Power Trip (band)

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Power Trip
Power Trip in 2019
Power Trip in 2019
Background information
OriginDallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Years active2008–2020 (hiatus), 2023–present
Labels
Members
  • Blake Ibanez
  • Chris Ulsh
  • Nick Stewart
  • Chris Whetzel
  • Seth Gilmore
Past members
  • Riley Gale
  • Marcus Johnson
Websitepowertripsl.bandcamp.com

Power Trip is an American crossover thrash band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2008. By 2020, Power Trip's lineup consisted of Riley Gale (lead vocals), Blake Ibanez (lead guitar), Nick Stewart (rhythm guitar), Chris Whetzel (bass) and Chris Ulsh (drums); the latter replaced drummer Marcus Johnson, who left in 2009.[1] Their current singer is Seth Gilmore, who replaced Gale in 2023, more than three years after the latter's death. They have released two studio albums to date, Manifest Decimation (2013) and Nightmare Logic (2017), plus a compilation including their early tracks and a live album.

Power Trip was one of the most successful thrash metal bands of the 2010s, with Nightmare Logic entering the Billboard charts,[2] and receiving a number of accolades by publications.[3][4][5] A live version of the song "Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)" received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[6][7]

History[edit]

In 2013, the band signed with the Southern Lord Records label and released their first studio album, Manifest Decimation.[1] Their second album, Nightmare Logic, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim.[8] The Guardian mentioned that singer Riley Gale's lyrics on Nightmare Logic, were about "social inequality and activism". 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".[9] The success of Nightmare Logic, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Napalm Death, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Five Finger Death Punch, Opeth, Danzig and Obituary,[10][11][12][13][14] helped Power Trip become one of the most popular thrash metal bands in the 2010s.[15][16]

In 2018, the album Opening Fire: 2008–2014 was released as a way to compile their extra tracks.[17] In late 2019, Power Trip announced that they were working on their third album.[18]

Vocalist Riley Gale died on August 24, 2020, at the age of 34. His death was announced by the band the next day.[9][19] In May 2021, it was reported that the official cause of death was ruled by the Dallas County's medical examiner as an accidental overdose from the "toxic effects" of fentanyl. The report also claimed that Gale, who reportedly had a history of depression and drug abuse, had been found "unresponsive on the floor at home" and the only other substance found in his system was marijuana.[20][21]

At the time of Gale's death, Power Trip was on the bill for a European tour with Lamb of God and Kreator, which was originally scheduled to take place in the spring of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the tour being rescheduled to late 2021 and again to late 2022; the band was eventually replaced by Thy Art Is Murder and Gatecreeper.[22][23][24]

In a March 2021 interview with Los Angeles Times, the surviving members of Power Trip stated that they are unsure of the band's future, but have not ruled out the possibility of continuing in Gale's memory. Lead guitarist Blake Ibanez commented, "We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time."[25]

On December 1, 2023, the surviving members of Power Trip played a secret surprise set at The Mohawk in Austin, Texas with Fugitive's Seth Gilmore on vocals.[26] On February 20, 2024, the band announced they would be playing several shows in 2024, starting with the No Values Festival in June, with Gilmore returning on vocals.[27]

Musical style and influences[edit]

Their sound has been described by critics as thrash metal[1] and hardcore punk,[1][28][29] as well as simply crossover thrash.[30] Gale cited the importance of guitar riffs and pop songs: "Some of Blake [Ibanez]'s favorite bands are Killing Joke, Stone Roses, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Wipers". Gale said that he worked hard to do concise lyrics: "each word relates to the sentence, and how the sentence relates to the verse. Making sure everything's connected and there's not a syllable wasted." "I try to write something that's catchy that people can sing along to mindlessly". "[I write about] the frustrations with what I see. People's motivations".[31] AllMusic wrote that their music reached fans of both "hardcore punk and extreme music".[1]

Band members[edit]

Current members

  • Blake Ibanez – lead guitar, backing vocals (2008–present)
  • Nick Stewart – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2008–present)
  • Chris Whetzel – bass (2008–present)
  • Chris Ulsh – drums, backing vocals (2009–present)
  • Seth Gilmore – lead vocals (2023–present)

Former members

  • Riley Gale – lead vocals (2008–2020; his death)
  • Marcus Johnson – drums (2008–2009)

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Year Album details
2013 Manifest Decimation
2017 Nightmare Logic
  • Released: February 24, 2017
  • Label: Southern Lord Records

Compilation albums[edit]

Year Album details
2018 Opening Fire: 2008–2014
  • Released: April 27, 2018
  • Label: Dark Operative

