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Power Trip is an American
crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...
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. 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts, and receiving a number of accolades by publications. A live version of the song " Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)" received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.


History

In 2013, the band signed with the
Southern Lord Records Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It initially specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to ...
label and released their first studio album, '' Manifest Decimation''. Their second album, '' Nightmare Logic'', was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' 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". The success of ''Nightmare Logic'', as well as sharing the stage with the likes of
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
,
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
, Exodus, Testament, D.R.I.,
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
,
Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...
,
Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...
, Hatebreed,
Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...
,
Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. The band incorporates folk music, folk, blues, classical music, classical, and jazz elements into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from deat ...
, Danzig and
Obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...
, helped Power Trip become one of the most popular thrash metal bands in the 2010s. In 2018, the album '' Opening Fire: 2008–2014'' was released as a way to compile their extra tracks. In late 2019, Power Trip announced that they were working on their third album. Vocalist Riley Gale died on August 24, 2020, at the age of 34. His death was announced by the band the next day. 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 Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...
. The report also claimed that Gale, who reportedly had a history of depression and
drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
, had been found "unresponsive on the floor at home" and the only other substance found in his system was
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
. At the time of Gale's death, Power Trip was on the bill for a European tour with
Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...
and
Kreator Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...
, which was originally scheduled to take place in the spring of 2020 before the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
resulted in the tour being rescheduled to late 2021 and again to late 2022; the band was eventually replaced by
Thy Art Is Murder Thy Art Is Murder is an Australian deathcore band from Blacktown, Sydney, that formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Tyler Miller, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, bassist Kevin Butler and drummer Jesse Beahler. Thy Art Is Murde ...
and Gatecreeper. In a March 2021 interview with ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', the surviving members of Power Trip stated that they were unsure of the band's future, but did not rule 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." 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. 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. They also embarked on their first tour in over five years as a direct support for
Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...
's early 2025 European tour. This caused some criticism towards Power Trip, as late vocalist Riley Gale had stated in 2017 his views against Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo and refusal to tour with Superjoint, following Anselmo's allegations of Nazism and racism stemming from his controversial 2016 tribute show to
Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), known professionally as Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal music, heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founde ...
.


Musical style and influences

Their sound has been described by critics as
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
and
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
, as well as simply
crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...
. Gale cited the importance of guitar riffs and pop songs: "Some of Blake banezs favorite bands are
Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...
, Stone Roses,
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...
, 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". " write aboutthe frustrations with what I see. People's motivations".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that their music reached fans of both "hardcore punk and extreme music". Other influences they have cited include Anti-Cimex, Breakdown, Cro-Mags, Discharge, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, English Dogs, Entombed, Excel, Exodus, the Icemen, Killing Time, Leeway,
Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...
,
Nuclear Assault Nuclear Assault was an American thrash metal band formed in New York City in 1984. Part of the mid-to-late 1980s thrash metal movement, they were one of the main bands of the genre to emerge from the East Coast along with Overkill, Whiplash, ...
, Prong,
Sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...
, Sepultura, Sodom,
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
and Vio-Lence.


Band members

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


Studio albums


Compilation albums


Live albums


Singles


EPs


Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards , - , 2021 , , Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) - Live , ,
Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...
, ,


References


External links

* * {{authority control 2008 establishments in Texas American thrash metal musical groups Crossover thrash groups Hardcore punk groups from Texas Heavy metal musical groups from Texas Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Dallas Musical quintets from Texas