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Power trip returns, reshaped by loss, the thrash metal band finds catharsis in a familiar place.

Evan Minsker

Four years after the death of frontman Riley Gale, Power Trip surprised fans onstage at Mohawk in Austin, featuring a new vocalist. Samantha Tellez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Four years after the death of frontman Riley Gale, Power Trip surprised fans onstage at Mohawk in Austin, featuring a new vocalist.

The open-air venue Mohawk in Austin, Texas, has an upper deck perch that's perfect for observing the churning cyclone of bodies below. Emotions were high on Dec. 1, 2023: Texas band Fugitive was the headliner, but many in the crowd had a hunch about the promised "special guests." When Power Trip , the crossover thrash metal giants who had been missing in action for four years, finally appeared, there were tears in the pit. Bodies flew from the stage into the torrent of thrashing heads screaming every word of "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)" in blunt, ecstatic unison. It was a moment of catharsis for a scene that had been in mourning since the shocking 2020 death of the band's lead singer, Riley Gale .

Blake Ibanez, guitarist in both Fugitive and Power Trip, called the decision to bring the band back that night "testing the waters" to see how fans would react. "It was a safe way to do it, because on one hand it's, like, 'Hey, it's just a Fugitive show, and I'm having the guys come up here. We're gonna just celebrate and play the songs,' " he tells NPR on a video call. "I mean, at some point it's gotta happen." This year, Power Trip will play full-length sets at the Pomona, Calif., festival No Values (June 8), in its hometown of Dallas (July 6) and in New York City (Aug. 24).

It's an opportunity for a passionate fan base of hardcore kids and metalheads to celebrate — people who loved the band's boundless energy, how it could wield scream-along pop hooks using the heaviest, scuzziest, most abrasive metal soundscapes. Some at the Mohawk show spoke of it with near-religious reverence. "This is so cliché, but it was the most electric feeling I've felt at a show," said Erica Hotchkiss, a fan from Irving, Texas. She and some friends drove three hours south to Austin to catch the show based on a clue in the flyer: an illustration of an executioner, which is a key piece of iconography from arguably Power Trip's most beloved song . "We didn't know if they were just going to come out and make an announcement. But we knew that we had to be there."

It was fans like this who compelled Power Trip to come back. "They can see we're in it for the right reasons," Ibanez says. "We didn't make any money off Power Trip at that show. We didn't do it for that. We did it for ourselves because we miss playing these songs together, and we did it to celebrate Riley." The full shape of what's next isn't yet defined beyond this handful of shows. Here's what's certain: The band wants to perform the music they put out, across two albums and scattered singles. Gale's family wants them to play. It took years for everyone to get to this point.

The loss of a lyricist and a leader

"It was one of the worst things that happened to me in my life, because Riley was my best friend," says Brandon Gale, Riley's father.

Riley Gale died in his sleep on Aug. 24, 2020, from the toxic effects of fentanyl. He was 34. The band lost its voice and lyricist; the scene lost a leader. Power Trip built its reputation on gleefully chaotic live shows, and those shows wouldn't have been half as powerful without the longhaired figure in a camo hat barking out front about systemic injustice, corporate greed and oppression. Every word was shouted with an authoritative grizzle; he could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt. "He had very strong messages in there," Brandon Gale emphasizes. "It wasn't just yelling for the sake of yelling on stage. He wanted people to genuinely get engaged in the message."

"Riley, dude, he was just such a force on stage," says Gray Muncy, a photographer from the Dallas-Fort Worth area who estimates he captured over 40 of the band's shows (and somehow never broke a camera in the process). "I've shot so many photos of him, and it was so easy because of his emotion." Whenever Muncy gets a compliment on photos of Power Trip, he credits the chemistry between the band and its audience. "If you go to a really good hardcore show, the crowd is in the band," he said. "There's that symbiotic relationship where they feed off of each other."

