Members of Slipknot, Machine Head and More Pay Tribute to Late Power Trip Vocalist Riley Gale

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Last night, it was revealed that Riley Gale, frontman for Texas thrash metal act Power Trip, had died. Though a relatively underground band, Power Trip’s meteoric rise within the metal scene and their weight as a metal band who made a different has caused dozens of bands both big and small to express their sympathies online. You can read their tributes below.

Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe

“Rest In Peace, Riley Gale. I don’t know what happened to him yet, but I do know that I was really looking forward to touring with him & @powertriptx again- in fact, we were already have supposed to have toured in Europe & then this pandemic happened & screwed that up. When I sent him these photos I took last year while doing some Euro festivals together, we were talking about how stoked we were to hit the road together & hang again. Besides being a great frontman, Riley was smart, articulate, well read, politically astute, compassionate, & fearless in expressing his views. These are all things I value highly in an artist & a human being- we got along really well. He loved hardcore and metal, & it is shame for our scene that someone who burned so brightly is gone way too soon- he was a mere 34 years old. Just a great dude with some insanely hilarious stories, & I’ll really miss shooting the bull about life & comic books with him. Just two days ago Riley crossed my mind & I thought “I better shoot him a message & check in & see how he’s holding up down there in Texas”- & then I got distracted & forgot. I really wish I had now. My condolences & so much love to Riley’s family & all the Power Trip homies. #riprileygale #powertrip #powertriptx”

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Rest In Peace, Riley Gale. I don’t know what happened to him yet, but I do know that I was really looking forward to touring with him & @powertriptx again- in fact, we were already have supposed to have toured in Europe & then this pandemic happened & screwed that up. When I sent him these photos I took last year while doing some Euro festivals together, we were talking about how stoked we were to hit the road together & hang again. Besides being a great frontman, Riley was smart, articulate, well read, politically astute, compassionate, & fearless in expressing his views. These are all things I value highly in an artist & a human being- we got along really well. He loved hardcore and metal, & it is shame for our scene that someone who burned so brightly is gone way too soon- he was a mere 34 years old. Just a great dude with some insanely hilarious stories, & I’ll really miss shooting the bull about life & comic books with him. Just two days ago Riley crossed my mind & I thought “I better shoot him a message & check in & see how he’s holding up down there in Texas”- & then I got distracted & forgot. I really wish I had now. My condolences & so much love to Riley’s family & all the Power Trip homies. #riprileygale #powertrip #powertriptx

A post shared by D. Randall Blythe (@drandallblythe) on

Jay Weinberg of Slipknot

“So sad to hear of Riley Gale’s passing. I only had the good fortune of meeting him once, but he had a way of making you feel like you’d known him forever, instantly. Such a profound loss. Love and deepest sympathies to @powertriptx and everyone who knew him.”

Overkill

“We are saddened to hear this shocking news. Thoughts go out to Riley’s friends and family. RIP brother @powertriptx“

Gary Holy of Exodus and Slayer

“Crushed…@exodusbandofficial send our love and support to our brothers in @powertriptx , a band on our short list of absolute brothers, people who sharing a stage with is an HONOR. A PRIVILEGE. All our support goes out to the Power Trip family, Exodus are here for you. Riley , you will forever be missed”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVbX3YHYss/

Robb Flynn of Machine Head

“Very sad to hear about the death of Power Trip singer Riley. Saw them open for Cannibal Corpse and they were fucking awesome. Sending positive energy to the bandmembers and his family”

https://twitter.com/TheGeneralMH/status/1298426075152711682

Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage

“Big loss to the musical and metal community…Rest in POWER Riley. Awful news…my condolences to the @powertriptx band, crew and family”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVTuZVlgTH/

Hatebreed

“Rest In Power Riley Gale. A great frontman, wise beyond his years & bad ass on the mic! You will be greatly missed. Such a loss for heavy music. Our condolences to all who loved him. #RipRileyGale #PowerTrip“

Code Orange

“Rest In Peace Riley. you made a huge dent in heavy music history that will last forever. our deepest condolences to his friends, family and the guys @powertriptx”

