Power Trip Return With First New Music Since Riley Gale

Power Trip are back. The Dallas hardcore and thrash outfit have shared two new songs, "Precinct 3" and "Scavenger," marking the band's first recorded output since the sudden death of frontman Riley Gale in 2020. It is a moment the metal world has been watching closely, and the tracks do not disappoint.

The band recorded both songs with veteran metal producer Jacob Hansen, known for his work across the extreme metal landscape. "Precinct 3" comes with a music video directed by Eric Richter, and it closes on a breakdown that makes a very strong case for why this band is still worth your full attention. "Scavenger" holds its own right alongside it. Both tracks carry the speed, the riff weight, and the chant-bark vocal energy that defined Power Trip at their peak, without feeling like a copy of what came before.

Who Is Seth Gilmore and How Did He Become Power Trip's Singer

After Gale passed, guitarist Blake Ibanez launched a new project called Fugitive, which stayed firmly in the Power Trip lane and released strong material on its own terms. At a 2023 Fugitive show in Austin, Power Trip staged a surprise reunion set with Seth Gilmore on vocals. Gilmore fronts both Fugitive and Skourge, and when Power Trip were first active, Skourge were running in the same circles. The fit was already there.

Following a legal dispute with Gale's family that has since been resolved, Gilmore officially stepped into the singer role. The band has been touring consistently over the past two years, building back momentum the right way: on the road, in front of crowds, earning it back one show at a time.

Ibanez spoke about the songwriting approach in a press release: "When we were writing this, we wondered what Riley would have wanted to write about. So once we decided on that approach, it honestly came really easily. The lyrics were flowing, and it just felt like the right way to kick off this new chapter and honor him."

Drummer Chris Ulsh added that Hansen was the right call precisely because he understands both the modern production side and the late-80s underground that shaped the genre. "We're tough to please because we want something that sounds current, but most importantly we want it to sound like us," Ulsh said.

What the New Power Trip Album Means for Heavy Music in 2026

The full album is coming next year. It will be Power Trip's third LP, their first since 2017's Nightmare Logic, which remains one of the defining heavy records of the last decade. Following that record under these circumstances, nearly ten years later and without the voice that anchored it, is the kind of task most bands would not survive. These two tracks suggest Power Trip intends to.

Nightmare Logic was the kind of record that crossed genre lines and pulled in listeners who would not normally describe themselves as thrash fans. It had structure, it had purpose, and every song felt like it was built to last. "Precinct 3" and "Scavenger" carry that same intentionality. They are not nostalgia trips. They are opening statements.

"Precinct 3" and "Scavenger" are out now on Blue Grape Music. Both tracks are available on a limited 7-inch, with a Record Store Day Black Friday edition featuring alternate artwork on the way.

For independent artists and bands watching from the outside, Power Trip's return is a real case study in how a group rebuilds after catastrophic loss: slowly, carefully, with the right collaborators, and with a clear point of view about what they owe the work versus what they owe themselves. The new album will be the real test, but the foundation being laid right now looks solid.