#power-trip — Public Fediverse posts

“He who sees the world beyond is forever haunted.” So claims the Australian death thrash unit In Malice’s Wake as heard on “Beyond Death” from their latest record, The Profound Darkness. IMW last scourged the Earth with 2020’s The Blindness of Faith, a sprawling, somewhat bloated collection of bulldozing thrash metal condemnations of religious manipulation and ignorance. With four original LPs and twenty-four years of independent musicianship under them, guitarist Leigh Bartley (Harlott), bassist Karl Watterson, drummer Mark Farrugia, and guitarist/vocalist Shaun Farrugia have returned with The Profound Darkness. This time, IMW turn their focus from ire against religion towards rumination on death and the turmoil surrounding the uncertainty thereafter. Tackling as heavy a subject as one could ask for, can In Malice’s Wake deliver us the cold terror of the grave, or is The Profound Darkness more superficial than they’d like us to think?

In Malice’s Wake on The Profound Darkness still sling a most deathly thrash. The Profound Darkness is supercharged with beefy riffs, pummeling rhythms, and bellowing screams. Testamental groove and Power Tripping hardcore DNA bristle on The Profound Darkness, but In Malice’s Wake thrash primarily under the schools of Slayer and Sepultura, encrusted with lightning-fast chromatic riffs, punishing and intricate drumming (“The Great Purifier”) and wailing guitar dives (“Numb to Paradise”) under the singular aim of sounding as evil as possible. IMW’s deeper extreme metal influences manifest in death metal riffing and vox and in the blackened tremolo leads of “The Last Song”1 and the Dissection x Slayer ”The Darkness Below Us.” The only major shift from The Blindness of Faith to The Profound Darkness is in editing, as IMW’s new record is over ten minutes shorter than their last through tighter songwriting. One thing’s for sure: In Malice’s Wake are still as hostile as ever.

In Malice’s Wake sounds great when they hit the right balance of technicality and immediacy. The Profound Darkness is busy, but never noodly or extravagant. Songs like “Upon My Flesh” and “By Tongues of Demons” exercise scathing, headbangable riffcraft while fitting in a lot more notes than expected, given their lizard-brained appeal. Similarly, Mark Farrugia’s sneaks just enough flare into his drumming while keeping to the pocket, dropping some nimble kicks and cymbals over “Beyond Death” and “The Great Purifier” amidst his blistering assault on the senses. Small touches make a big difference on The Profound Darkness, most notably the multitudes of brief guitar solos littering songs like “Beyond Death,” “The Darkness Below Us,” and “The Great Purifier.” IMW can shred like crazy but choose to cut themselves short, which keeps The Profound Darkness lean and focused, and the listener wanting more, which there will be. The Profound Darkness is an expertly written and performed album by musicians who know to put the needs of their songs first and when and where to let it rip.

The Profound Darkness is less bloated than The Blindness of Faith, but In Malice’s Wake lost a little something in the process of slimming down. “The Last Song” and “Away from the Light” are as tight and fiery as IMW’s best stuff, but lack the breathing room to grow and wrap all of their riffs and ideas into complete packages. The Profound Darkness’ mix also lacks breathing room, and though it’s not totally brickwalled, it takes its toll on the ears by the end. Further, these songs aren’t as memorable as The Blindness of Faith. I’ve spent far more time with The Profound Darkness and yet can’t recall much from it, as well as the Sepultura-worshiping title track, the mind-freakery of “To Die as One,” or the tribalistic pulse of “Ritual Slaughter.” There is variety here, particularly in the blackened opulence of closer “The Darkness Below Us,” but I wish In Malice’s Wake had taken just a few more eccentric paths in uncovering The Profound Darkness.

However, whatever problems I see in The Profound Darkness can’t detract from its sheer electricity. Every riff hits, every rasp is bilious, and In Malice’s Wake never let up to give you a chance at getting bored. Old fans won’t find much to complain about here. Fans of thrash and/or death yet unfamiliar with IMW may find themselves caught up in the Wake. That promise of a haunting—of coming into gnosis of the paralyzing apprehension of death—is sometimes brushed against. Not many groups even get that, so give The Profound Darkness a shot if your evening plans include mortal dread anywhere.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: inmaliceswake.com | inmaliceswake.bandcamp | facebook.com/inmaliceswake
Releases Worldwide: May 1st, 2026

This year has already kicked off in thrash-tastic fashion. We’ve seen new releases from the likes of Megadeth, Exodus, and Kreator, with Anthrax and more on the way. A quick check of my thrash bingo card shows that, by the end of the year, at least half of the “Big 4”1 will have dropped new records, with many of the honorable-mention heavyweights joining the fray. While we wait for the next boot to drop, we turn our attention to Würzburg, Germany’s Zerre, one of modern thrash’s promising upstarts. Their debut, Scorched Souls, was a Metallica-meets-Municipal Waste slab of old-school aggression loaded with crossover, beer-chugging grooves. Taking the foundations of their debut, Rotting on a Golden Throne finds Zerre tearing through nine tracks with a sharpened sense of purpose—more aggressive, more political, and more sadistic than its predecessor. And let me tell you, it delivers in spades. I hope you’re thirsty for some tallboys, because thrash is still on the menu.

Forging their songwriting into material that’s meaner, tighter, and far more assured, Rotting on a Golden Throne shines with the violently tempered alloy of classic thrash and modern crossover’s street-level grit that never lets its energy wane. Heavily steeped in Municipal Waste’s party chaos and …And Justice for All’s rapid, surgical picking, Zerre also imbues the album with Power Trip’s coarseness, Anthrax’s stomping swagger (“Killing Taste”) and the frantic wails of Slayer (“No Alibi,” “Deception of the Weak”). Riffs hit in relentless waves, with raw aggression spilling over into massive, replay-ready grooves, while strategically placed interludes are woven directly into the album’s 40-minute runtime rather than sliced off as filler (“Mental Vacation,” “Rotting on a Golden Throne”). This smart choice gives Rotting on a Golden Throne a more cohesive flow and breaks up the record’s accelerated attack just enough to keep things elastic. Zerre delivers it all seamlessly, with a dialed‑up piss‑and‑vinegar attitude that hits you right between the eyes.

Rotting on a Golden Throne by Zerre

Neck-snapping riffs abound on Rotting on a Golden Throne, driven by Zerre’s full-throttle dual axe attack of Dominik Bertelt and Rocco Lepore. The two throw their weight around effortlessly with hyperspeed picking mixed with trilling, power cord syncopations, whammy dives, and a metric ton of technical solos. After the “Battery”-inspired acoustic intro, “Pigs will be Pigs” fires the first shot with blistering runs that give way to a soaring melodic solo, while “Deception of the Weak” counters with sharp twin harmonies and nimble hammer‑ons and pull‑offs. Even the slower approach of “Concrete Hell” packs a punch and “Tin God” seals the deal with a squealing, tapping frenzy that illustrates how purposefully Zerre uses solos—coupled with keen songwriting—to drive the record’s peaks. The Nordic folk lick stretching out into intertwining leads in “Mental Vacation” is also a pleasant surprise, as is the power metal riff in the self-titled track, proving that when these guys branch out of their comfort zone, they do so tastefully and with restraint rather than veering off into left field.

Vocalist Nick Ziska2 brings a feral edge to Zerre’s sound. His performance swings between Tom Araya‑styled screams (“No Alibi”) and a Riley Gale-esque snarling mid‑range, anchoring Rotting on a Golden Throne’s songs with a serrated bark that sounds abrasive and weathered, yet still clear enough to slice through the chaos. Zerre’s songwriting leans heavily on gang vocals, and while they’re a clear fallback move, they inject a sense of rowdy fun that magnifies Ziska’s lyrics and makes the choruses instantly hooky. Ziska takes the lead, and the rest of the crew pile in behind him, creating shout-along moments that demand listener participation. Lyrically, Rotting on a Golden Throne sticks to thrash’s customary grievances—anti-police sentiment, prison system disdain and broad political ire—but these tropes feel less like a crutch and more like part of the total package, reinforcing the album’s scrappy, kinetic energy.

Talking about this album in the staff lounge, our resident Reaper categorized Rotting on a Golden Throne as one of the best straight-up thrash records of the year so far, and I couldn’t agree more. Detractors may point to Zerre’s stylistic touchstones as a mere recombination of established genre language, and while they wouldn’t be wrong, I don’t care. Zerre has dropped an album that embodies everything I want my thrash to be. Rotting on a Golden Throne is bursting with energy, aggression, groove, and a sense of unfiltered fun. It’s a combination that’s hard to find in today’s thrash metal landscape, and it’s one that’s worth raising a beer for.

