power trip band singer death

Riley Gale, Singer for Thrash Metal Band Power Trip, Dead at 34

By Althea Legaspi

Althea Legaspi

UPDATE (5/25):  An autopsy report for late Power Trip frontman Riley Gale ruled that the musician died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, while the manner of death was ruled accidental. The autopsy report was first shared on YouTube by the user Heavy Metal Picker, while Rolling Stone confirmed the cause of death with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.

Riley Gale, the singer for Dallas, Texas thrash metal band Power Trip, died Monday, his family confirmed in a statement. He was 34. The cause of death has not been publicly revealed.

“It is with greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” the family of Gale wrote in a statement shared on Power Trip’s Twitter. “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend.

“He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are.” In the statement, the family also invited fans to share their memories.

Formed in 2008, the band released two full-length albums on Southern Lord, 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic . The latter made Rolling Stone ‘s “ 20 Best Albums of 2017 ,” which was noted for “frontman Riley Gale’s ferociously flabbergasted bark: Rather than trading in straight-up rage, he delivers lines like ‘You’re waiting around to die/And I can’t fucking stand it!’ with something approaching bewildered indignation.”

In 2018 they released the compilation album Opening Fire: 2008-2014, with Live in Seattle 05.28.2018 coming out earlier this year. Gale also appeared on Body Count’s “Point the Finger” from Carnivore . “I’m devastated, ” Body Count frontman Ice-T tweeted . “Still don’t know how… I’m speechless.”

A funeral and visitation arrangements are pending.

pic.twitter.com/wJM1WnqXDp — POWER TRIP (@powertriptx) August 26, 2020

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Power Trip’s Riley Gale Cause of Death Revealed

By Noah Yoo and Madison Bloom

Riley Gale , frontman for Texas thrash metal band Power Trip , died last August at the age of 34. Now, Rolling Stone reports that Gale died from the toxic effects of fentanyl. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the cause of death to RS , stating that the manner of death was ruled as accidental. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Gale, as well as Dallas County’s Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences for further information.

Gale’s death was confirmed by his bandmates in a statement posted on August 25. (Gale died the night before.) “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son,” they wrote. “Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart.”

Following the news of Gale’s death, numerous artists shared tributes to the frontman, including Fucked Up, Touché Amoré, Code Orange, Anthrax, Uniform, Coheed and Cambria, Geoff Rickley, and more. Last October, organizers in Dallas revealed plans for the forthcoming Riley Gale Library at the Dallas Hope Center —the city’s sole shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.

Read “ How Power Trip’s Riley Gale Opened Up Thrash Metal, in 5 Songs .”

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Riley Gale, Lead Singer of Metal Band Power Trip, Dies at 34

By Jordan Moreau

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Riley Gale, the lead singer of the metal band Power Trip , has died at 34, his family announced on Tuesday evening.

“It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” this family shared on the band’s Twitter account. No cause of death was given.

“Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him,” the statement said.

pic.twitter.com/wJM1WnqXDp — POWER TRIP (@powertriptx) August 26, 2020

In 2008, Gale helped form the band in Dallas, Texas, with a lineup consisting of drummer Chris Ulsh, bassist Chris Whetzel and guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart. Their first EP “Armageddon Blues” released in 2009, followed by the self-titled “Power Trip” in 2011. The band then dropped two full-length studio albums, “Manifest Decimation” in 2013 and “Nightmare Logic” in 2017, in addition to a compilation album called “Opening Fire” in 2018.

Power Trip played and toured with other heavy metal artists, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Anthrax, Exodus, Five Finger Death Punch, Napalm Death and more.

In lieu of flowers, Gale’s family is asking for donations to be made to Dallas Hope Charities.

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Riley Gale, frontman with thrash metal band Power Trip, dies aged 34

No cause of death has been given for the Texas quintet’s politically outspoken vocalist

Riley Gale, lead singer of Texas thrash metal band Power Trip, has died aged 34. No cause of death has been announced.

The band wrote in a statement:

It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night. Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him.

Power Trip are regarded as one of America’s most exciting and politically astute metal bands, whose sound draws on hardcore punk. They formed in Dallas in 2008, and released two acclaimed albums, 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic, plus a compilation of early tracks and a live album.

In 2020, Gale guested on Point the Finger by Body Count, the thrash band featuring rapper Ice-T , who was among those paying tribute to Gale. “I’m devastated… Still don’t know how… I’m speechless,” he wrote on Twitter. Members of Slipknot, Machine Head, Anthrax and other bands also paid tribute; the band Code Orange wrote: “You made a huge dent in heavy music history that will last for ever.”

