Last year, the metal community was dumbstruck to learn that Riley Gale, lead singer of game-changing Texan thrashers Power Trip, had died at the age of 34. Not only was Gale an incredibly talented and energetic frontman, he was one of us, an open-minded metal dude whose rejection of ignorance, bigotry, and the people who spread it made modern fans feel less alone. Now, as part of their recent livestreams, death metal titans Obituary decided to pay homage to Gale, and brought some of Power Trip’s remaining members along to help them.
As you’ll see in the footage below, the jam took place during last Saturday’s livestream event, one of two that Obituary are currently promoting. The band chose to perform Power Trip’s huge single and instant pit-starter, “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” off of 2017’s groundbreaking Nightmare Logic. Joining Obituary were Power Trip guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart, who ripped through the song alongside one of Riley’s favorite bands.
Check out Obituary’s tribute to Riley Gale below:
The second of Obituary’s livestreams will take place on Saturday, April 3rd, and will include a performance of the band’s 1992 album The End Complete in its entirety. The stream kicks off at 5pm EST; tickets can be picked up at the band’s livestream portal site.
Obituary aren’t the only folks who have paid tribute to Gale since his death was announced on August 25th, 2020. Trivium also performed some covers of Power Trip as part of a livestream event, memorial street art popped up in Riley’s memory in both Houston and Brooklyn, and had a library started in his honor which focuses on helping homeless LGBTQ youth in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Though Power Trip did not win a Grammy in 2021, and Gale was left out the ‘In Memoriam’ reel, the band will forever be remembered as pioneers of their craft in the metal world.
***
Words by Chris Krovatin