Rating: Great!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/rotting-on-a-golden-throne | facebook.com/zerre.thrash
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Homeowner Followed Every HOA Rule Before Landscaping, But An Entitled Board Member Still Issued A Bogus Compliance Notice » TwistedSifter https://www.allforgardening.com/1540035/homeowner-followed-every-hoa-rule-before-landscaping-but-an-entitled-board-member-still-issued-a-bogus-compliance-notice-twistedsifter/ #EntitledPeople #entity #garden #gardening #HOA #homeowners #HomeownersAssociation #picture #PowerTrip #reddit #top

Cold Steel – Discipline & Punish Review

By Lavender Larcenist

Debut albums are a fickle thing. Often the strongest release by a band for years to come, even giving rise to the term “sophomore slump” when the inevitable follow-up can’t hit the same highs. And so, debuts are make-or-break. For Tampa’s Cold Steel, Discipline & Punish is such a piping hot serving of crossover thrash, I can’t help but be excited for their future. The Florida sextet’s first LP feels so cohesive and energetic; keeping pace will be a challenge. For now, we can revel in the absolute monster that is Discipline & Punish and enjoy a young band that is clearly firing on all cylinders and loving every minute of it.

I had no clue Cold Steel existed before their debut LP showed up in AMG’s promo pile-up, but the great hooks and a sick album cover (I am a simple woman) piqued my interest. I was immediately addicted to the catchy songs, frantic pacing, and infectious energy. Power Trip is fucking awesome (original take), and they constantly came to mind while I spun Discipline & Punish on repeat. It was no surprise then, when I learned that Cold Steel’s debut was produced by none other than Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Undeath, Power Trip), it makes sense that they are the first band in a while that capture that same brand of hook-driven, manic energy that makes you wanna break a bottle on your head and start a bar fight. Jose Menedez’s vocals immediately reminded me of Riley Gale’s (RIP) signature mix of thrash edge and punk passion, mirroring some Power Trip greats, like “Firing Squad” and “Waiting Around to Die”.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the production suits Discipline & Punish perfectly. Things never get as grimy or lo-fi as many of their inspirations; Menendez’s voice is crisp and clear while leaving space for a raw edge that keeps Discipline & Punish sounding immediate and decidedly trash. Every instrument has space to thrive as massive hardcore breakdowns mix perfectly with intertwining thrash riffs. The triple (yes, triple) guitar assault of Rafi Carbonell, Shawn Wallen, and Rafael Calderon weaves between criss-crossing rhythms, hooky leads, and melting faces. As a cherry on top, Janpierre Mojica’s bass sounds thick and juicy, slamming along like a lumbering beast through the warzone of sound. Brandon Thrift’s drums tie the whole thing together, with clear percussion, driving kicks, and a military-esque tinge that fits the album’s theming well.

Menendez is a high point of Discipline & Punish. His vocal phrasing and energy drive the whole album. You can’t help but bounce along as he screeches “Blood by the liters, they’re not gonna need em” on “Killing Season”, or ripping through “Front to Enemy” alongside a feature with Aaron Heard of Jesus Piece. Like a snowball in an avalanche, Menendez gains more speed, momentum, and ferocity throughout the record, barreling over everything in his path. The biggest surprise on an album full of rippers is “Smoking Mirrors,” featuring local hip-hop/hardcore duo Two-Piece. The combination of ’80s-esque record scratches and looping off-tone siren mixes perfectly with the hooky, chugging riffs and Menendez’s manic energy. Cold Steel takes an idea that should end up like oil and water, and turns it into chocolate and peanut butter.

