FMA Reviews: Power Trip: Manifest Decimation (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

If there is one style of metal that has kind of passed me by to my regret, it is crossover. I just do not have a lot of experience listening to the subgenre. But that is slowly starting to change. It all started a few months ago when I was listening to my Skullcrushers compilation, which has tracks from Exodus, Megadeth, Celtic Frost, Voivod and more, when all of a sudden this track came up that I had heard a million times before, but it just stuck with me. That song was from Nuclear Assault and it was called "Critical Mass". Corrosion of Conformity's "Loss for Words" and Prong's "Beg to Differ" also appeared in the compilation and grabbed my attention. All of a sudden, crossover clicked for me.

Obviously I would not be telling this long-ass, boring story if there were not some connection to this review. Some day I will tell a boring long story that has absolutely no relevance to the review just to keep readers on their toes.  But that will not be this day.

Anyway, Power Trip is a crossover band whose sound shows a very strong Nuclear Assault influence. It is an incredibly harsh and chaotic sound. It is aggressive, biting, and angry. And most of all, it gets the blood pumping. This is terrific music to listen to while working out because of its speed and intensity. It is just a vicious album all the way through. A lot of people may think of Suicidal Tendencies or other bands who use a lot of humor and light-hearted party attitudes toward music. This is definitely not in the same ballpark. This is angry, much more like Nuclear Assault.

For some reason this came from Southern Lord, which is very surprising. That label is well-know for doom, black, and sludge, so this album really stands out.

The only complaint that I have about this one is that it flies by so fast and once it is done, it is hard to think of any real highlights, other than the crushing "Crossbreaker". But it is a hell of a ride.