Live Review: Power Trip - Academy 3, Manchester
18th June 2025
Support: Tortured Demon
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Rich Price
It’s a warm sunny evening as I head up to Manchester, to see a band that’s been on my “to-see” list for some time now. Resplendent in my bright yellow D.R.I. t-shirt, I got my ticket and headed up to the Academy 2, to find that it was closed, so I climbed another set of stairs into the more intimate setting of the Academy 3 and knew instantly that this was going to be chaotic.
The coveted support slot for tonight went to Oldham’s fine young thrashers, Tortured Demon. With lots of feedback, they enter the stage one by one, frontman Jacon Parkinson shouts out "What's going on? Take two steps forward” before he screams “Get the fuck up Manchester" as they kick off with the crushing “Conflict of Interest”, followed by “Virtual Death” which sees the pit fired up, but the singer wants to see “more energy” from the already enthusiastic crowd.
I first saw the quartet on this exact stage back in October 2023, and they clearly revel in a hometown show, as was demonstrated at Thrashchester last year, and he’s a bit speechless at times. Sadly, the bassist’s vocal wasn’t that clear from where I was stood, but that doesn’t diminish from the quality that they bring to their performance.
They look more accomplished on stage, and fire through “Nothing Left to Say”, “The Invasion” and the wonderful “In Desperation’s Grip”, which has that crunchy hardcore drop which delights the ever expanding mosh pit. They get cries of “Tortured Demon” from the sweaty masses, before Parkinson announces it’s time for “a fucking fast one” as they tear into “Oppressed”.
They are now equipped with songs that are good enough to hold their own with any band, and it’s an evening where their usual guitarist was unavailable, so Ben from Unburier stepped in and did a brilliant job. They ended the set with “Global Threat” and the ruthless “Rise of the Lifeless” that leaves the crowd wanting more.
The story surrounding Power Trip has been told many times, and I would have loved to have seen them before those tragic events, but in Seth Gilmore, they have a Certified Platinum, Grade A nutter on the stage, and he is an absolute joy to watch. From the opening notes of “Soul Sacrifice” to the last notes of “Crossbreaker” he’s like a Tasmanian Devil on the stage.
He announces “We are Power Trip from Dallas, Texas, I wanna see a circle pit” something he repeats across the evening, and the crowd duly oblige, and it is a mass of heaving bodies thrashing around. The sound is superb, no vocal problems now, and by the time they finish “Executioner’s Axe” I’m exhausted just watching from the safety of the back of the venue.
“Give me more energy Manchester” he quips as they speed through “Firing Squad” and “Hornest’s Nest” which sees more bedlam at the front. “Do not drop yet, keep it moving” and the crowd are fully matching the energy on the stage. This is what I love about thrash metal, as two forces have a symbiotic relationship and feed off each other. With bassist Chris Whetzel doing his best to avoid Gilmore and taking his moments front and centre, they are as smooth as a barrel of Texas Oil.
They are armed with an arsenal of hard hitting and powerful songs, such as “Divine Apprehension” and “Suffer No fool”. Fair play to drummer Chris Ulsh and guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart for leading the charge and bombarding us with riffs and beats galore, that are brutally brilliant. Gilmore encourages the crowd to go “side to side Manchester” as they continue to batter each other.
“The next one goes out to Riley” which gets the biggest cheer of the evening, as they play the introduction to “Drown” before they continue with “Heretic’s Fork”. “You still with us? It’s really hot in here and it’s great to be back in Manchester” says Stewart. “You know what to do Manchester” fires Gilmore, as they start “Waiting Around to Die”. There are crowd surfers galore and with the monstrous “Manifest Decimation” up next, the biggest circle pit of the night opens leading to unrelenting chaos.
I see streams of people walking past me glistening in sweat and with huge grins on their faces, as it has been an absolute joy to behold. When they return for an encore of “Iron Age” followed by “Crossbreaker” is brings to an end a pulsating night of crossover thrash that what just what the doctor ordered.
Photo Credits: Rich Price Photography
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