Acclaimed American band, Power Trip, hits Manila with a mega-watt performance

Acclaimed American band, Power Trip, hits Manila with a mega-watt performance

By Rick Olivares

One of the most acclaimed American bands of the last decade hit Manila last Sunday.

Texas crossover thrash metal band Power Trip put on a mega-watt performance in a production by promoter Sleeping Boy Collective last February 9 at the 123 Block.

The crowd of 300 people – including several Danish tourists -- who packed the venue came away tired, sweaty, and bewildered. In fact, some had to sit down in the middle of their raucous set to rest or go for a water break. It was that intense.

And the Dallas, Texas-based band is known just for that – their crossover hardcore punk and thrash metal to go with their livewire shows. They released two critically-acclaimed albums in the past decade – 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic. In between those two albums, the band also put out a couple of extended play albums. 

Along with American acts such as Deafheaven and Vampire Weekend, Power Trip is one of the more lauded and popular bands of the last decade. Such is their draw that top rock acts have oft invited the Texas Thrashers on their tours opening them up to new audiences.

Power Trip – vocalist Riley Gale, guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart, drummer Chris Ulsh, and bassist Chris Wetzel – are in the midst of a six-nation Asian Tour and Manila was their second stop. 

“It’s cool to know that we have fans in this part of the world,” said Wetzel before their show where local hardcore acts Veils, Armas Ready, and Choke Cocoi opened for them. “We see a lot of people here and we’re just excited to play our music to an audience that is buzzing.”

When the American quintet hit the stage, Gale wore an Agnostic Front shirt. Ibanez sported a white Corrosion of Conformity top, while Whetzel proudly wore a Van Halen tour shirt. Behind them was their logo that is rooted in extreme metal but is at once readable; a subtle reference to its crossover influences. Corrosion of Conformity is a heavy metal band while Agnostic front is a hardcore act from New York. Van Halen is a hard rock act from California.

Riley makes no bones about how the American East Coast hardcore scene of the 1980s where bands such as Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, and Cro-Mags to name but a few influenced him. “I was weaned on that stuff,” he cheerfully admitted. 

The powerful performance saw the band roll out their songs – from the crowd favorite “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” to “Soul Sacrifice” to their new song, “Hornet’s Nest” -- with the jacked up crowd chiming in between relentless moshing. 

“It’s always good when you have people tripping out on your songs and moshing to it,” summed up Whetzel. “And Manila was just awesome. We’re happy we played here and we certainly hope we can come back again.”

After their Asian tour – that followed a grueling American tour that kicked off last November of 2019  -- Power Trip will begin work on their third full-length album.