Riley Gale, pictured here in 2018 at the Saturn in Birmingham, Ala., could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt. David A. Smith/Getty Images hide caption

Riley Gale, pictured here in 2018 at the Saturn in Birmingham, Ala., could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt.

In the wake of his passing, the Gales set up a 501(c)(3) charity called the Riley Gale Foundation in an effort to honor Riley's strong convictions. Brandon Gale says his son was the small guy in school who would stand up to bullies, and that he volunteered in soup kitchens as a young man. The foundation aims to be a continuation of his passions in life: It puts funds toward helping unhoused LGBTQ+ youth in the Dallas area (Riley was a committed supporter of the queer-focused outreach group Dallas Hope Charities), has named a library in his honor (he was a voracious reader) and also donates to a local dog rescue (loved animals).

Gale's friends affirm that on and off the stage, he led with empathy: He was the guy who let touring bands crash at his place, who made himself available to anyone who needed an ear. "With the fans, he wanted to be someone anybody could reach out to and talk to if they were dealing with something in their lives," says Power Trip guitarist Nick Stewart. "He was just such a comforting person when people didn't know where they stood. He felt like he could try to help everybody."

Before Power Trip began, Ibanez described Riley's previous band Balls Out as "the kings of Dallas hardcore." Gale was without a band when Ibanez, Stewart and bassist Chris Whetzel's band Reality Check was beginning to fizzle in the late 2000s. Mutual friends suggested they talk, and soon enough, Gale and Ibanez — then 21 and 16 — started bonding over hardcore bands like Cro-Mags, Breakdown and Leeway over messages on MySpace.

Power Trip's sound was a meeting point between hardcore punk and thrash metal, and in the process of creating it, the band connected with a wide swath of listeners interested in the greater sphere of heavy music. "We know we play a very subversive style of music, but we also want this to be for everyone," says drummer Chris Ulsh. "We want people to feel comfortable at our shows and have a good time. We're the type of band that can play with anyone regardless of if we're playing with indie bands, death metal bands, punk bands, whatever."

Steadily, a community of passionate fans formed around the band. Hotchkiss, who has an executioner tattoo with the caption "swing of the axe," saw the band around 10 times before attending the surprise show in Austin last year. "I'm married to my husband because we ran into each other at a Power Trip show," she said. Hotchkiss was a fan from the Dallas hardcore scene; her husband Kris was a metalhead. Previously acquaintances, they bonded instantly after she saw him in the pit: "Power Trip was our common ground." The date of that show appears on a decorative pillow in their home.

Who could step into Riley's role?

In the months after Gale passed, Ulsh said the band didn't consider or discuss the prospect of keeping the band going "for a really long time." It was 2020, and playing shows wasn't an option due to COVID-19, anyway. But as live music started to return, the band's members were talking on one of their regular FaceTime calls, and Ulsh broached the subject. "I'd never really mentioned it to anyone else and it kind of seemed like no one else had talked about it, but everyone was just like, yeah, we should," he says. "I like being a band with these guys, and we all seemed to feel the same way."

Some of the band's members had been busy with different projects, Ibanez with Fugitive and Ulsh with Quarantine. Still, the idea of these four starting a different band together didn't feel right — like it wouldn't be honest or respectful to their past together. "We put so much into this band and it just kind of seemed like it would be compounding tragedies: losing a close friend and then losing this thing that we dedicated our adult lives to," Ulsh says.

Power Trip in 2024 now includes vocalist Seth Gilmore (far left). He plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory." Adam Cedillo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Power Trip in 2024 now includes vocalist Seth Gilmore (far left). He plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory."

"If anybody's going to step into this role and sing these songs, it'd be someone from our world who has history with us and gets this whole thing and knew Riley," Ibanez says. "The pool for that? I mean, I think it's [not] overstating it to say it's incredibly small. Beyond that, who's actually willing and is capable of doing it?"

