SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL Releases Music Video For 'Koschei'

Russian metal powerhouse SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL has dropped a video for "Koschei". Taken from the band's crushing "Grizzly" album, released last year via Sumerian Records, the video comes ahead of SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL's European festival run, which includes a headline slot at the U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air festival.

"Koschei, or Koschei The Immortal, is one of the most iconic figures in Slavic mythology and folklore," shares SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL frontman Alex Terrible. "He's an ancient sorcerer who cannot be killed by ordinary means because his death is hidden outside of his body. According to the legend, his death is concealed inside a needle, the needle inside an egg, the egg inside a duck, and so on — hidden in a place almost impossible to find. That's why Koschei represents something far greater than physical immortality. He embodies the idea that the true essence of a being exists beyond the body itself."

Directed by Ave Warriors Studio, the video brings the song to life in a stunning cinematic battle in SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL's most ambitious production to date.

"The whole song is about the idea that even if you manage to discover how to kill Koschei, his essence, his soul, his energy lives on and is simply reborn into something else," continues Alex. "That's what this song is really about. It's about learning, during your lifetime, to crystallize what people call the spirit or the soul, so that when your body dies, you don't disappear with it. Only your mortal body is gone, while your true essence continues to exist. It's also a reminder not to become obsessed with material things during your life, because when you die, you can't take any of them with you."

SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL will kick off its European festival run this week with a headline show in Athens, making its way through Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Spain and Belgium before its headline slot at Bloodstock Open Air.

SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL's journey began in the most unlikely of ways — two musicians from completely different worlds. Alex Terrible, forging his monstrous vocals from a small bedroom in the cold, rural Russian city of Yekaterinburg, crossed paths online with guitarist Jack Simmons, who sharpened his craft in a quiet town on the outskirts of Essex, U.K. What started as a distant collaboration quickly turned into a brotherhood, as their exchanges of ideas took shape, songs were formed and it became apparent to Jack and Alex that they were on to something special.

Initially capturing a global audience on YouTube with his demonic takes on songs by bands such as SLIPKNOT, SUICIDE SILENCE and LINKIN PARK, Alex began to share the fruits of his labor with Jack under the name SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL — and the Internet liked what it heard. Catching the attention of Sumerian Records, one of the most respected labels in hard rock, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL had found a partner to provide a global platform for their music. Hundreds of millions of streams later, it's safe to say it's a partnership that has served both parties well.

Photo credit: AJ Johansson