For over a decade, Slaughter to Prevail have established themselves as one of the biggest deathcore bands in the world.
The majority of the band now reside in Florida, having relocated to the US in 2022, but there’s a perception that frontman Aleksandr “Alex Terrible” Shikolai fled his home country of Russia to avoid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, however, Shikolai refuted any suggestions that this was behind his move to the US.
“When the Russia and Ukraine war set in, everyone began to say that we left our country because we don’t want to go to war,” he said. “We are against the war, but I am not against my country. I hate when people think I left my country because of political situations. I’m not a political guy, I’m just a musician.”
Slaughter to Prevail’s song “1984” directly referenced the consequence and bloodshed enacted by warfare, but Shikolai insisted that it’s not specifically about his home country’s current war.
“With ‘1984’, the lyrics are about war – not exactly about the Russian and Ukrainian war, but war in general. For me, war is a bad thing. That much is obvious – for everybody, it is bad. I don’t know the reasons for it and I want it to stop. I want everybody to feel alright, I want peaceful skies above everyone’s head,” he said.
“We have this song on the album called ‘Родина’ or ‘Rodina’, which means ‘motherland’ in Russian. I started to write it because people were attacking Russia. Of course, the situation is very fucking bad. It is. My country is my home though. I love my home.”
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In the same interview, Shikolai was also keen to discuss other accusations levelled at him and the band.
“A lot of people react to us and say we are toxic and very right wing, this is not the case,” he noted. “They think this because we push our morals, but it is my right to push my morals. I don’t say that your morals are bad. I have just been through really bad things and I want to help people. If it helps people, that’s good. If it doesn’t help, then just ignore us.”
Slaughter to Prevail are back in Australia for Knotfest, having previously impressed Aussies at Good Things 2023. As Shikolai told Rolling Stone AU/NZ, getting on the Slipknot festival bill meant a great deal to the band.
“I grew up with their music [Slipknot]. This is the first time we’ve played a Knotfest, so that means a lot for me,” he revealed.
More information about Knotfest Australia is available here.