Seth Gilmore was the guy, a friend embedded in the Texas hardcore scene for as long as Power Trip existed. As the frontman of Fugitive, he had established chemistry with Ibanez. Initially, he was hesitant. "A year or so after Riley passed, before we even started Fugitive, I may have thrown it his way: 'Hey, would you want to mess around with some of these songs I've been working on, that were actually songs for the Power Trip album that never happened?' " Ibanez recalls. The implication that he'd be standing in for Gale gave him pause, so he dropped it until well after Fugitive had earned the respect of fans. "By the time I brought it up to him again in the past year, at that point he didn't really think twice about it." Gilmore confirmed Ibanez's assessment in a statement, saying he plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory."

So it was Gilmore barking "Manifest Decimation" and "Hornet's Nest" to the crowd at Mohawk. Gale could never be replaced, but for fans who had just watched a Fugitive set, the consensus was that it was an organic fit. "I personally don't think there's any other person better to fit the bill than Seth," Hotchkiss said. Of course, fans had a hunch he would be the guy. "Even before everybody knew Power Trip was playing that night in Austin, I said, 'Seth, your life's about to change,' and he just smiled," Muncy says.

There was some fallout from that night, too. Brandon Gale issued a statement saying the family was not told in advance about the show and was caught by surprise. He later issued an apology, saying that while he wishes he'd gotten a heads-up from the band, he still regrets the statement. "While it came as a surprise, it was a very visceral reaction and I would certainly undo it," he says.

That one show wasn't the extent of the issues between the band and Brandon Gale, as the statements brought to light a civil lawsuit he'd filed on behalf of Riley's estate on Feb. 10, 2021, against the members of Power Trip. The suit alleged breach of fiduciary duty and claimed the band owed the Gale estate money from merchandise sales, tour revenue and royalties. On Dec. 8, one week after the surprise set in Austin, the case was settled.

"There was an unfortunate need for the litigation," Brandon Gale says. "It was critically important that the foundation received all of the money that Riley was entitled to because that's the primary source, with contributions, of how we build and grow the foundation. It's settled, and what I want to do is focus on the good stuff going forward."

"We probably don't want to comment on that," Ulsh says of the lawsuit. "That was a very difficult and s****y thing that happened that we had to go through. It's behind us now, and we just want to leave it behind us." Ibanez adds: "When something really tragic happens like that, there's a lot of emotions involved. It happens this way with a lot of similar situations, when you have the family of someone who wasn't really involved and is trying to figure everything out and get things together. Yeah, it's behind us. And as everything stands, everything's all right."

Asked about the future of the band, Brandon Gale offered his blessing: "If Power Trip goes out and they start touring again, people are going to buy their music and Riley's going to get his royalties and the foundation's going to grow. So how could we not be in favor of that?"

'We're just taking it one step at a time'

Power Trip is currently resuming rehearsals in Dallas. Ulsh says he's excited to get back to playing for wild crowds instead of repeating the same songs over and over to each other in a practice space. Ibanez is excited to feel the rush again, too: "We were gone from it for so long, and then you get up there and it's like, wow, I forgot we're part of something really special."

Though Ibanez let it slip that Power Trip had been working on a new album before Gale's death, he refused to engage further on the possibility of new music in the future. "The main focus is to play the catalog — that's what people want to hear. I don't think we're really particularly interested in moving on from where we were," Ibanez says. "We really want to honor Riley and want to honor what we've done before just moving forward. That's the main thing, to treat the whole situation with as much respect as possible. ... We're just taking it one step at a time."

While Ulsh, Ibanez and Whetzel all stayed busy in recent years with other bands, Nick Stewart hadn't been back on a stage since Power Trip's last show with Gale. "I'm a civilian — I just book shows and don't have a side project right now. So it's even more reason why I'm excited to do this," Stewart says. "It's been our lives since I graduated high school, so to be able to do it again is really special. I love performing, man; I love getting up there and giving everything I got." As he spoke, his dog began barking in the background. "Sorry, my dog's going crazy. But yeah, excited as my dog right now to get up there and play some shows."

