Russian deathcore outfit Slaughter To Prevail got a lot of hype for their album after making its rounds around the YouTube metal reaction scene. The singles generated a lot of attention on their ruthless yet fun nu-metal inspired deathcore sound, mainly led by Alex's extreme vocals.
Agony, Demolisher and Baba Yaga were the main trio of singles that helped to draw the spotlight to their band, and for good reason too. To date, they're still some of the best music they have ever produced, Demolisher in particular seemingly maxing out the vocal skill ceiling.
Their fun and carefree brutality is enjoyable, regardless what you think. There might be people out there who dislike their constant pursuit of heavy or their understandably subpar lyrical content, but what does it matter? English isn't their first language and they are still out here revolutionising breakdowns. The record feels fresh and exciting in a landscape of deathcore bands trying to seem dark and evil (but yes they do it too).
They conquer a surprisingly wide range of sounds in this record, many of which I never imagined hearing in deathcore territory. Their nu-metal fusion is apparent in a lot of tracks, but there's a lot of variety in vocal textures and instrumental design too. Demolisher features the obvious, the arguably lowest growl on the whole record building up to the breakdown. Baba Yaga has a terrific aura of terror to accentuate the cryptid-based song lyrics. Made In Russia has the singular most neckbreaking breakdown in the whole record and possibly all of metalcore, the use of pinch harmonics being violently perfect for the riff. Zavali Ebalo's groovier sound is super refreshing a third of the way into the record, with great use of hi-hats and whisper-like vocals. The whispers make another appearance on Your Only, complete with raspy low cleans on the chorus and an insanely hype intro. I Killed A Man is downright creepy experience, dabbling in some cinematic horror theatrics and dramatic effects. There are some really cool vocal techniques on Head On A Plate, and Father is very twisted in sound and lyrical content.
Kostolom is packed full of thoughtfully refreshing modern deathcore, and I think they've cemented their status with this record. Rising up among the ranks alongside other exciting bands like Lorna Shore, Darko US and Brand Of Sacrifice, Slaughter To Prevail has made their mark with this brutal collection of bangers. Modern deathcore has never sounded so devastatingly good.
Rating: 9/10