Gale was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, saying in 2017 that he “certainly falls under what I would label as ‘the enemy to the common people’. I think that man violates human rights on a regular basis and I think he’s awful and I think he needs to be stopped.”

His songwriting addressed social inequality and activism, and he described Nightmare Logic as “dealing with this waking nightmare, things seem so surreal that they’re unbelievable … trying to find optimism and a motivating force and realising that the 99% of us have more in common than we think”. The band tweeted “cease and desist” to Fox News after their music was played on the channel in 2017.

Other reports have stated Gale’s age as 35, but his age was confirmed to the Guardian via his UK press representative.

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Music Features

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."

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Riley Gale, lead singer of Power Trip, dies at 34

Riley Gale, who is best known as the lead singer of thrash metal band Power Trip, died Monday night at age 34. A cause of death was not immediately given.

The band shared the news in a statement on their Twitter account on Tuesday. “It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” the band wrote . “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him.”

Gale helped form the band in 2008. In 2009, their first EP Armageddon Blues was released and was followed up by another EP, Power Trip , two years later. They went on to release two albums on Southern Lord: their 2013 debut Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic . This was followed by a compilation album, Opening Fire: 2008-2014, in 2018. In 2019, Power Trip tweeted that they were at work on their third album.

Fellow musicians shared their condolences on Twitter Tuesday night as the news broke. "I just got the news.. He was only 35.. I’m devastated.. Still don’t know how... I’m speechless. So Fd up.. smh," rapper Ice T wrote .

"So sad to hear of Riley Gale’s passing. I only had the good fortune of meeting him once, but he had a way of making you feel like you’d known him forever, instantly," Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg shared . "Such a profound loss. Love and deepest sympathies to Power Trip and everyone close to him."

The band is asking for privacy at this time. In lieu of flowers, well-wishers are being asked to donate to Dallas Hope Charities .

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Riley Gale, Lead Singer of Thrash Metal Band Power Trip, Dead at 34

"He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart," the musician's family said in a statement

Power Trip lead singer Riley Gale has died. He was 34.

Gale's family announced his death with a statement posted to the band's Twitter on Tuesday.

"It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night," the statement said. No cause of death was given.

"Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends."

The statement continued to say that Power Trip's fans "meant so much" to Gale, and encouraged donations to Dallas Hope Charities in lieu of flowers. Funeral arrangements are pending, the family said.

Power Trip began in 2008, and the band released the album Manifest Destination in 2013, followed by Nightmare Logic in 2017, which made Rolling Stone 's list of the top 20 albums for that year. They released a compilation album titled Opening Fire: 2008-2014 in 2018, and a live album earlier this year.

Gale attended the University of North Texas and formed the band when he was 22.

Earlier this year, Gale collaborated with Ice-T's band Body Count for track "Point the Finger" and featured in the video which was f ilmed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic while everyone was social distancing.

After hearing the news, Ice shared his shock on Twitter.

"I just got the news.. He was only 35.. I’m devastated.. Still don't know how... I'm speechless. So Fd up.. smh," the rapper wrote.

Creeping Death, another metal band based in Texas, shared a tribute to Gale on Twitter.

"Riley always put on for the home team, he and Power Trip helped open a lot of doors for us and many other bands out of the Texas hardcore scene over the years," the band wrote in a tweet. "The music world lost a huge star, Rest in Power Riley Gale."

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Power Trip’s Riley Gale Dead At 34

David A. Smith/Getty Images

Riley Gale, lead singer for the incredible Dallas crossover thrash band Power Trip, has died. The band shared a statement on their social media accounts today announcing Gale’s death. Gale was 34 years old. His cause of death has not been announced.

Gale grew up in the Dallas suburbs. He founded Power Trip in 2008 when guitarist Blake Ibanez answered Gale’s ad on a local message board. In 2013 the band released their debut album Manifest Decimation on the influential metal record label Southern Lord. The album was widely acclaimed, and Power Trip’s intense live shows attracted even grander praise. In 2017 they returned with a second album, Nightmare Logic , which continued to grow their popularity both within the metal scene and beyond.

