Oh boy, are you guys ready for some thrilling news? 🤯 I can barely contain my excitement as I write this… POWER TRIP’s guitarist Blake Ibanez was on a podcast, and he talked about their tour with PANTERA! 🎸 I know, I know, try to hold back your tears of joy. The “100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast, hosted by Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel, featured Blake sharing his thoughts on the Texas thrashers’ early 2025 European tour as the support act for PANTERA. Because, you know, the world was just missing a PANTERA tour with a different lineup. 🙄
According to Blake, the tour was “the best tour ever” (his words, not mine), and they had a really good time. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with PANTERA, right? The crew was amazing, and it was a cool opportunity for them to pay tribute to their late singer Riley Gale. Blake mentioned that they had just gotten the band back together and weren’t planning on touring, but the opportunity to support PANTERA was too good to pass up.
The Tour That Changed Everything
Blake said that the tour gave them a lot of confidence, playing to arenas every night and getting to hang out with Charlie Benante and talk about old music. Because, you know, that’s exactly what the world needed – more old music talk. 🙃 He also mentioned that playing with PANTERA was a great honor, especially since they’re from Dallas, and PANTERA is, well, a big deal in Dallas. Who knew? 🤷♂️
But, of course, not everyone is happy about PANTERA’s current touring lineup, which only includes two classic-era members, Rex Brown and Philip Anselmo. Some people might be thinking, “Hey, this isn’t the real PANTERA!” And to that, Blake says, “Well, would you rather see them play these massive songs live again, or not?” Fair point, I guess. I mean, it’s not like they’re trying to replace Dimebag Darrell or anything… 🙅♂️
The POWER TRIP Lineup
POWER TRIP’s current lineup consists of Blake Ibanez, Seth Gilmore (who’s stepped in for Riley Gale on vocals), Chris Ulsh, Nick Stewart, and Chris Whetzel. Because, you know, the most important thing is to keep the band going, no matter what. 🤑 Seth Gilmore, by the way, is a longtime friend and collaborator of the band, and he’s also the vocalist of SKOURGE and FUGITIVE. Because, you know, one band isn’t enough. 🤣
In case you forgot, Riley Gale passed away on August 25, 2020, due to the toxic effects of fentanyl. And, of course, the metal community came together to share tributes to the frontman, because that’s what we do. 🤝 POWER TRIP released two albums on Southern Lord, “Manifest Decimation” and “Nightmare Logic”, and they were working on their third album at the time of Riley’s death. But hey, they’ve signed a new record deal with Blue Grape Music, so that’s something to look forward to, right? 🎉
In conclusion, POWER TRIP’s tour with PANTERA was a thing, and it was great, apparently. And if you’re one of those people who’s still complaining about PANTERA’s lineup, well, you can just stay home and not pay for it, as Blake so eloquently put it. 🙄 But hey, at least we can all look forward to more POWER TRIP music in the future. Because, you know, that’s exactly what the world needs – more music. 🤯
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
