Grizzly in name, grizzly in nature – this Friday night Brixton belonged to Slaughter To Prevail as they put on a spectacle quite possibly unlike anything these hallowed walls have witnessed before.

Images & words by Felix Bartlett (@bartlettfelixhc) | Jan 17, 2026

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Look, wherever you land on the speculation surrounding this band’s muddied past, one thing’s crystal clear: Slaughter To Prevail are clawing their way to the top of the deathcore pile, bloodied knuckles and all. With the announcement as Saturday night headliners for Bloodstock 2026 (a bold and frankly divisive decision considering they’ve yet to even grace the festival’s grounds), there’s a hell of a lot riding on this tour. Tonight was their chance to prove they deserve that slot.

Before we get stuck into that, those who managed to pass through the onslaught of Brixton’s infamously long queuing system were greeted with Annotations Of An Autopsy who kicked things off, and bloody hell, 20 years of sludge metal is a tremendous feat worth celebrating in true style. I remember the infamous Gore Gore Gadget track from AOAA fuelling my drunken evenings at uni, so to see this live on one of the band’s biggest shows no less was an absolute treat. Sure, it was a short and sweet set (clocking in at about 20 minutes) but this was back-to-back belters of vile sludge metal that set the scene perfectly for an untold evening of more metal filth to come.

Then the ever so anticipated Suicide Silence took to the stage and believe me now when I say this is the best I’ve ever seen them (post Mitch that is). Grins were stretching ear to ear as they bounced around the stage like giddy kids on Christmas morning, the energy was infectious. You could feel how much this meant to them, and that joy radiated through every breakdown. Now, whether it’s my opinion or others’, it did feel unfortunate given the band’s history in the heavy scene that they weren’t higher up on the bill tonight. Although with the recent changes in vocalists, I guess this is a band still trying to hold onto their spot in the scene. However, those who saw tonight’s show will no doubt walk away feeling that they are certainly back on their way up. Now let’s be fair, no one will replace Mitch, but to see the band performing this tight and sounding this good (whilst also giving younger bands a run for their money with the energy on stage) then it’s safe to say I feel this won’t be the last we see of Suicide Silence in the near future.

Dying Fetus brought things to another level entirely, and honestly, there’s something beautifully absurd about watching music this crushingly heavy in a venue with this much prestige. I couldn’t help but think of Neck Deep gracing this very stage just weeks prior. Gone are the days of #WhyNotDyingFetus (if you remember that infamous hashtag when Fall Out Boy got announced for Download, you know). This band is far from a joke, and perhaps that’s exactly what Slaughter To Prevail have managed to carve out: a legitimate space for the heaviest of heavy to take over London’s biggest venues, away from the sweaty confines of the Underworld, Forum, and Dev. And no, this doesn’t mean the show was any less brutal. The backdrop literally painted Brixton’s walls with the words DYING FETUS in all their unapologetic glory.

As the lights descended for the main event, we were in the thick of it. I’d just witnessed two lost souls emerge from the pit bloodied and bruised, and that energy wasn’t about to let up. A brown grizzly bear with glowing red eyes adorned the stage (naturally, what else would you expect?), with raised platforms giving each member their moment to shine. Don’t think the masks hide their personalities though – it radiates through their stage camaraderie and presence, a staple of this band’s live shows.

But here’s the thing: even unstoppable beasts have their kryptonite. Tonight, it was our old friend technical difficulties during ‘Bonebreaker’. A heavy blow for the first night of the UK leg, but one that didn’t deter the band or the crowd. Alex delivered a heartfelt monologue about his gratitude for the evening and the somewhat homecoming vibe for guitarist Jack. Once the tech gremlins were sorted, the show roared back to life.

This was undeniably a heavy night, one that carried more weight than anticipated. Here’s a band poised to headline one of the UK’s biggest metal festivals, yet the slightly thinned-out crowd does raise a question: are streams and social media followings enough to drag fans out of their homes and part with their hard-earned cash this January? Regardless, those who did break their dry Jan promises were in for a whopper of a set including a guest appearance from Slipknot’s very own V-Man who came out to perform ‘Viking’. One can only speculate what other surprises might be in store for this tour (especially since the band are no strangers to collaborations).

Don’t get me wrong – tonight was an undeniable win for heavy music in my eyes, proving it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Harry Styles of the world who’ve also graced this stage. But Slaughter To Prevail still have much to prove. The trajectory is there, and this is hands-down the biggest production we’ve seen from them to date. Whether they can sustain this momentum and truly cement themselves as one of heavy music’s biggest and baddest acts? Only time will tell.