Speaking to the Chicago Tribune two years ago, Gale speculated about why Power Trip caught on with such a broad spectrum of listeners: “I wanted a metallic hardcore band with thrash elements when we started. But the songs gradually became more complex, which gave us a more metal sound not as primitive as hardcore or punk. I knew I always wanted to be heavy, but now we’re writing songs with more pop tricks, a bit catchier with verses and choruses. As our songs have gotten better and more accessible, it opened up the kind of bands we play with and the kind of fans we draw. We’ve never stopped to think is this too weird, does this not fit? We write what we like, not what we think other people will like.”

As the 2010s wore on, Power Trip earned a reputation as one of the best and most important metal bands working today, thanks in part to Gale’s raw, commanding vocals. They were important within their scene, organizing events like this past January’s Evil Beat Vol. 2 festival . They were also progressives who cut against the stereotype of the conservative metal band, whether critiquing Fox News for featuring their music or sparring with the Trump-supporting nu-metal relics Trapt on social media.

In June of this year, Power Trip released the live album Live In Seattle 05​.​28​.​2018 . Their most recent studio recording was the 2018 Adult Swim single “Hornet’s Nest.” Gale also recently started a side project called Masterpiece Machine with members of Fucked Up.

Here is the statement being circulated by Power Trip and Gale’s family:

It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night. Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him. Please respect our wishes for privacy during this time. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Dallas Hope Charities, the link to donate directly is here: https://bit.ly/3jcyY5y Signed, – Rlley’s Loving Family P.S. Funeral and visitation arrangements are pending.

Below, witness a full Power Trip live show and select highlights from their discography.

pic.twitter.com/wJM1WnqXDp — POWER TRIP (@powertriptx) August 26, 2020

An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Gale’s age as 35.

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Filmmakers launch ai studio late night labs with help from natasha lyonne & angel manuel soto, riley gale dies: thrash metal singer who collaborated with ice-t was 34.

By Greg Evans

NY & Broadway Editor

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Riley Gale, the lead singer of Texas thrash metal band Power Trip who recently contributed vocals to rapper-actor Ice-T ‘s “Point the Finger” song and video, died Aug. 24 at the age of 34. Gale’s band made the announcement, with no cause of death specified.

It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” the band said in a statement. “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him. – Power Trip

The politically charged Power Trip was formed in Dallas in 2008, and soon became one of the most popular bands in the national metal and punk scene. The band released two studio albums: 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic.

Most recently, Gale made a guest appearance on “Point the Finger,” a song by Body Count, the band fronted by rapper and Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T. “I’m devastated,” Ice-T tweeted. “.…Still don’t know how… I’m speechless.”

Last night, Ice-T re-tweeted the iPhone music video of “Point the Finger,” which includes a prominent appearance by Gale. See it below.

pic.twitter.com/wJM1WnqXDp — POWER TRIP (@powertriptx) August 26, 2020

I just got the news.. He was only 35.. I’m devastated.. Still don’t know how… I’m speechless. So Fd up.. smh 🙏 https://t.co/c1MOo8p4GE — ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) August 26, 2020

Posted in Tribute to my friend Riley Gale…. Gone far to soon.. 35yrs old.. GOD BLESS YOU homie… So Fn sad…. pic.twitter.com/DwHoXdVj7R — ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) August 26, 2020

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Power Trip lead singer Riley Gale dead at 34

No cause of death was provided.

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Riley Gale, the lead singer of the metal band Power Trip, has died . He was 34 years old.

The musician's band confirmed the news via Twitter on Tuesday.

"It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night," the statement said. "Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends."

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The statement described how Power Trip's fans "meant so much" to Gale and asked them to continue to share memories of him "no matter how small."

The band asked for donations to Dallas Hope Charities in lieu of flowers and that funeral and visitation arrangements are "pending." No cause of death was provided.

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Power Trip was formed in Dallas back in 2008, and the four other members are Blake Ibanez, Chris Ulsh, Nick Stewart, and Chris Whetzel.

Rapper Ice-T , who just collaborated on a song with Gale called "Point the Finger," reacted to the tragic news on social media. "I just got the news.. He was only 35.. I’m devastated.. Still don’t know how... I’m speechless. So Fd up.. smh," he said.

The punk band Code Orange also paid tribute online.

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"Rest In Peace Riley. you made a huge dent in heavy music history that will last forever. our deepest condolences to his friends, family and the guys in @powertriptx."

Rock band Citizen said Gale's death is a "devastating loss for so so many."

Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg tweeted, “I only had the good fortune of meeting him once, but he had a way of making you feel like you’d known him forever, instantly. Such a profound loss.”

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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."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWER TRIP (@powertriptx)

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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

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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Metal Band Launching Comeback in Wake of Singer's Death

Power Trip will reunite at the No Values Festival, nearly four years after the death of frontman Riley Gale.

