For the first time since lead singer Riley Gale died last year, the surviving members of Grammy-nominated Texas band Power Trip got together to pay musical tribute to their late frontman, joining John and Donald Tardy of metal behemoths Obituary for a studio performance of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe).” Power Trip’s surviving members — guitarists Nick Stewart and Blake Ibanez, drummer Chris Ulsh, and bassist Chris Whetzel — also affirmed their desire to carry on, Stewart telling the Los Angeles Times, “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time.” > In the tribute to Gale, who died in August 2020 at the age of 34, the band held up a photo of Gale, saying “rest in peace, brother,” before l...
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! Every month we’ll dig up the heaviest metal out there, stylistic boundaries be damned. Hot albums, hot tracks, hot whatever — we’ll bring only the most hellish heat. This month, we’ll bust open operatic black metal, filthy Danish death metal, and a split featuring Houston grindcore legends and Australia’s burliest bruisers, as well as remembering Cynic bassist Sean Malone. Folterkammer – Die Lederpredigt (Gilead Media) Not since Reed St. Mark joining Celtic Frost for their landmark LP To Mega Therion has such a formidable Swiss-American metal alliance emerged: Folterkammer, with their debut Die Lederpredigt, bring together Imperial Triumphant guitarist Zachary Ezrin and Swiss vocalist Andromeda Anarchia for black metal with operatic voca...
In August, Riley Gale passed away at the age of 34. Now, the Power Trip singer is being memorialized with his own library. The Riley Gale Memorial Library will be housed in the Dallas Hope Center, which is “the city’s only LGBTQ-focused Homeless Youth Transitional Living Center and extension program.” Organizers recently announced the library plans. “To honor our friend Riley, we wanted to contribute to a cause that he was passionate about. Dallas Hope Charities was an important organization to Riley,” they wrote on Facebook. “Dallas Hope Charities provides care for those in need throughout the Dallas community. By collaborating and hosting several programs, Dallas Hope Charities provides food, shelter, and services that instill dignity, stability, and hope for all.” The library will serve...
In the 24 hours since the news of his death was announced, a number of tributes from friends, other bands and colleagues have paid tribute to Power Trip singer Riley Gale. Few, if any, would have expected that the 34-year-old would have been the subject of another tribute on Fox News. Today (Aug. 26), Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, who struck up a friendship with Gale over Twitter despite their differing political views, started The Five with an on-air tribute to him. It turns out that the two were fairly close friends. Wearing a Power Trip t-shirt that he said the singer gave him, Gutfeld said Gale was “an all-around brilliant dude” and that he “died in his sleep,” which wasn’t previously reported. He went on to describe the band’s negative reaction to him playing songs from 2017’...