Live albums[edit]

Year Album details
2020 Live in Seattle: 05.28.2018[6][7]
  • Released: June 11, 2020
  • Label: Dark Operative

Singles[edit]

Year Name Album
2016 Split Single release
"Firing Squad" Nightmare Logic
2017 "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)"
"Nightmare Logic"
2018 "Hornet's Nest"[32] Adult Swim Singles Collection
2019 "When Things Go Wrong"[33] Hot Sh!t Attitude

EPs[edit]

Year EP details
2008 Demo 2008
  • Released: 2008
2009 Armageddon Blues
  • Released: 2009
2011 Power Trip
  • Released: 2011

Awards and nominations[edit]

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2021 Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) - Live Best Metal Performance[6][7] Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Jurek, Thom. "Power Trip". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Power Trip - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "25 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Loudwire. November 27, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R.; Shteamer, Hank; Bienstock, Richard; Grow, Kory; Epstein, Dan (December 6, 2017). "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Epstein, Dan; Bennett, J.; Pessaro, Fred; Camp, Zoe; Geist, Brandon (December 5, 2017). "20 Best Albums of 2017". Revolver. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Power Trip". Grammy.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Grammy Awards 2021: In This Moment, Body Count, Code Orange, Power Trip Among 'Best Metal Performance' Nominees". Blabbermouth.net. November 24, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "NIGHTMARE LOGIC by Power Trip". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (August 26, 2020). "Riley Gale, frontman with thrash metal band Power Trip, dies aged 34". The Guardian. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Lim, Cherrie (August 26, 2020). "Power Trip's Riley Gale passes away at age 34, leaves fans and friends devastated". Bandwagon. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Riley Gale Of Power Trip Has Died". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "'Power Trip' lead singer Riley Gale passes away". Big News Network. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  13. ^ "Riley Gale, Singer for Thrash Band Powertrip Dead at 34". Funky Moose Records. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  14. ^ "Obituary, Exodus & Power Trip announce tour". BrooklynVegan. June 12, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  15. ^ Konstantinos, Pappis (August 26, 2020). "Power Trip's Riley Gale Dies at 34". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  16. ^ Deville, Chris (August 26, 2020). "Riley Gale Of Power Trip Has Died". Stereogum. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Kennelty, Greg (April 27, 2018). "POWER TRIP Streams Early Material Compilation Opening Fire: 2008-2014". Metal Injection. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  18. ^ Kennelty, Greg (August 27, 2019). "POWER TRIP Working On A New Album This Week". Metal Injection. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  19. ^ Mudrian, Albert. "Power Trip Frontman Riley Gale Dies at 34". Decibel. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Legaspi, Althea (May 25, 2021). "Riley Gale, Singer for Thrash Metal Band Power Trip, Dead at 34". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Power Trip's Riley Gale - Cause of Death Confirmed". Loudwire. May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  22. ^ "LAMB OF GOD And KREATOR Announce Spring 2020 European Co-Headlining Tour". Blabbermouth.net. April 25, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  23. ^ "LAMB OF GOD And KREATOR Announce Rescheduled Dates For 'State Of Unrest' European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. July 31, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  24. ^ "LAMB OF GOD And KREATOR Postpone 'State Of Unrest' European Tour To Fall 2022". Blabbermouth.net. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  25. ^ "For the surviving members of metal band Power Trip, the Grammys are a bittersweet coda". Los Angeles Times. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Corcoran, Nina; Hussey, Allison. "Power Trip Reunite in Texas for Surprise Set". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  27. ^ Greg Kennelty (February 20, 2024). "POWER TRIP Reunites, Announces First Show Back". Metal Injection. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  28. ^ Shepherd, Sam (March 2, 2017). "Power Trip – Nightmare Logic". musicOMH. OMH. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  29. ^ Brown, Louise. "Power Trip". The Quietus. TheQuietus.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  30. ^ Pessaro, Fred (September 20, 2017). "Power Trip: A Day In The Life Of The Crossover-Thrash Juggernaut". Revolver Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  31. ^ Reed, Dunlea (November 14, 2018). "Power Trip: Inside Crossover Thrashers' Raucous First-Ever Japanese Tour". Revolvermag.com. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  32. ^ Camp, Zoe (June 6, 2018). "HEAR POWER TRIP'S FURIOUS NEW STAND-ALONE SONG "HORNET'S NEST"". Revolver. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  33. ^ Hadusek, Jon (December 20, 2019). "Power Trip cover "When Things Go Wrong" by NYHC band Outburst: Stream". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved December 21, 2019.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Power Trip.
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