Slaughter to Prevail frontman Alex Terrible addressed accusations of homophobia and anti-trans rhetoric that have followed him, speaking out in a new interview with loudersound.com.
Terrible pushed back against claims that he holds homophobic views, explaining that comments he made about children being “brainwashed” were aimed at religious and military indoctrination, not the LGBTQ+ community.
When asked about the accusations of homophobia and anti-trans rhetoric directed at him, Terrible responded directly to the question.
“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,” Terrible said.
He went on to clarify the context behind his original comments, tying them to concerns about how children in Russia are being exposed to nationalist and military messaging.
“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!” he continued. “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.”
Terrible then shared a personal story from his teenage years to illustrate his stance on homophobia within his own family.
“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,” he said. “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!”
He closed by reflecting on how quickly online communities form judgments without deeper scrutiny, and pointed out what he sees as inconsistency within the music scene itself.
“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 fucking believe in it or create some image. That is their business,” he said. “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.”
This is far from the first time Terrible has had to defend himself against accusations of prejudice, and his history of controversy stretches back well beyond this latest interview.
Terrible has repeatedly denied being racist, homophobic, transphobic or a Nazi amid renewed scrutiny over his past tattoos and statements. Much of the criticism traces back to a since-covered Black Sun tattoo and an Othala Rune, both symbols historically associated with neo-Nazi imagery, which he got during a turbulent period in his youth.
By his own account, Terrible fell in with far-right circles in Russia after overcoming a nearly fatal drug addiction, and he has framed the tattoos as part of a broader search for identity rather than a genuine political commitment. He has since had the markings blacked out and covered.
Just this week, Terrible revisited the subject once again, calling his earlier actions “stupid mistakes” while insisting he holds no allegiance to Nazi ideology. The renewed comments came amid ongoing scrutiny of the band, including criticism following a recent performance at the Bloodstock Festival.
“I just made some stupid mistakes, and I am not a Nazi,” Terrible said, reiterating a stance he has now repeated across multiple interviews and public statements over the past several years, as reported by ThePRP.
Despite his continued denials, the accusations have shown little sign of fading, and Terrible’s latest remarks on homophobia appear to be another attempt to separate his personal beliefs from a public image shaped heavily by his past.
