Huge news for the metal world: Power Trip just reunited on stage for the first time since the death of their vocalist, Riley Gale, on August 24, 2020.
The reunion came about at a show that Fugitive, the band featuring Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez, was headlining at the Mohawk in Austin, TX alongside Dresscode and Ninth Circle on December 1. Teasers went out before the show that there was “a very special guest” following Fugitive’s set, but that’s the only information that was shared prior to te show.
After their headlining set, Ibanez stayed on stage, and it began to be clear what was happening. Standing in for the late, great Riley Gale was vocalist Seth Gilmore, and other than that, the band featured the current lineup of Ibanez, Nick Stewart, Chris Whetzel, and Chris Ulsh.
The set they played is as follows:
- “Soul Sacrifice”
- “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)”
- “Hornet’s Nest”
- “Manifest Decimation”
- “Crucifixation”
You can see from the video below that fans were really digging it, and that the band sounded fantastic, as always, despite their very long break from being front and center on stage. The fan reaction clearly kept things going for the band, as they were stoked to be privy to this very exciting reunion.
Of course, no one will ever take Gale’s place, and he’s still very much missed by the metal community. But after so much mourning, it was great to see them back on stage and sounding on top of their game. It’s not yet clear if they will do anything beyond this, but we’ll keep our ears to the ground for future show announcements or music drops.