This album starts off with the very hellish "Soul Sacrifice", armed with a very strong atmospheric intro. Don't get used to it, for the next half hour it's going to be all Thrash with not much room to relax. This atmospheric intro really sets the tone fantastically, as if that cover art didn't already take care of that. When that main riff finally drops, it's honestly exactly what I wanted to hear from these guys. It's confident and almost has a little groove metal feel to it. Power Trip always give us such tight musical performances that are so crisp, and while they're heavy as anything else you're going to hear this year, these tracks are very well thought out. One of the big elements I have to point out here, is the production. Off the top of my head I don't know who produced this album, but whoever did captured Power Trip wonderfully. They've managed to seriously raise their production value without taking anything away from their brutal sound. In a time where metal seriously needs gimmicks and sub-genres to stay relevant, this is just so straightforward and classic sounding. The vocals come off as so tortured here, so vicious, I can't get enough of them. "Soul Sacrifice" doesn't give you a single inch to breathe, and the solos that come in at about 2:40 are some of the most ridiculous I've heard from the genre in a long time. Honestly. this is exactly what I want to hear from Power Trip. Up next is "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe". This one seriously doesn't waste a single second getting completely unhinged. There aren't flashy riffs, and Power Trip isn't going for anything super fancy or technical, this is just balls to the wall Thrash Metal. And it sure is fantastic. As far as the vocals go, they continue to be just as vicious. Lyrically however "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe" is special. The lyrics here are the perfect combination of over-the-top, overly ridiculous lyrics I look for in metal. Not to mention, believe it or not this track has a lot of really catchy moments too, it ends up really sticking with you. Plus, this track and almost all of the others as well don't really overstay their welcome, which happens all too often these days in metal. This continues to be everything I crave for in Thrash. By the time we get to "Firing Squad", it's apparent that every track here is just going to get angrier and heavier. This is absolutely brutal. Lyrically, it continues to be just so damn over-the-top and bloody, basically everything that was one great about Thrash. The tracks on this album barely give you a single second to breathe, and these solos remain eye popping to say the very least. Hell, I had trouble taking notes on this album because it's just so non stop. Power Trip are doing more than just supplying us with one of the years best metal albums, this is redefining Thrash altogether. Their performances are concise, their energy is commendable, and the material isn't too challenging at all. If you've never give Thrash Metal a listen, this would be honestly a great place to start. I need a breather after "Firing Squad". As you can imagine, I'm not going to get that break, and Power Trip are just getting started. Up next is the title track, "Nightmare Logic", which starts with absolutely ridiculous wailing guitars. For such a young band to be in touch with their sound this quickly, it's pretty damn awesome. As these tracks continue, it becomes more and more evident that there's also a ton of Hardcore Punk influence in there as well, mostly in the vocals. It's a great sound for Power Trip though. I love the absolutely brute force of "Nightmare Logic", all of these tracks just seem to plow through everything in their path. This is just another all around very impressive Thrash Metal track. The riff once again is reminiscent of Thrash Metal's glory days. The guttural vocals continue to be soul piercing, and the solos continue to be out of control. All I can say is, hell yes.
The second half of the album starts off with one of the singles, "Waiting Around To Die". Now, I love a balls out intro as much as anyone else. But the intro here is on the slower side and it works out great. Power Trip really slow things down and end up building a fantastic atmosphere, which almost always works out in the case of metal. Boy is there ever a huge pay off though. By the time that main riff hits I'm already invested, and "Waiting Around To Die" quickly becomes quite possibly the most Wild and unhinged track here. Lyrically and vocally, this is absolutely brutal. Power Trip have this formula down so well, between the unrelenting instrumentals and just how memorable the verses are. While lyrically it's still just as ridiculous and over-the-top, it all sticks with you. "Ruination" offers up a much slower intro for Power Trip, with some more chugging guitars compared to more explosive fast paced ones. Everything about this one is much more patience testing, with the first verse waiting a whole minute before it explodes in. This remains just as heavy however, and when everything speeds up eventually it's more of what you expect. "Ruination" doesn't really hit me that hard, but even at their weakest Power Trip is exhausting and explosive. Plus, the constant screams of "RUINATION!!!" just work so well in their favor, I just wish this one was a little longer and more fleshed out. Thankfully, Power Trip pick themselves up and get right back at it with a much more technical jam of "If Not Us Then Who". This one is a little more all over the place, but in the best way. "If Not Us Then Who" may be the most unpredictable track on here. The solos during the breakdown are simply put dizzying, to the point where I actually had to put down my headphones for a second. I swear, as this album goes on these vocals just get harsher and harsher, and this might just be my favorite vocal performance here. The instrumental breakdowns later on in the track prove to be just as overwhelming, even that last little instrumental outro is done so well. Simply put, this is going to go down as one of the years strongest metal albums. As far as the album's finale goes, "Crucifixation" is pretty straightforward. At this point in the album, you better believe Power Trip aren't going to go soft on us. This intro is just as fast paced and dominant as other tracks here. The galloping riff here is just as brutal, and the rest of the band sounds just as unforgiving. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on here are the vocals sadly, I wish they were a little more at the forefront.
Rating 8.5/10
Give A Listen To: “Soul Sacrifice”, “Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)”, “Nightmare Logic”, "If Not Us Then Who"
Overall Thoughts: Like I said earlier, Metal has come to a point where it needs a gimmick or some wild sub-genre just to get noticed. Power Trip here come at you full force, no gimmicks, no tricks, just raw power, in a surprisingly fantastic album. Even some of the weaker tracks here have TONS to seriously love about them, and there isn't a single performance here that isn't vicious. "Nightmare Logic" is one of the most unforgiving metal albums you're going to hear this year.
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