By Stephen Andrew - February 21, 2024 07:05 pm EST

Texas metal band Power Trip looks to be launching a big comeback in the wake of their frontman Riley Gale's untimely death . On Tuesday, the band shared a lineup image for the No Values Festival , which they'll be playing alongside bands like Sublime and Social Distortion. 

"We are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with [No Values] on June 8th in SoCal," the band wrote in a statement, then going on to share that their "long-time close friend/collaborator" Seth Gilmore — who is also part fellow Texas metal bands Fugitive and Skourge — "will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWER TRIP (@powertriptx)

Addressing the band's absence over the past few years, Power Trip wrote, "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," the statement continues. "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."

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"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," Power Trip added, eventually concluding their statement, "Stay tuned, more info on the way... Riley Gale Forever. Power Trip Forever. See you in the pit."

As Power Trip noted, it has been nearly four years since Gale's death . In 2021, it was reported that Gale died of pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This cause of death is believed to have been a result of "the toxic effects of fentanyl. Gale's manner of death was classified as an "accident."

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POWER TRIP Announces First Official Comeback Concert After Singer RILEY GALE's Death

POWER TRIP has announced its first show since original vocalist Riley Gale 's death. The band will perform at the new Goldenvoice punk festival No Values on June 8 in Pomona, California. Also schedule to appear on the bill are MISFITS , SOCIAL DISTORTION , IGGY POP , TURNSTILE , BAD RELIGION , SUBLIME , THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN , THE DAMNED and JOYCE MANOR , among others. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 23 at 11 a.m. PT.

In announcing POWER TRIP 's return to the live stage, surviving members Blake Ibanez (guitar, vocals),  Nick Stewart (guitar, vocals),  Chris Whetzel (bass) and Chris Ulsh (drums) wrote on social media: "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 @novaluesfestival on June 8th in SoCal.

"Joining us will be our long-time close friend/collaborator, and singer of @fugitive_tx / @skourge713 — 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."

Ibanez , Stewart , Whetzel and Ulsh played a surprise five-song set on December 1, 2023 at Mohawk in Austin, Texas. They were joined for the performance by the aforementioned SKOURGE vocalist Seth Gilmore , who also plays with Ibanez in FUGITIVE , which was the official headliner of the Austin gig.

After FUGITIVE finished its set, Gilmore and Blake remained on stage and were soon accompanied by Stewart , Whetzel and Ulsh for performances of POWER TRIP songs "Soul Sacrifice" , "Executioner's Tax" , "Hornet's Nest" , "Manifest Decimation" and "Crucifixation" . Fan-filmed video of the set can be seen below.

Riley died on August 25, 2020. An autopsy report for Gale ruled that he died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, while the manner of death was ruled accidental.

Following the news of Gale 's death, a number of other artists shared tributes to the frontman, including members of CODE ORANGE , ANTHRAX and COHEED AND CAMBRIA .

Riley guested on the track "Point The Finger" on BODY COUNT 's "Carnivore" album, released in March 2020, and BODY COUNT frontman Ice-T later suggested in an interview with Stereogum that Gale 's death was opioid-related. Ice-T said in December 2020: "When we shot the video [for 'Point The Finger' ], he looked healthy. It was a good vibe. That's why I got blindsided when I got the call from his dad, who said that Riley passed away. Apparently, he was dealing with the same bullshit everyone is — this opioid stuff. He'd gotten clean, and when you relapse, you go back to the same dose you're used to and it kills you. It was a really sad thing."

Gale 's autopsy report noted that he died from pulmonary edema — a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This was caused by "the toxic effects of fentanyl" in Gale 's system. The fentanyl in Gale 's blood was measured at 22.5 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter),and he tested negative for all other drugs and alcohol.

The report went on to note that Gale had a "history of Xanax abuse" and a "history of depression," and revealed Riley was found "unresponsive on the floor at home."

In October 2020, plans were announced for the Riley Gale Library at the Dallas Hope Center — the city's sole shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.

POWER TRIP released two albums on Southern Lord , 2013's "Manifest Decimation" and 2017's "Nightmare Logic" . A rarities compilation, "Opening Fire: 2008-2014" , followed in 2018.

"Nightmare Logic" peaked at No. 22 on Billboard 's Hard Rock Albums chart.

POWER TRIP was said to be working on its third album at the time of Riley 's death.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWER TRIP (@powertriptx)

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