Songs We Love: Power Trip, 'Firing Squad'

Enlarge this image toggle caption Joshua Andrade/Courtesy of the artist Joshua Andrade/Courtesy of the artist

Late last year, Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister passed away at the age of 70. The musician was a rare icon who refused to be defined by genre limitation; he possessed a certain mythos while still alive, a celestial greatness in death. Without Lemmy, it's hard to imagine Motörhead would have helped revolutionize thrash metal, assisting in the birth of the punk subgenre D-beat. In the modern era and in Lemmy's absence, the Dallas five-piece Power Trip has gladly accepted the thrash torch passed on to it. Today, that's found in the punishing "Firing Squad," the first track released from the band's upcoming sophomore LP, Nightmare Logic.

The track begins with a cavernous inhale, barreling into a clear cacophony of loud, hard and fast riffs. Percussion is placed at the front of the mix as drums force through a certain chugging cadence that's both fierce and ominous — it's a track preparing for war.

Thematically and musically, "Firing Squad" is a frustrated song about internal aggravation — both disappointment in some unnamed enemy and criticism of them. Frontman Riley Gale spits:

I see your way of life and I think it's a joke Don't step out of line, you're walking a tight rope Before long you'll be dead and gone Locked up for the firing squad Warfare everywhere I shudder the thought Lined up with the firing squad Now take your best shot

With a snarl so wide and dense, Gale feels bullet-proof.

In a little over three minutes, "Firing Squad" possesses a certain monolithic quality Lemmy would admire: a massive rawness and a sludgy, heavy hopelessness that thrashes with punk immediacy and metal intricacy. If this is any indication of the rest of the album, Power Trip will soundtrack your future frustration: with a person, with yourself or with your country.

Nightmare Logic comes out Feb. 24, 2017 on Southern Lord. Power Trip is on tour now.