Sadistic Ritual talks Atlanta metal and Power Trip

• Julia Tous

Tight Bros may have booked the perfect Red Bull Sound Select showcase to display how the drink really can give you wings. Metal kids, potent energy drinks, thrash-metal bands, and lots of booze. Beer/Bull cans and bodies alike will surely be hurled through the air in a metal-induced rage brought to us by Dallas, TX thrash outfit Power Trip, along with locals Sadistic Ritual, Criminal Instinct, and Hellgoat. (Full disclosure: CL Music Editor Chad Radford is a local curator for Red Bull’s Sound Select program. He was not involved in curating this show.) All bands are set to annihilate the showcase on Sat., March 22, at the Earl.

In anticipation of the show, I sat down with hometown metal heads Sadistic Ritual to see what they think about the local metal scene, Power Trip, and Red Bull. Once the beer ran out and the smoke cleared, this is what the band had to say.

Atlanta’s metal scene has been growing steadily over the past few years. How do you guys feel about the scene as of now and about a corporation such as Red Bull doing a purely metal/hardcore sound select showcase?

Hayden: The scene is definitely getting bigger and wilder.

Charlie: It’s growing pretty fast. In general, I think Atlanta has become a go to spot or more of a metal city in the past two years, and the fact that a company like Red Bull is taking notice to it is a pretty big deal. A lot of people think that’s kind of lame but I think its good because what the scene lacks is the financial side. When companies like Red Bull and Scion come in and help out with that and do free shows, why not, you know? Its not like they’re making us wear Red Bull shirts and shit like that.

Tony: More and more people have been coming out to shows for sure, and Red Bull doesn’t usually do metal stuff like this, especially with underground metal bands. We think that’s a great thing.

Power Trip is the sound select headliner, how do you guys feel about the band and their newest record released by Southern Lord, Manifest Decimation?

Tony: Manifest Decimation is a great record!

Charlie: Their releases before are awesome too. They’re a great band. I’m a huge fan of badass, mid-paced thrash metal. I think what they are doing is sick and the fact that they kind of have a crossover style for the hardcore kids makes their live performances way crazier.

Hayden: Their live shows are absurd. I remember people bleeding at their last show and just going insane. I got a black eye at that show and still have a scar from it.

Since Power Trip is known for having wild, energetic shows, what is Sadistic Ritual going to do to compete?

Tony: We’re going to kill each other.

Hayden: VIOLENCE!

Charlie: We have a brand new set and it’s probably the best shit we’ve written. So I’m really excited and I think people are going to go crazy for sure. Our last few shows were insane, so I think there will be a good turn out.

Hayden: Especially since Red Bull will be pumping people in for free.

Charlie: People are going to get drunk and go crazy.

Free (RSVP). $10 (door). 9 p.m. Sat., March 22. The Earl. 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950.