by Hugo Reyes (@hvreyes5)
When released in June, Live In Seattle 5.28.2018 was meant as a way for a Power Trip to say thank you to all their supporters, friends, and allies over the years. Like so many other artists, COVID had decimated any plans for 2020, but the loss for Power Trip was even deeper than some liner notes on Bandcamp. It was a tearing apart of the stitching that is the identity of the band. They had become a household name because of how much their live shows “popped off” to use hardcore jargon. It didn’t matter if you were a young 20-something hardcore dude or a metal traditionalist; Power Trip would be able to reach out and trigger that dopamine hit that makes live music so intoxicating.
It’s now two months later and instead of Live In Seattle 5.28.2018 being a cute little release, it is now a cruel joke. Frontperson Riley Gale passed away, leaving the entire music community in shock. Trying to parse the legacy or his impact is a losing task, but hearing him in his natural environment, the live show, is some kind of comfort. He was the director of the lunacy of a Power Trip gig. On “Conditioned To Death,” Gale does a quick directive for Seattle to pick that circle pit up. You can only imagine the amount of mosh pits formed as the answer to his directive not only at that show but for that entire tour.
Power Trip was more than a band that wrote parts to mosh to. They were a force for good, trying to make metal a place where people who aren’t white and privileged feel welcomed. Right at the end of “Firing Squad,” Gale shouts out the song for the dirtbags and everyone in between. It's such a little thing that can be laughed off but still matters. Maybe someone who feels left out in the audience would take those words to heart and go on to form the next great crossover band. For those who never got to see Power Trip, this live record and spare moments of Gale talking is the closest they’ll ever get to the live experience.