Power Trip Are in No Rush to Return

The sudden and untimely loss of Power Trip vocalist Riley Gale in 2020 sent shockwaves through the metal and hardcore scenes. Power Trip have remained largely inactive besides the release of a live album and it doesn’t seem like they’re in any rush to be an active band again.

Guitarist Blake Ibanez recently spoke to Buddy Magazine about the band and made it clear that, while the band members aren’t totally opposed to reactivating if the right person comes along, there’s no pressure to urgently, if ever, replace Gale.

“For Power Trip to reform without Riley, it would take the right person being brought into the fold to make Power Trip something new. But not too new because we’ve got a lot of pride. We wouldn’t do anything that was inauthentic or cheap just to get back out there. I don’t think we would ever do that.

“The time could come, but for now, I’m not sure. I’d love for that music to see the light of day again, and it would be awesome to play the songs again because Power Trip has a place in a lot of people’s hearts. So, I’m optimistic that one day it’ll happen, but I don’t know when that will be. For now, I’m happy with what we were able to do, and that’s never going to change because the songs and the fans still exist even though Riley is gone.”

Gale quickly became known as an iconic figure in the scene, both for his larger-than-life live performances and for his ability to connect with Power Trip fans as human beings. As much as I would love to hear those Power Trip songs live again, it makes sense that the new vocalist would have to feel right and be something greater than a copy of Gale.

For now, if you want your Power Trip-style fix and you’ve worn out the grooves on those records, try Ibanez’s band Fugitive.