There are so many good things to say about Discipline & Punish. The record is tight but not too short at ten tracks and thirty-five minutes, making for a listen that is all killer, no filler. It is impossible to even pick highlights between so many standouts. From the unhinged “Front to Enemy” to the crushing “Blacksmith of Damnation” or the bouncing “Killing Season”, there is something for everyone. Then there is the surprising “Smoking Mirrors”, the atmospheric “Fever Dreaming”, and the epic closing track “The Coldest Death”, with a finale that brought to mind Horrendous of all things. Cold Steel keeps you on your toes the whole time. It is an embarrassment of riches with Discipline & Punish, an album that demands you hit the play button one more time with every spin. No album is perfect, but Discipline & Punish is a hell of a start for a young band making their foray into a storied and crowded genre. Luckily, it already looks like Cold Steel doesn’t intend to rest on its laurels, with a mix of genre-bending tracks that stretch the lines of crossover thrash and hardcore. The title may call to mind authoritarian torture, but if Cold Steel is administering the pain, you are in for a good time.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: A goddamned stream
Label: Spinefarm
Websites: coldsteel813.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/coldsteelbandfl
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #40 #americanMetal #bloodIncantation #coldSteel #crossover #crossoverThrash #disciplinePunish #hardcore #hardcorePunk #hipHop #horrendous #jesusPiece #nov25 #powerTrip #review #reviews #spinefarm #twoPiece #undeath

Cruel Bomb – Cruel Bomb Review

By Tyme

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is home to self-proclaimed ‘thrash metal titans,’ Cruel Bomb. Since forming in 2018, Cruel Bomb has released three EPs—2019’s Manhattan Mischief, 2020’s Trinity Terror, and 2022’s Man Made—while touring extensively along the East Coast. Now, wrapped in an energetically bright and nuclearly holocaustic package courtesy of artist Ed Repka, Cruel Bomb prepares to drop their eponymous, independent debut album. Crafting your debut as a nod to the Big 4, while not entirely original, does come with certain expectations, at least for this reviewer. So, I mindfully sat down to pen my missive, wondering if Cruel Bomb would be the band to put Wilkes-Barre on the thrash map, or if they’d blown their whole wad requisitioning that cool cover art.

Cruel Bomb never reaches the other side of the crossover bridge with a sound more hardcore than thrash. Kenny Barto and Brandon James lay down formulaically straightforward riffs of the speedy, chuggy, and breakdown variety. And ohh, the breakdowns. Present throughout, they keep Cruel Bomb planted primarily in Hatebreed and sometimes, Power Trip territory. I also sensed whiffs of Slayer lurking about via harmonic leads (“Hell Hounds”) and Hell Awaits-like chugging (“Night of the Hunt”). Barto’s solo work makes brief appearances, which are either noodly and short-lived (“Target Neutralized”) or comprised of fretfully executed dive bombs (“Glass House”). Nick Hennebaul’s bass lines—perkily plucked and punky—permeate Cruel Bomb’s low spaces and are audibly satisfying, a result of the production job from Novro Studios, while Kyle McKeown rounds out the rhythm section and does a decent job D-beating his way through Cruel Bomb, his performance enhanced by flourishing fills and machine-gun double kicks. Vocals are hard, core, and shouted, courtesy of Brandon James, and though effectively executed, sound so much like Jamey Jasta, it was hard for me to pick out moments that didn’t remind me of Hatebreed. Framed by formula and trope, Cruel Bomb’s thrash is just hardcore in sheep’s clothing.

Mainly a mix of homogenized moments, there were a few points during Cruel Bomb that I found more engaging. Not only due to the strange, cartoonish voice at the beginning, “Hell Hounds” stood out because of its lively bass work, mid-paced thrashery, and an interlude where everything stops long enough for Brandon to scream, ‘Retreat?! We just got here!” before launching into the tracks second half. I also took note of the stanky grooves and great chorus of “Gravemind” in addition to the speedy riffs and lengthiest solo work—a whammy-tinged fret-du-jour preceded by a nice little guitar lick—on “The End.” Beyond these flashes, however, most of what Cruel Bomb does is awash in waves of similitude cannibalizing off one central idea, riff/breakdown/riff/repeat.