The Black Dahlia Murder

“I’m not going to pretend like I knew Riley very well, I didn’t. I do know that a lot of you did and I feel for you all, tremendously. What I can say is that he was a real man of the people… like the mayor of friendship. He seemed to have a million friends everywhere he went. Someone that really brought people together. A seemingly infinite well of charisma. Thinking of the sheer number of folks who are saddened right now out there by his passing is so fucking heavy, he really was a special person and touched a lot of lives. I admired him. He was first and foremost an unparalleled force on stage. Truly someone with that X factor, that perfect blend of charisma, honesty and fearlessness. He and the band were electrifying together and deserved every accolade coming to them and every word of praise. They had one foot in the hardcore scene and one in metal and were beloved by both. Outside of being one of the best frontmen to ever do it, Riley personified everything great about hardcore. He was outspoken in his views and used his platform of influence for good, always fighting for what was right and not being afraid to alienate fans over it. He was always lifting smaller bands up. He deservedly got props from all corners and generations of heavy music (and beyond) and was still able to be a very cool, humble person. In reality we only spoke a handful of times on the brief touring stints we did together, but he was always kind and genuine. Riley gave our band respect and it honestly meant a lot. I always saw Power Trip as this very special even mythically awesome band, the one you absolutely don’t want to play after. It was an honor to tour with you. Truly a legend in the making in every sense. Power Trip’s rise was astronomical and I always imagined that it would see them playing over us, Lamb of God… who knows? It was surely only a matter of time. We in The Black Dahlia Murder are heartbroken today. Our hearts go out to the Power Trip guys and their families in this tragic time, as well as the fans across the globe. RIP Riley – Trevor Strnad”

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I'm not going to pretend like I knew Riley very well, I didn't. I do know that a lot of you did and I feel for you all, tremendously. What I can say is that he was a real man of the people… like the mayor of friendship. He seemed to have a million friends everywhere he went. Someone that really brought people together. A seemingly infinite well of charisma. Thinking of the sheer number of folks who are saddened right now out there by his passing is so fucking heavy, he really was a special person and touched a lot of lives. I admired him. He was first and foremost an unparalleled force on stage. Truly someone with that X factor, that perfect blend of charisma, honesty and fearlessness. He and the band were electrifying together and deserved every accolade coming to them and every word of praise. They had one foot in the hardcore scene and one in metal and were beloved by both. Outside of being one of the best frontmen to ever do it, Riley personified everything great about hardcore. He was outspoken in his views and used his platform of influence for good, always fighting for what was right and not being afraid to alienate fans over it. He was always lifting smaller bands up. He deservedly got props from all corners and generations of heavy music (and beyond) and was still able to be a very cool, humble person. In reality we only spoke a handful of times on the brief touring stints we did together, but he was always kind and genuine. Riley gave our band respect and it honestly meant a lot. I always saw Power Trip as this very special even mythically awesome band, the one you absolutely don't want to play after. It was an honor to tour with you. Truly a legend in the making in every sense. Power Trip's rise was astronomical and I always imagined that it would see them playing over us, Lamb of God… who knows? It was surely only a matter of time. We in The Black Dahlia Murder are heartbroken today. Our hearts go out to the Power Trip guys and their families in this tragic time, as well as the fans across the globe. RIP Riley – Trevor Strnad

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Harms Way

“We are in complete shock.

“Riley and the PT family have ALWAYS been welcoming and kind to us, from day one. Our community lost genuinely one of the nicest, most fun loving souls I have ever encountered. Tell your friends and family you love them, even the ones you don’t talk to.”

Creeping Death

“Riley always put on for the home team, he and Power Trip helped open a lot of doors for us and many other bands out of the Texas hardcore scene over the years. The music world lost a huge star, Rest in Power Riley Gale.”

Venom Prison

“To learn about Riley’s passing this morning was a big shock for all of us. He was a kind soul and a truly one of a kind person. Our thoughts go out to Power Trip, your close friends, family, loved ones and crew. Riley Gale forever. Rest in peace brother.”

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