It had been nearly six years since thrash-metal titans Power Trip last graced the stage of Metro Chicago. The band, of course, had good reason for their extended hiatus from The Windy City and touring at large, given the fact that their original lead singer, Riley Gale, tragically died in 2020 at the all too early age of 34. Understandably, that threw Power Trip’s future into disarray, as there was considerable doubt whether they should or would be able to fill the Texas-sized void left by Gale’s untimely passing. But after taking a few years to mourn and regroup, the band ultimately returned to the touring circuit last year with new lead singer Seth Gilmore (from the band Fugitive).
Needless to say, anticipation was elevated for Power Trip’s return on May 9th at Chicago’s Metro, but before they took to the stage, opening bands Molder and Gridiron helped kick things off on rightfully bruising notes by delivering two powerful (yet stylistically quite different) sets. Molder was up first, and they dished out a solid performance that featured plenty of tasty death-thrash riffs. The crowd seemed to dig it, as evidenced by the plethora of banging heads jamming throughout their set (not to mention the pretty nasty pit that opened up in its wake).
They were followed in relatively short order by Gridiron, which, as the name suggests, sounded like the aural equivalent of a souped-up bench-clearing brawl of NFL heavyweights on any given Sunday. Which is to say, their sound was aggressive and heavy as a motherfucker, sporting a hardcore rap-metal flavor that effectively served as catnip for all the bros in attendance who relished dishing out some punishment in the pit. Their sound and aesthetic somewhat recalled Biohazard if they were really into football and competitive weightlifting/eating competitions. But all kidding aside, Gridiron brought the pain and delivered a pretty fun set overall.
After what seemed like a long thirty-plus minutes, it was time for the main event, as Power Trip kicked off their set emphatically with “Soul Sacrifice”. A good microcosm of the band’s sound, “Soul Sacrifice” starts with a viciously groovy, muscular riff before launching into full-on thrash mode for the middle section, which ultimately leads to the build-up for the epically crushing breakdown to close out the jam. And, if there’s one thing Power Trip can do better than most anyone, it’s delivering those aforementioned crushing breakdowns with their distinctive Texas swagger and the type of thrashy rhythm that would make Arise-era Sepultura blush. Simply put, their music doesn’t just slay, it “swings”, which is what makes songs like “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” so irresistibly killer whether you’re cruising down the freeway (probably fast) or mobbing through the pit.
And of course, plenty of the latter was going on during their performance of the track live, immediately following their opening number. Things didn’t let up from there, as the band quickly launched into “Firing Squad”, which starts as straight fire on the thrash tip, before building up to what might be the most outright fun and, dare I say, danceable breakdown section in their entire catalog at the midway point. That was one of the night’s many highlights for all the headbanging and slamdancing aficionados (including this one). A close second might have been the certifiably badass breakdown that came a little more than halfway through “Heretic’s Fork”, which effectively sent the crowd at large straight to headbanger heaven (or maybe “headbanger hell” would be more apt, but whatever the case).
Granted, we all know that Power Trip can shred with the best of them, but what about the new guy behind the mic? It’s not an exaggeration to say that losing Riley Gale was effectively like losing the heart and soul of the band, and filling those Texas-sized shoes is no easy task. But fortunately for fans in attendance Friday night, new singer Seth Gilmore fulfilled his vocal duties admirably, convincingly, and emphatically, delivering a spirited performance that would have undoubtedly made the late great Riley Gale proud. After giving a brief remembrance of Gale about midway through their set (which sparked a heartfelt “Riley” chant from the crowd), Gilmore dedicated “Drown” to his predecessor as fans continued to mosh about with reckless abandon. To close things out, the band delivered a rousing performance of “Crossbreaker”, which proved to be a fittingly raucous way to finish up what was a triumphantly killer return to Metro Chicago for the kings of 21st-century Texas thrash. Long live Power Trip!
