Obituary has invited members of Power Trip to pay tribute to late frontman Riley Gale. Playing the track “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe),” the bands play the heavy riffs and snare drums as they jam together. The track had originally appeared on their 2017 album, Nightmare Logic.

The cover comes as the fourth track from Obituary’s current series, with bandmates dancing around the rehearsal room, those who are not playing enjoying beer as they watch the others perform. Obituary’s John and Donald Tardy are on vocals and drums respectively, while Black Ibanez, Nick Steward and Chris Whetzel of Power Trip play guitar and bass. The cover sticks close to Power Trip’s original, while John Tardy’s vocals continue a death metal scream.

Obituary are currently hosting a livestream series, with their March 27 date hosting several of the band’s favorite songs, including Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe),” while the April 3 date will find the band performing The End Complete in full. The current livestream series follows an event the band hosted in October, which had featured performances from their recording studios and saw them playing songs from their albums Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death in full.

Power Trip’s frontman, Riley Gale, had passed away last August. Members of the band have recently gone on the record to say they hope to be able to continue playing music together. Drummer Chris Ulch had said to the Los Angeles Times, “Losing Riley was the saddest thin that ever happened to me, but I’m so proud of everything we accomplished together. One of the coolest things from the start was that there was no ceiling to this band, and this Grammy nomination is a perfect example of that.”

The band’s track “Executioners Tax (Swing of the Axe)” had been nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards, while Body Count’s “Bum-Rush” had taken home the award.

Photo credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva