Power Trip from Dallas, Texas, was the second band to play on this eve of brutality.
They were also the only band I had never heard about before, which made me wonder why they came after Lock Up, who after all are pretty well-known around here. The most likely reason I can find, is that Shane Embury and the boys wanted a break, as it was the same musicians in both Lock Up and Brujeria, who were up next. Embury also had the Napalm Death show to get through at the end, so this little breather was probably a good idea.

Anyway, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. On a night of pure death and grindcore, it was a bit surprising to find this island of thrash in its midst. Now, I don’t mind the mix-up, a little variation is good for the soul and all that. Also, good old thrash isn’t too far reached from the rest to upset anyone, not to my knowledge.
So, Power Trip came on, and at first this seemed to head in a positive direction. Even though the musicians stayed in their places, they were still moving and headbanging, keeping the energy up. And the music had that undeniable old-school thrash charm. Only vocalist Riley Gale looked a bit tired as he hung on the mic, hidden in the shade of his cap, but once in a while a burst of energy exploded in him, resulting in a high jump or something similar.

More people had also reached the floor by now, and some headbanging could be seen in the front rows. There were obviously some who knew these guys from before.
It just wasn’t quite enough for a break-through. It didn’t take long to find that the music didn’t quite deliver – it was fast, sure, but it lacked the juicy recognisable riffs that made this genre into what it is. In much the same manner, the energy on stage didn’t really move any further than that. Sure, the band members tried to reach out once in a while, and Gale even called out for a circle pit once, to which there was no response whatsoever. It was as if their hearts weren’t really in it, not yet anyway. Apparently, things hadn’t exactly been going the band’s way this first night. For one thing, none of their merchandise had arrived in time for the show, and I suppose such a thing could put a damper on their spirits, but honestly, a professional should be able to work through that.
As I said though, I don’t know the band outside of this one event, so maybe this is how they always are, I can’t really say. I can say that on this night, they didn’t leave any form of lasting impression, and were outclassed by every other band playing.