Metal Anarchy

During a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Slaughter To Prevail’s Alex Terrible reflected on his past. The frontman, who was previously hit with allegations of Nazism, homophobia, and more, says he “just made some stupid mistakes” in his life.

Terrible said the following when asked if he will ever escape the Nazi allegations:

“No, because people try to hate me and find any reason to hate me. Which is fine. No matter what I say, no matter how I say [it]… I get used to it. It is the internet. I never get hate in real life – this is a very interesting thing. Every time I read about myself and my band on the internet, it is very different to real life.

At festivals like ‘Bloodstock‘, in real life, I get nothing but respect from the other bands, other artists, from people in general. They tell me that the internet is not real life and of course, I understand that and I understand why people hate me. They have read something about me on the internet, and they have made up this image of me which is not real. So, probably, it will stick with me forever.”

He also addressed how his old Black Sun and Othala Rune tattoos influenced public opinion:

“Yes, I understand that. I have had to come to terms with that and I am paying the price now. I am paying the price for the stupid decision to get the black sun tattoo and hanging out with the right-wing guys [when I was younger].

They were not even Nazis, they were just right-wing guys, but we used these f*cking symbols in Russia to, like, look more tough, and that was our culture. I don’t know. I understand the hate, I really do. I am paying the price.”

He continued when asked if he would change his past if he could:

“Listen: if I went back, I would not get any of those tattoos because my mindset [has] changed a lot. I don’t understand why I got that tattoo [in the first place]. But you have to understand that all of this gestures to his body has built who I am, has built me as a character, for good and for bad, I am just a human being. I make mistakes as well.

People call me a Nazi and say that I don’t deserve to live, but I just hung around with these right-wing guys. I didn’t kill anybody, I didn’t stab anybody, I didn’t bully anybody, I just made some stupid mistakes, and I am not a Nazi. I never was a racist or any of this horrible stuff.

People just hate me, and yes, I wish it wasn’t like that, I regret that I have made people feel like that about me. But at the same time, I didn’t do any horrible stuff to anyone else. I did horrible stuff to myself; I took drugs and I almost died from my drug addiction, but I never beat anyone on the streets because of who they are, that they are another colour or from another country.

I never killed anyone or bullied anyone. Never! I don’t want to live my life full of regrets, but I do regret that there have been times when I have been wrong, you know what I mean?”

He also added the following about the allegations of homophobia and transphobia:

“I don’t get the hate. I posted once on my social media about children being brainwashed, but I don’t like, in general, young people being brainwashed by religious stuff and by military stuff. I do not mind if you are gay or trans, that is not my business; that is your business and I support your lifestyle.

I was talking about how I didn’t like, as a parent, my child going to school and being force-fed religious education or be[ing] told about the ‘glorious military’. Right now in Russia, a lot of kids, like 9-year-old kids, 8-year-olds, they’re getting pushed so much military stuff…I don’t like it!

I think it’s bad, the war [with Ukraine] is bad, in general. I understand that history shows us that war is part of human nature, I get it, but I don’t want to be involved in that and I don’t want my child to be told that war is good and that he needs to be patriotic and die for your country and that you owe your country. No, no, no! This is my child and I want to educate him morally myself. This was what I was saying, and it became the LGBTQ+ people saying that I was homophobic. But I’m not. It’s funny, because in Russia there is this mentality where they are very homophobic, a lot of Russian people, and I actually grew up hearing some of that in my family.

I remember when I was 16, 17 years old, I was sitting with some of my family at breakfast and they were discussing that they had a problem with some gay people in a club and members of my family said, ‘F*ck these guys, they are gay, they are disgusting!’ I said, ‘Hold on, what would you say if I turned around and told you I was gay?’ I was told that I would not be a part of this family. What?! I was so angry, I told them I was ashamed that they said that… and then people call me homophobic!

I have a critical mindset. I ask myself, before I judge something or somebody, a lot of questions. But these people [online] are not asking themselves any questions; they see something and, bang, they f*cking believe in it or create some image. That is their business. It’s very funny; sometimes in my surrounding I see homophobic people in this music scene, and the LGBTQ+ community say, ‘Wow! This is a sick band!’ but they are literally homophobic! Not all the members, but some of them. I don’t know…it’s stupid.”