That December night in Austin, Muncy looked around in the pit and saw how many people around him were crying. "When I first thought about them playing, I was, like, 'My friends need this; Texas needs this show, our scene needs this,' " he says. "But then once it happened, I was like, 'You know what? My friends in the band needed that show more than anybody.' Those four dudes, they sacrificed a lot to get where they are. They can't just quit."

For the surviving members of metal band Power Trip, the Grammys are a bittersweet coda

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On Monday night, just a few weeks after a freak deep freeze brought Texas to the brink of an electric-grid collapse, the surviving members of the Texas metal band Power Trip gathered at guitarist Nick Stewart’s house in Dallas.

The four — Stewart, 32; guitarist Blake Ibanez, 29; drummer Chris Ulsh, 33; and bassist Chris Whetzel, 33 — had spread out across the state and country during the fall and winter surge of the pandemic. They’d hadn’t all been in the same room since the early fall of 2020.

“I just got here like five minutes ago; it’s so strange to me to be seeing these guys for the first time in six or seven months,” said Ulsh, who now lives in Philadelphia.

“It’s been a long time, but it doesn’t feel like it,” Stewart said. “I guess it hasn’t really hit me until right now.”

The last time they were all together was for a funeral. On Aug. 24, Power Trip’s singer, Riley Gale, died at 34, a brutal loss of one of their genre’s most viscerally compelling performers and empathetic songwriters. In a devastating year for music, Gale’s death hit especially hard — a young singer at the height of his powerswho had shared stages with Ozzy Osbourne and Danzig and whose band was poised for stardom.

Although no cause of death has been publicly released (a representative for the group said, “The family has not released the toxicology report to anyone, so Riley’s cause of death cannot be confirmed”), one of metal’s most important and inventive groups of the last decade now has to stare down a future without its singer — and close friend.

Monday’s interview was the first time Power Trip had spoken publicly as a group since Gale’s death.

On Sunday, Power Trip is nominated for its first Grammy, for metal performance, for a version of its song “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe),” released off a surprise live LP in June. For a group that takes its ferocious cues from ’80s thrash and hardcore, the band members are unexpectedly earnest about this potential award. They had huge ambitions as a band, and each said that their peers acknowledging their achievements with Gale would be a truly meaningful coda as they grieve.

“Losing Riley was the saddest thing that ever happened to me,” Ulsh said. “But I’m so proud of everything we accomplished together. One of the coolest things from the start was that there was no ceiling to this band, and this Grammy nomination is a perfect example of that.”

Seven months on from Gale’s death, the band and its peers understandably struggle to talk about what he meant to their lives. “Just heard about Riley. Goddamnit. Sending love to his family and friends and his band,” Anthrax’s Scott Ian wrote on social media after news of Gale’s death broke. Ice-T wrote, “I’m devastated... Still don’t know how... I’m speechless.”

Asked about fond memories of his friend and bandmate, Ulsh took a few beats to try to describe their last days together.

“It still feels very fresh. It’s hard to talk about,” Ulsh said. “We were close. I spent a lot of my downtime on tour with him. It’s still hard to fathom.”

“We’ve never been through anything like this,” Ibanez agreed. “But it’s definitely brought us closer. You’re together all the time, then in the blink of an eye, you know you’ll never see each other again.”

“But this has helped us all realize how much we love each other,” Stewart said.

Power Trip’s members have played together for more than a decade, but even though they released their last studio album, “Nightmare Logic,” in 2017, their worldview seemed perfectly timed to the present moment of public fury and big-picture social critique.

Their music pulls from the hard-riffing roots of Texas metal forebears like Pantera but caught the ear of the tastemaking L.A. metal label Southern Lord. Power Trip arrived at its brand of thrash metal through a lens of basement hardcore punk and fervent prison-reform politics.

Even the most demanding tough-guy metal fans could recognize their sincerity and ability. Gale was not an overtly menacing physical presence onstage, in the way many metal frontmen try to posture. But alongside peers like Code Orange, Turnstile and Oathbreaker, something about Gale’s conviction connected deeply with fans well beyond metal’s typical catharsis.

