Slaughter To Prevail's Alex Terrible Addresses the Band's Live Show Production

Those who've seen Slaughter to Prevail live know the energy that they bring and in an interview with Full Metal Jackie for her weekend radio show, singer Alex Terrible reveals that their current concert production isn't far from what he actually longs for as a performer.

Slaughter to Prevail brought out new production for touring, but the singer confesses he's not someone who needs a lot of bells and whistles for the show.

"Right now, we have a giant bear onstage as part of the production, which is cool. But honestly, I don’t think Slaughter to Prevail needs much production — our live show is full of raw energy and people feel that," says the singer.

"Even back in the early days with no production, we just smashed every show. Bigger production would be nice, but for me, it’s not essential. What matters is the energy we bring to the stage."

The band has plenty to be energetic about as their Grizzly album is one of the standouts of 2025. Within the chat, Terrible discusses the new album and their recent collaboration with Babymetal on "Song 3." He also shares his love of bears and why that's become such a part of their narrative and he reflects on the origins of their masks.

The singer also delves into what it's been like balancing his Russian nationality with building a career in the U.S.and what it's been like to share this journey with bandmate Jack Simmons. Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie and we're happy to welcome Slaughter to Prevail frontman Alex Terrible to the show. It’s been a big year for the band — you guys are supporting your latest record, Grizzly. It’s been such a long buildup, with the first song coming out back in 2022. It feels like you’ve been able to watch the band’s popularity rise in real time. How does it feel to finally have the album out and have you had those moments where it’s sunk in that your fanbase has really grown?

Oh yeah, it feels amazing. This year we’ve had big festivals, tours, support tours — and we just dropped the new album. We’ve got big numbers on Spotify and can really see how fast our fanbase is growing, especially since we started working with management, booking agencies and people in the industry who help us get good positions on festivals.

The reaction has been wonderful and I’m very happy.

Let’s talk about your collaboration with Babymetal on “Song 3.” The energy on that track is incredible. How did that collaboration come about and did bringing Babymetal into the mix change your approach to the song?

We met at a European festival last summer. Foxmaster — he’s like the main guy behind Babymetal, their producer and creative mind — came up to us and asked if we’d like to collaborate because Babymetal loves Slaughter. Of course, we said yes — we love them too.

We wrote the instrumental parts while on tour with Five Finger Death Punch, recording in hotel rooms, then sent it over to Babymetal. They recorded their vocals. I did mine. And it turned out amazing. I want more collaborations like that because they’re creating something new in metal and it’s awesome to be part of it.

Slaughter to Prevail Featuring Babymetal, "Song 3"

One of my favorite videos this year has to be “Russian Grizzly in America.” I can only imagine the looks you got walking around Los Angeles with a grizzly. When you came up with the idea, was there anywhere you wanted to take the bear that you couldn’t? And what was your favorite part of shooting that video?

Honestly, the bear is like my spirit animal. People know that, so we decided to feature it in the video.

We filmed in Los Angeles, which was awesome — but if it was in Russia, we probably would’ve used a real bear, like when we filmed “Baba Yaga.” It’s difficult to find a real bear in America — at least one you can bring into the city — so we found a great bear costume online and made a funny video about a “Russian Grizzly in America,” like a big tourist in L.A. It was a lot of fun.

Slaughter to Prevail, "Russian Grizzly in America"

I’ve got to ask — explain the whole Russian bear thing! I see a ton of videos on my TikTok of people in Russia with bears. Do people really keep them as pets?

Yeah, I actually know a few guys in Moscow who have adult bears. They run businesses where people can meet and hang out with the bears. It’s not really safe, though.

One of my neighbors back home in Yekaterinburg rescues animals — like if a bear cub loses its parents or gets hurt, he takes care of them. He has two bear cubs and an adult bear. When I’m home, I hang out with them all the time.

You’re so casual about just hanging out with bears — it’s amazing! The album is called Grizzly and I noticed you’ve adopted and helped support two bear cubs through merch sales. Obviously, bears have become a big part of your story. What was your first experience with a bear growing up and how did they become such an important symbol for you?

It started when we filmed the “Baba Yaga” video. We found a bear named Tom in Moscow and shot scenes with him. He was about 3 years old. After that, I started visiting him all the time, filming videos, wrestling with him — he’s a chill bear, though still dangerous since he’s wild. His trainer raised him well.

The two cubs I mentioned are from my neighbor’s rescue and I’m helping them through merch sales to raise money for their care.

You also toured with Falling in Reverse and have a song with Ronnie Radke called “I’m Dead.” What has your experience been like working with Ronnie and what has his support meant for your career?

I really appreciate Ronnie and that opportunity. We met on tour with Falling in Reverse and Ice Nine Kills. They were super kind and professional. That tour gave us a huge boost — my Instagram grew by almost a million followers in two months.

They’ve continued to support us and given us special spots on tours. When we asked Ronnie to feature on “Imdead,” I was nervous and didn’t want to bother him, but he immediately said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” He’s a huge rock star but such a chill, down-to-earth guy.

Slaughter to Prevail Featuring Ronnie Radke, "Imdead"

With a new album comes new stage production. If money were no object, what would your dream live show look like — and how close are you to pulling that off now?

Right now, we have a giant bear onstage as part of the production, which is cool. But honestly, I don’t think Slaughter to Prevail needs much production — our live show is full of raw energy and people feel that.

Even back in the early days with no production, we just smashed every show. Bigger production would be nice, but for me, it’s not essential. What matters is the energy we bring to the stage.

Your band is known for its masks — and you even sell them on your website. How involved are you in the design and creation of those masks, and do you have one that’s especially meaningful to you?

I have a different mask for every tour. They’re similar but customized for each run. Sometimes I give them to fans afterward or hang them in my studio.

I designed the first mask myself around age 20, when I was working at a gym making protein shakes. I drew it in my free time because I wanted something special for stage shows. I was inspired by Slipknot and the movie Spawn.

I sent the sketch to mask makers and they brought it to life — that became the “Kid of Darkness” mask. Over time, it evolved with new textures and details. We now have three main masks: Kid of Darkness, Grizzly (like on the album cover) and the Babymetal mask, which combines my original design with a traditional Japanese demon mask.

You��ve publicly spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine and asked people not to judge Russian citizens for their government’s actions. At the same time, you’ve taken criticism for displaying the Russian flag onstage. How have you navigated that and what advice would you give to artists learning to handle public scrutiny?

I don’t really like to give advice because I’m not a role model. But I try to stay honest with myself. I’m against war — it’s horrible — but I still love and respect my country. Even if I don’t live there now, it’s part of who I am.

People’s reactions make sense, but I’ll always be proud of my roots. It’s important to remember who you are and where you’re from. I also love America and respect it for the opportunities it’s given me, but I’ll never forget that I’m Russian.

Slaughter to Prevail started with you and Jack Simmons. You’re now three albums in and you two have seen it all together. What’s it meant to have Jack with you through this whole journey and what moments stand out as milestones for the band?

Me and Jack created Slaughter to Prevail in 2014. Before that, I was in smaller bands and doing YouTube covers. Jack hit me up on Facebook, and we immediately started working together.

He eventually moved to Orlando — he never planned to move to America, but we needed to be together as a band. We’ve built this from the ground up, step by step, since the beginning. Jack’s like the other half of this band.

Thanks to Slaughter to Prevail's Alex Terrible for the interview. The band's Grizzly album is available now. Stay up to date with Slaughter to Prevail through their website, Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube platforms. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.