As good a production job as Eric Novroski did, providing enough organic spaces for Cruel Bomb’s instrumentation to thrive, a lack of dynamic songwriting and a no-escape-from-the-vocals approach hold Cruel Bomb back the most. Obligatory intro and the aforementioned “Hell Hounds” aside, every other track on Cruel Bomb starts one of two ways, with a speed happy riff or drum and chug breakdown, adhering strictly to a too-safely written formula resulting in a narrowly conceived batch of hardcore tunes that, by the time “Glass House” rolled around, had me glancing at the clock and suffering from listeners fatigue. In addition, James’ very one-dimensional vocal attack made what should have been an easily digestible thirty-four-minute platter drag, feeling much longer. Don’t get me wrong, Brandon James is a good vocalist and the amount of chesty power he brings to his shouts works. Still, his lack of tonal variety—notwithstanding the few seconds in “World Breaker” where he manages to dip into a slightly lower register—grates after a while, especially when overpowering most of Cruel Bomb’s attempts at gang shouts, which could have served as a vocal counterpoint.

I respect Cruel Bomb’s commitment to their aesthetic and craft, even down to the logo, which I dig. Yet despite my rather negative take, I don’t believe Cruel Bomb is a complete swing and miss. It’s clear these four, a quartet since 2023, have spent a lot of time touring and playing together, reflected in Cruel Bomb’s taut performances. With a more adventurous songwriting approach and some vocal contrast, Cruel Bomb has the talent to do more. Hardcore enthusiasts and Hatebreed fans should find things to like, and though I won’t return to Cruel Bomb after closing my laptop on this review, I’ll be watching for what comes next.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: August 15th, 2025

#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #CrossoverThrash #CruelBomb #Hardcore #Hatebreed #PowerTrip #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Slayer

Jag vill inte heller jobba!! // I don't want to work
https://youtu.be/mJiv6Tofs0E?si=a-NKvmdzXZ2du6vX #monstermagnet #powertrip #music #musicvideo

Policing in the USA. What exactly does a judge look like?
#Racism #PowerTrip #Nailed #blackmastodon

https://youtube.com/shorts/xO8QY8CDf9g?si=7uyzl6z7kGf0I0OM

@Lana @anubis2814 @stux He follows her, destroys her ticket machine (city property), arrests her. What do you think are the legal consequences?

Full video here: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=u6mCsfFlkN4

Commented video here: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=HiJPvDnRVnY

Unfortunately I haven't found reliable journalistic news on it yet.

#PoliceBrutality #PoliceWrongdoing #PoliceError #PowerTrip

I recently mentioned #Powertrip my new project and I am quite happy with the progress.

At this point I can deploy it e.g. on Proxmox or OpenStack nodes and actively monitor and record power consumption for virtual machines and containers and actively influence power usage based on gathered reports.

Next up: tracking reduced power consumption and investigating actively setting goals for power consumption.

What do #MAGA #liars do on a regular basis? They #lie.
What do they do when #calledout? #Juvenile #insults.

#dishonest
#dictator #wannabe
#powertrip
#rottenToTheCore

https://www.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-hits-astronaut-shocking-180900402.html

#pantera #kingparrot #powertrip #glasgowhydro #thekenden

Here's some crappy photos of the mighty Pantera gig up the Hydro in Glasgow on Tuesday night. It's been 25 years since I last seen them so this was a long time coming plus my first time seeing Zakk Wylde. Him and Charlie are both doing Dimebag and Vinnie proud. And, of course, I couldn't resist a couple of tour shirts.

King Parrot and Power Trip were also cool 🤘😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

#pantera #glasgowhydro #kingparrot #powertrip #thekenden #metalmusic

Gig Review: Pantera / Power Trip / King Parrot – Hydro, Glasgow (18th February 2025)

It's tempting to jump straight to the headliner and start going on about them, but let's build up to them. I mean, that's half the fun isn't it? I got to the venue nice and early to catch up with our photographer Alan (his d

https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2025/02/gig-review-pantera-power-trip-king-parrot-hydro-glasgow-18th-february-2025/

#GigReviews #KingParrot #Pantera #PowerTrip

metalhead fam and beyond, do you know about the #thrash band Dead Heat? Just came across their EP Endless Torment and it is banging :blobrainbow:

FFO: #PowerTrip #Enforced #Gatecreeper

https://deadheatca.bandcamp.com/album/endless-torment

🔊 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #VarietyMix

Power Trip:
🎵 Firing Squad

#PowerTrip

https://powertripsl.bandcamp.com/track/firing-squad

https://open.spotify.com/track/2mgHssZatgtkYaSVqTYHiA

🎶 show playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6G4PaS9BNkIuGqMo44rbfZ

🎶 KEXP playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VNALrOa3gWbk794YuIrwg