While it may have been a Tuesday night, there was no shortage of excitement in the air at the Intersection in Grand Rapids for the Battle of the Bays American tour on September 26, 2017. The night featured co-headliners Obituary and Exodus with the up and coming Power Trip.
Firing the opening salvo was Power Trip. This Dallas, TX based band ripped the crowd a new one with a toxic riff fest. Seeing is believing with Power Trip as they went all out on stage. Power Trip gave the fans a massive dose of old school thrash with cuts from their albums ‘Nightmare Logic’ and ‘Manifest Decimation’. They were a perfect addition to this tour. It was great to see another generation embracing and creating scintillating metal music.
From the wretched defilement of Tampa, Florida came the pioneering death metal of Obituary. Fans cheered as the band opened with thick and swampy “Redneck Stomp”. While the band played some devastating music from the new self-titled album, they made sure to dive into the classics. This included “Chopped In Half”, “Turned Inside Out”, and the blistering “Find The Arise” from the classic ‘Cause Of Death’ album.
Obituary has never sounded heavier with pummeling rhythms from Donald Tardy (drums) and Terry Butler (bass), exquisite guitar work from Tevor Peres and Kenny Andrews, and the iconic growls of John Tardy. The crowd ate up every moment of Obituary’s captivating performance.
The final act of brutality was performed by the gods of thrash, Exodus. You could see that the band was pleased to see a roomful of metalheads ready to rage on a weeknight. The energy was contagious and spread throughout the crowd.
Like Obituary, Exodus embraced their roots with plenty of tracks from their debut album ‘Bonded In Blood’. Lee Altus and Gary Holt stood toe to toe trading licks on “And Then There Were None” while the wrecking crew of Tom Hunting (drums) and Jack Gibson(bass) beat the crowd senseless. When he wasn’t unleashing hell with his scathing vocals, Steve Souza took time to thank the crowd and remarked on the bond of blood all metalheads share.
Exodus cashed out with “Strike Of The Beast” to cap off a night of exemplary music. The key to great musical performance is the authentic bond formed between the audience and the musicians. On this night, we all shared our love for the raging force that courses through us when we listen to metal.
The Battle of the Bays with Obituary and Exodus was less of a battle and more of a celebration of the ageless power of metal music. The combined force of opener, Power Trip with the legendary veterans Exodus and Obituary exemplified the cathartic release you can achieve at a metal concert. The gathering of metal stalwarts at the Intersection in Grand Rapids witnessed a magnificent performance which left no doubt as to the timeless beauty of good violent fun.