Slaughter To Prevail Guitarist Calls Band’s Controversy ‘Our Own Fault’, Denies N*zi Sympathies

Slaughter to Prevail guitarist Jack Simmons has addressed the persistent controversies surrounding his band and frontman Alex Terrible, specifically regarding past associations with symbols appropriated by far-right hate groups. In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Simmons admitted the discourse around the band is “our own fault” due to “bad decisions in the past” but firmly denied any N*zi sympathies, arguing the symbolism has different cultural “context” in Eastern Europe.

The main focus of the controversy has been Terrible‘s now-covered tattoo of a Black Sun (or sonnenrad) symbol on his elbow, a symbol the Anti-Defamation League notes was “appropriated by the N*zis.” Simmons acknowledged the difficulty in changing some people’s perceptions.

“I would say, actually, it is our own fault, of bad decisions in the past. And as far as navigating it, there’s going to always be a group of people, we can’t change their minds, and we’re not really out here to change their minds. We just want to make music,” Simmons said. He stressed that the band’s live shows are about positivity and connection, not division. “If you actually come to our shows, there’s a lot of love, there’s no fights. We don’t want any radical s**t or people or anything to be pulled into our show… It’s about connecting, for us music is about connecting people.”

Simmons then offered a controversial explanation regarding the Black Sun symbol, suggesting its meaning differs in Russia, where Terrible is from. “I’m not going to speak on Alex, I know he had a different past. All I would say is that, in that part of the world, there’s context. There’s a lot of context about symbolism,” he stated. He then shared an anecdote about his girlfriend’s Ukrainian grandmother allegedly having carpets displaying the symbol. “She laughed at me like I’m being disrespectful, she’s like, ‘Are you saying my grandma’s a N*zi?… This is our symbol. It means heritage and family,’ but that’s lost.”

Alex Terrible himself addressed the Black Sun tattoo in a September podcast interview, denying far-right beliefs but admitting he got the tattoo while associating with “right-wing guys” he admired for being “very strong physically, smart, don’t drink.” He claimed he covered it primarily to protect his music career and didn’t fully grasp its offensive connotations until years later. During that same podcast, Terrible also discussed other controversial photos but expressed remorse only for one showing him holding a rifle while wearing an SS helmet.

Neither interview addressed another controversial tattoo Terrible revealed in 2020: an Odal rune on his foot. The ADL notes this rune was also adopted by N*zis and is now the official logo of the U.S. National Socialist Movement. Slaughter to Prevail sold masks featuring the rune in 2023. It remains unclear if Terrible has covered this tattoo.

Despite the ongoing controversies, Slaughter to Prevail has achieved significant success, with their latest album Grizzly charting well in Europe. The band is scheduled for a major European tour in early 2026 and will co-headline the UK’s Bloodstock Open Air festival in August alongside Judas Priest and Lamb Of God.