Back in 2020, Riley Gale, the vocal frontman of Power Trip—Texas’ prominent hardcore/thrash outfit—suddenly passed away at the age of 34. The news left a wake of heartbreak among fans, friends, bandmembers, and family. Two years on, Power Trip’s guitarist Blake Ibanez introduced Fugitive, a fresh project that carried forward much of the band’s spirit and issued some blistering tracks. At a 2023 Fugitive show in Austin, Power Trip staged a surprise reunion performance, featuring Gale’s friend Seth Gilmore, who leads Fugitive and Skourge, stepping into Gale’s role. After resolving a legal matter with Gale’s relatives, Gilmore was officially announced as Power Trip’s new vocalist. And now, new music from Power Trip is on the horizon.
Over the past couple of years, Power Trip have kept a steady touring schedule, with plans to drop a new album next year. It will be their third full-length, and their first since the monumental Nightmare Logic from 2017. The idea of following that record a full decade later, with a new singer after the loss of their beloved frontman, is a heavy burden. At present, Power Trip unveil two brand-new tracks that manage to continue right where Nightmare Logic left off.
The band recorded the new songs “Precinct 3” and “Scavenger” with acclaimed metal producer Jacob Hansen. Both tracks rush forward with blistering speed and ferocious riffs, accompanied by chant-like vocals that clearly draw from the same well as Riley Gale without copying his exact delivery. (In the early days of Power Trip, Seth Gilmore’s own band Skourge stood among their closest peers.) “Precinct 3,” accompanied by an Eric Richter-directed video, closes with a jaw-dropping breakdown. If you’re releasing new Power Trip material under these grim circumstances, this is a fitting way to do it.
When we were writing this, we wondered what Riley would have wanted to write about. So once we decided on that approach, it honestly came really easily — the lyrics were flowing, and it just felt like the right way to kick off this new chapter and honor him. I think he would have been stoked to see it come to fruition.
Drummer Chris Ulsh adds:
Recording went remarkably well for us because [Jacob Hansen] brings the know-how to craft big records, yet he also hails from the late ’80s extreme metal underground. We’re hard to please because we want something that sounds current, but above all we want it to sound like us, however that ends up.
Honestly, it’s unmistakably Power Trip. Listen to both new tracks below.
“Precinct 3” and “Scavenger” are now released through Blue Grape Music and will be issued on a limited 7″ pressing, plus a Record Store Day Black Friday edition that features alternate artwork.
