Far from Terrible! How Slaughter To Prevail triumphed at their Bloodstock headline debut

Coming out to the Blood Rave theme from Blade for their first UK festival headliner, Slaughter To Prevail better be pretty bloody good. Contrary to frontman Alex Terrible's moniker, they really are. Plenty of Bloodstock attendees have questioned the controversial deathcore crew's qualifications to parachute straight in as headliners on the first go-round, but the sheer shock and awe of a massive, fire-wreathed performance proves there's no other place for them. With digital flames emanating from behind an on-screen chain-link fence, pyro constantly toasting the band onstage, and a parade of furnace-forged riffs, maybe not every onlooker is blown away tonight, but even the most fervent naysayers find themselves at least lightly singed.

Are there enough nailed-on hits? Probably not. Bangers like Bonebreaker, Russian Grizzly In America and Viking are a tad interchangeable at points, but their sheer relentless attrition hits hard. Passages of resonant Russian language do linger in the memory, weirdly evoking Batushka, but for the most part it's more like a constantly maxed-out cross between early Slipknot and mid-era Hatebreed: scarred catharsis combined with unchecked machismo to thrilling, dangerously intoxicating effect.

"I'm so nervous," admits Alex, letting the badass facade slip a moment. "My English is so fucking suck. Two years ago we were playing Download. Tonight we're headlining Bloodstock. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in The Matrix, but thank you guys so much for your energy, your hospitality and your support. I appreciate it so fucking much. Without you guys, we are fucking nothing. I am speechless."

Repeatedly blowing the front rows away with his bear-like bellow (though sadly there's no massive bear onstage here), he's not. But so legitimately fierce is the effort put into a climactic run taking in Kid Of Darkness, Behelit and Conflict that no number of aesthetic distractions like skintight muscle-shirts, ludicrously big chrome gauntlets, or furry headpieces can undermine the elemental force billowing from the speakers. "If you really want to change something in this world, you need to start with yourself," reflects Alex on how he's transformed from fringe lunatic to mainstream metal bannerman over the past half-decade. "I hope we didn't disappoint you with this show!" As even flames erupt, ticker-tape rains down and orchestral flourishes ramp up the grandiosity, no one is complaining

Indeed, it's hard to deny after this landmark showing that STP have shouldered their way in, ready to take a place at metal's top table. Consider Bloodstock well and truly slaughtered. (SL)