REV3RENT
There were only two bands on the night, and the older I get, the more I’m okay with cutting out the fat and getting to the real meat of the show. Old-school deathcore-inspired Rev3rent came out absolutely swinging and got the crowd moving right away.
It’s an incredibly weird feeling to remember being around for the original wave of deathcore greats like Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Carnifex, and Whitechapel, only to realize enough time has passed that bands like Rev3rent can be described as a ‘deathcore-revival’ act. Watching Rev3rent was like getting transported back to high school, with vocalist Joshua Bailey Guard reminding me so much of Suicide Silence’s Mitch Lucker in both delivery and stage performance.
Despite their young age, Rev3rent absolutely blew me away. The riffs were heavy as hell, the breakdowns were brutal, and the headbanging with full crabcore squats fit in just right. Their set went by pretty quickly, but I enjoyed every second of it.
These guys have riff-writing ability and stage presence well beyond their years, and with their recent signing to Deep Love Recordings (a new Atlantic Records imprint), these guys are without a doubt about to pop the hell off. It’s always amazing looking back fondly at a band you saw before they blew up, but it’s even better knowing it in the moment. Keep your eyes peeled, because Rev3rent is going to be the next big name in deathcore.
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL
The crowd was at an absolute fever pitch when “Confusion,” the nightclub song in the movie Blade, blasted over the speakers to signal that the headliners were ready to roll. Once the band made their entrance, they cut into “Bonebreaker” and the crowd went bananas.
I’ve never seen Slaughter to Prevail in person before, but vocalist Alex Terrible’s live performance and his absolutely otherworldly vocal abilities seem to always be the standout highlight. I can confidently say that being several feet away from him while he does his best grizzly bear impression is both equal parts impressive and terrifying. It really is something that needs to be experienced in person to comprehend what this guy is doing with his vocal cords; it is really unlike anything else out there.
The rest of the band weren’t slouches either, as they came out with a ton of energy and moved all over the stage without missing a beat. Their stage production was remarkably minimal, with the only notable thing being a pretty tall drum riser for drummer Evgeny Novikov. Other than that, there was nothing really on stage besides the members of the band. It led to a really intimate feeling performance for a band of their size. No frills, just pure unadulterated deathcore.
The band blasted through their regular setlist favorites before bringing out Guard from Rev3rent to perform a cover of “Unanswered” by Suicide Silence. This was such a fun moment as the band absolutely played the hell out of the song, but both vocalists gave their own unique spin on the vocal parts, and it was such a joy to see. Afterwards, Alex Terrible echoed my same gut reaction and heaped praise on Guard’s performance, and that, with Rev3rent, we are witnessing the future of deathcore. It was a real passing-the-torch moment.
The rest of the performance was amazing, with the crowd circle-pitting, crowd surfing, and wall-of-deathing along the entire way. The performance was both at times incredibly brutal but also lighthearted and fun, and you can tell the band was having just as much fun as the crowd was. Novikov’s drum solo about halfway through the set was a huge highlight, with his skill and showmanship on full display.
Alex spent time thanking the Orlando crowd, saying as someone who recently relocated to the area from Russia, “feels like home now.’ He also spent time between songs talking about the uncertain times we live in and how many feel hopeless, but used his own past to highlight that changing yourself and focusing within is the place where the biggest changes happen. It was a well-received message from the crowd, and one that felt poignant.
The band walked off stage before surprising the crowd after their chants for an encore were answered. The band closed with “Conflict,” a heavy-as-hell track with a killer breakdown which saw the entire room circle pit one final time. The band stayed long after their set was complete, throwing out sticks, guitar picks, and setlists folded into paper airplanes to the crowd.
Overall, an incredible performance from two bands whose careers are on opposite ends of the spectrum: one that looks to be the next best thing, and one that is the undisputed heavyweight champ, looking to take some time off before their next title fight.
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