“Power Trip was the first heavy band I can remember that was universally beloved since, like, Slayer,” said Albert Mudrian, editor of the metal magazine Decibel. “Everybody knew the stars were aligning for them to take the next step. There aren’t many extreme bands who crossed over, who can crack a Billboard top 10. Power Trip were in the position to join them.”

The band was especially attuned to the ongoing movement against police violence. Power Trip’s 2013 song “Conditioned to Death” riffed on Michel Foucault to depict prison’s strangling of human potential. Gale guest-howled on “Point the Finger,” a 2020 single from Ice-T’s metal band Body Count released at the height of the racial justice protests after George Floyd’s death. The band’s song “If Not Us Then Who” quoted civil-rights activist John Lewis.

Even the stampeding licks of “Executioner’s Tax,” an older song now up for a Grammy in a live version, hits harder in light of the roiling demonstrations against police brutality over the last year.

“Death hides behind veiled faces / It only takes one swing and you’re gone,” Gale screamed. “The executioner, the beginning and the end / He carries cold hard steel masked with the taste of medicine.”

Listening to that live recording today “definitely hits home,” Whetzel said. “It takes me right back to that show. It touches me now in a way I wouldn’t have imagined.”

Although the pandemic had already shuttered the band’s world of sweat- and spit-soaked live shows, the group was working on new material and in January 2020 had just thrown the second edition of its hometown festival, Evil Beat, with Deafheaven, Carcass and Torche. Even mainstream outlets like NPR took notice of their rise.

“It’s easy for me to downplay what we accomplished, but the response has been pretty incredible,” Ibanez said. “To get this outpouring of respect and love was very cool. It’s helped a lot. It makes me feel like what we were doing had a purpose.”

Few metal bands take the Grammys as a defining barometer of success. But as Power Trip slowly begins to think about both its legacy and its future (the band has no idea yet what its next steps in music will be: “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time,” Ibanez said.), it keeps turning back to its songwriting with Gale and the way the music resonated with fans, those deeply immersed in metal as well as far outside that sphere.

A Dallas LGBTQ transitional-housing center, Dallas Hope Charities, plans to name its new library after Gale, who helped raise thousands in donations and invited its volunteers to set up outreach efforts at Power Trip shows. “If that is something that brings them calm to their anxiety and lets them have that quiet time and that space, that’ll be there for them,” Chief Executive Evie Scrivner told the Dallas Observer, announcing the library after Gale’s death.

“It’s easy for a band to say they’re ‘anti-authoritarian,’ but Riley was looking around and seeing people who were really oppressed; that’s what he reacted to,” Mudrian said. “He wasn’t lamenting his own situation so much as he was listening to the stories of other people. That speaks to a generousness he had as a person.”

All four band members are just beginning to assess what Gale meant to their lives and what their band has meant to metal. But as a valediction for this time in their career, they’re proud that this recording of “Executioner’s Tax” is a testament to Power Trip’s importance to metal, at the Grammys and far beyond.

“I hope we changed people’s perceptions about what a metal band can be,” Ibanez said. “We didn’t have to compromise; we just were who we were, and people respected that about us. I hope that’s how people will remember us.”

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Southern Lord Recordings

Power Trip executes music with raw energy. They’ve trimmed the fat on every reference they pull from – whether that’s Hardcore, Metal or Punk – to make music that actually cuts in 2017. Hailing from Dallas, the band have toured the world relentlessly for years. Their musical proficiency, perfect song structure, rich tones, fierce riffs, delivery and collective attitude has seeded them as one of today’s most prolific acts in any astute or heavy genre. Power Trip boldly surprise their broad fan base by performing alongside less obvious artists – closing the gap that in 2017’s social climate desperately needs to be filled. One month you can catch them playing with Title Fight, Merchandise or Big Freedia, the next you can catch them on a long tour with Napalm Death or Anthrax. They’re a powerful storm of aggression, gaining more and more momentum with true, honest spirit.

