Following the tragic death of Power Trip vocalist Riley Gale, Trivium has paid tribute to the rocker by taking on a cover of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax”.
Trivium performed the track live as part of their The Deepest Cuts stream on frontman Matt Heafy’s Twitch channel, with the set also including songs the band have never, or rarely, performed live.
“We had the pleasure of touring with Power Trip on one of our greatest UK/European tours,” Heafy said.
“All of us – band and crew – got to know Riley quite a bit. I feel like Power Trip were one of the very few bands that weren’t ‘newer’ but they were newer to the world scene, and I think they had a better shot of becoming one of the biggest metal bands or metal/crossover hardcore bands on the planet.”
The Trivium rocker continued: “I know that those guys can still pull together, I hope they can still pull together and do what they do. Riley will be greatly missed, everyone remembers him as being an undeniably incredible frontman which he was, with a voice that sounded like no one else… We want to pay tribute here, we hope we do it justice… This is for Riley.”
Gale passed away last week at the age of 34, with no cause of death given. The Dallas thrashcore group announced the news over social media, saying:
“It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” the band wrote. “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend. He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends.
“We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are. If you have a memory of Riley please share it, no matter how small, as we remember him.”
Power Trip also thanked their fans for their support following Gale’s death via social media, saying:
“We would like to thank all the fans, friends, and people around the world who have shown us so much love and support over the last several days,” they wrote.
“Thank you for honouring Riley and continuing to share your stories, memories, and photos. May his legacy live on forever. 1986-2020”
Power Trip formed in 2008 and went on to release two critically-lauded albums through Southern Lord: their 2013 debut Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic.
In addition to these two studio albums, the band released a rarities compilation Opening Fire: 2008-2014 in 2018, and a live album which was released earlier this year.