Nightmare Logic has taken Power Trip’s classic Exodus-meets-Cro-Mags sound to new places. With hooks and tightness rivaling greats like Pantera or Pentagram and production by the esteemed Arthur Rizk, Nightmare Logic punishes fans not only sonically but with pure songwriting skill. The sophomore release and second on Southern Lord Records, raises the bar and pushes Power Trip to new extremes. Since 2013’s Manifest Decimation, the band admits they’ve not only gotten better at their instruments, but have also reinvented their songwriting process into a more nuanced and clever system. The shift shows on this record and does so without losing any of the aggression so essential to the band.

Gale’s lyrics reflect that aggression by honing in on the devaluation of human life by those who’ve gained power through money and politics. By creating a broad dissection of human suffering above reproach from personal agendas, the lyrics attempt to unify and inspire listeners. Coming from the hardcore world, where every band vaguely fights “the man”, wants to live free and break down the walls, Power Trip noticeably stands out. Instead of skirting around the fetishization of fighting back, Nightmare Logic focuses in on real oppression felt by many all over the world, whether that’s fighting addiction and the pharmaceutical industry (Waiting Around to Die) or right-wing religious conservatives (Crucifixation). Taking cues from Discharge and Crass in Margaret Thatcher’s UK, Nightmare Logic delivers poignant social information directly into those homes engulfed in the sour turn of global politics towards right-wing agendas. Touring the world on Nightmare Logic, Power Trip will play to scenes much further outside the bubble of contemporary underground punk music than any other current band, all while pushing the envelope of the modern punk ethos.

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Watch Power Trip’s Surviving Members Stage Surprise Reunion Set

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

The surviving members of the Dallas thrash act Power Trip staged a surprise reunion Friday for the first time since the death of the band’s frontman Riley Gale in August 2020.

Fugitive, led by Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez, was the headliner Friday at Austin’s Mohawk, though a “special guest” was promised on the gig’s flyer . That ended up being the surviving members of Power Trip — Ibanez, guitarist Nick Stewart, bassist Chris Whetzel, and drummer Chris Ulsh — who took the stage together for a five-song set.

The musicians recruited Fugitive vocalist Seth Gilmore to fill the void left by Gale, who died of an accidental overdose from the toxic effects of fentanyl. 

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Following Gale’s death, Power Trip went on hiatus and moved on to other projects, but the surviving members did not rule out a reunion someday. “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time,” Ibanez told the Los Angeles Times in March 2021, shortly after the group was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for their live rendition of “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe).”

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“The time is right to get back on stage”: Power Trip announce first headline shows since death of Riley Gale

The reunited thrashers, now fronted by Seth Gilmore, will follow their comeback at this summer’s No Values festival with headline dates in Dallas and New York

Power Trip have announced their first headline shows since the passing of vocalist Riley Gale in 2020.

The Dallas-Fort Worth thrash metal band will be fronted by Seth Gilmore, a longtime friend and the singer of fellow Texans Fugitive.

The five-piece – completed by guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart, bassist Chris Whetzel and drummer Chris Ulsh – say in a new statement: “Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip.

“It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley.

“We know this can’t be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way.

“We’ll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we’ve received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who’ve been there throughout our existence as a band.”

After forming in 2008 and releasing two lauded albums, 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic , Power Trip entered a period of inactivity due to the death of Gale on August 24, 2020, aged 34.

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The band later unofficially reunited as “special guests” at a Fugitive concert in December 2023, with Gilmore fronting them.

The return, with Gilmore still up front, was made official on February 20, when Power Trip were booked to perform at the California punk festival No Values in June 2024.

The band’s twin headline shows will follow the No Values event. They will take place in Dallas, Texas, on July 6 and in New York City on August 24. The full list of dates is below and tickets will be available on March 1 at 11am eastern time.

Tickets to No Values are on sale now.

Power Trip 2024 tour dates:

Jun 08: Pomona No Values festival, CA Jul 06: Dallas The Factory In Deep Ellum, TX Aug 24: New York Knockdown Center, NY

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Power Trip Announce Return with New Singer Seth Gilmore

The band will play the just-announced No Values festival and more gigs in 2024

Power Trip have announced that they will return in 2024 with new singer Seth Gilmore, and will play their first official shows since the tragic 2020 passing of frontman Riley Gale.

The band issued a statement on Tuesday (February 20th) shortly after it was announced that Power Trip would play the inaugural No Values festival , a massive gathering taking place June 8th in Pomona, California. The lineup also features The Original Misfits, Iggy Pop, Social Distortion, Sublime, and many more acts.

Gilmore previously performed a five-song set with the surviving Power Trip members at a surprise gig at a club in Austin, Texas, in December. The singer fronts the bands Skourge and Fugitive, the latter featuring Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez.

Power Trip’s full statement reads as follows:

“Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip. It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley. We know this can’t be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way. We’ll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we’ve received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who’ve been there throughout our existence as a band. With that, we are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with No Values festival on June 8th in SoCal. Joining us will be our long-time close friend / collaborator, and singer of Fugitive / Skourge — Seth Gilmore — who will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows. Stay tuned, more info on the way…

Riley Gale Forever. Power Trip Forever.

See you in the pit.

– Blake, Chris, Nick and Chris”

At the time of Gale’s death in August 2020, Power Trip were one of the most respected metal acts to emerge in the 21st century, leading a new wave of thrash bands. In a  March 2021 interview , Ibanez remarked, “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time.”

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As the band mentioned, the No Values fest will be the first of a number of gigs that Power Trip plan to play in 2024. Stay tuned as those shows are announced.

Watch footage of Seth Gilmore performing with Power Trip in the video clips below.

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POWER TRIP announce first proper show since RILEY GALE's death

Power Trip are coming back.

The Texas crossover-thrash unit played a surprise mini-set late last year in Austin, which marked their first time onstage since the tragic death of frontman Riley Gale in 2020. As it turns out, it wasn't a one-off event, but a hint at the new era Power Trip are about to enter.

Today (February 20th), the band have announced their first proper show in four years, which will go down at the newly-minted No Values fest in Pomona, California, on June 8th. Other bands on the bill include the Misfits, Dillinger Escape Plan, Turnstile and many other punk/hardcore OGs.

In an accompanying statement about the future of Power Trip, the group's surviving members — guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart, bassist Chris Whetzel and drummer Chris Ulsh — revealed that Seth Gilmore, frontman of Ibanez's side project Fugitive, as well as the Texas hardcore unit Skourge, will be taking Gale's spot behind the mic for all upcoming shows. 

"Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip," the band wrote.

"It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley.

"We know this can't be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way.

"We'll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we've received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who've been there throughout our existence as a band.

"With that, we are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with No Values Fest on June 8th in SoCal.

"Joining us will be our long-time close friend/collaborator, and singer of Fugitive/Skourge  —Seth Gilmore— who will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows.

"Stay tuned, more info on the way…"

See the band's full statement below.

This show (and the surprise one last year) aren't the first rumblings Power Trip have made since the band essentially went on hiatus following Gale's death in August 2020.

In 2022, Ibanez mentioned in a couple cryptic interviews that Power Trip were planning to continue the band, and that they even had an album's worth of songs in the tank that they'd been working on behind the scenes. 

"There's… I guess you can call it a record," Ibanez told Knotfest in September 2022.  "There's a bunch of stuff out there. That's really all I can say. I don't know. I can't really say too much."

"We've been working really hard on it," he continued. "Me and [Ulsh], we have great chemistry and the same thing we've always done when we make records together. The same vibe is there. I'm really proud of the stuff we've written together. So I'm looking forward to that. I don't know when everything's gonna happen, but I'm looking forward to it."

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