SPILL FEATURE: NEVER SURRENDER – A CONVERSATION WITH GIL MOORE OF TRIUMPH

NEVER SURRENDER

A CONVERSATION WITH GIL MOORE OF TRIUMPH

Triumph, the legendary Canadian band known for rock anthems like “Lay It On The Line”, “Somebody’s Out There”, and “Hold On”, is set to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame on October 17th.

“It’s certainly a fantastic honour and is something you never consider when you’re young and starting out,” comments drummer and co-vocalist Gil Moore. “When it rolls around at this stage, and you’re looking at a rearview mirror of what happened, it’s quite amazing to realize that some of the songs that you worked on resonated with people enough, and that an honour like this would come along. It’s really something also for our family members. Our kids, it’s nice for them to see, like ‘Here’s what Dad was doing when you were little.’”

Right from the moment Triumph first shared the stage, Moore knew that he had something magical with Rik Emmett and Mike Levine. “When the three of us played together from the very first show that we played, the reaction from the audience was completely unlike anything we had ever experienced in any of our prior bands,” explains Moore. “Why is that? I just think it’s like you put some chefs in the kitchen, and as long as you don’t have too many chefs spoil the broth, if you have some great culinary influences from some great minds, you have some very good soup – the same with music. If you have the right musicians in the room at the right time, perhaps there’s some magic… If I hadn’t met those guys, I would have had a completely different outcome. I don’t know where I would have gone in music or whether I would have stayed in music.”

Moore’s favourite songwriting moments are when sparks of inspiration turned a seed of the song into something magical. “We would jam out songs in a live environment, where an idea would just seem to come out of nowhere,” he recalls. “We would start working on a riff, a chord change, a lyric, or a rhythm, and something would emanate from that, and that seemed to be special. You grab on to it like ‘There’s an idea that’s got some legs.’ Then you move on to the next idea and the next idea. It’s like building a brick wall as the ideas flow, and when it works, it’s really exhilarating… It was a great deal of effort, but when luck or opportunity intercedes with that quest for a great lyric or a great melody, and it actually works, it’s a magic moment for a songwriter or a musician. It’s a great feeling. Those moments with Triumph when they did happen, those are the ones I hang on to.”

In retrospect, Moore explains that not every song turned out to be as good as they wanted, but the songs that did and connected to people were very special. “You try really hard to make every song great, but some of them don’t cut the mustard when you look back on them. Maybe you thought at the time they were better than they really were. But the songs that go the other way, stand the test of time, and that fans appreciate over a duration a long period of time, those really tell you what your best moments were.”

Many songs of Triumph’s including “Follow Your Heart,” “Hold On,” “Magic Power,” Lay It On The Line,” and “Never Surrender” have become timeless classics. Why exactly have these songs continued to connect with listeners decades after they have been released? “We didn’t realize it when we were young musicians, but there was a thread of positivity that stretched through our lyrics, even in a song that relates to heartbreak, as sometimes there would be an uplifting lyric of hopefulness,” shares Moore. “Some songs are just blatantly positive, like ‘Never Surrender’ or ‘Follow Your Heart.’ I think over time, people have resonated with those aspects of our music. They’ve also been very responsive to a lot of the hard rock ‘n’  roll that has an uplift to it, if you will, just in the sense of live sports, or dancing, or cheering… Music in society and the community has a very important place and one of the most important places in society for music are times to make people feel better, whether they’re excited and happy at a wedding, or getting over something that is tragic, and they need inspiration.”

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Allied Forces is a record that stands out for Moore. “When we recorded the Allied Forces album, we were in a pretty good spot in our band,” he says. “We were experienced enough that we were not rookies anymore and we were not quite veterans, so we were in that magic sweet spot where there is just a lot of positive energy, where we felt like the band was growing, and our musical ideas were expanding.”

Recently, a tribute album titled Magic Power: All-Star Tribute To Triumph was released, which Mike Clink produced. The record features many world class musicians and phenomenal singers. “We really appreciate Mike Clink, of course, because nothing would have happened without Mike,” says Moore. “A tribute album is a kind of odd thing, really, for a band, and something as a group you never anticipate that’s ever going to happen to you in your lifetime or in your career. It’s something you don’t fully appreciate until it’s over, and you’re actually listening to these great musicians and great singers work on your songs and do some magical things with those original recordings.”

Moore loved how all the songs turned out and felt that each one had something that made it special. “I’m a drummer, and sometimes I’m listening to one song and I’m like, ‘Wow, what a great drum track,’ and that’s what made it special,” he shares. “Other times, it’s the vocals of a song that I sang. First time I heard Mickey Thomas sing ‘Spellbound’, I was like ‘Wow’ because I’ve always loved his voice, and it just blew me away.” Two songs particularly stand out to Moore due to being incredibly different than Triumph’s original version. “Nancy Wilson from Heart did ‘Fight the Good Fight’ in a way that is completely her own signature and style,” he states. “It’s beautiful. She took it away from the hard rock mould and made it more dreamy. She created another layer of an ethereal vibe that was not there in our version of the song. The same could be said of Envy of None, who did ‘Blinding Light Show’ and made it a totally different song. Maiah [Wynne] does something magical with her voice, and combined with the arrangement it’s very, very unique.”

In a rare reunion performance prior to Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, Triumph performed “Lay It on the Line”. Although his favourite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, Moore is still an avid hockey fan and had a fantastic experience playing for the Oilers fans. “It was a blast; we had an absolute panic,” he grins. “I love Alberta because they love Triumph in Alberta. Triumph played Northlands Coliseum, the big rink, many times and had the huge crowds that we had. When I see the Oilers, it’s kind of like I love hockey, but I also love Edmonton.”

Along with his time in Triumph, Moore also established a recording studio called Metalworks Studios. “For me, being in the recording studio feels like home,” he comments. “It feels like a big comfy couch. That’s the only way to put it. Being on stage is fun and exhilarating, but it’s also not a big comfy couch; it’s a big rocket ship, and you have to put your seat belt on and hope you don’t crash. It’s a pile of fun, I will say that, but I think I’m more comfortable being that guy that you can’t see.” Some artists who recorded there include Anne Murray, David Bowie, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Ronnie Hawkins, Tina Turner, and Tom Cochrane. “I’m grateful to all of them who recorded there because they made the reputation for Metalworks Studios; it’s not the other way around,” says Moore. “It’s the result of the artists that recorded there.”

Moore ends the interview, hinting that Triumph might have some shows in the future. “It was really inspiring to play in Edmonton, so we’re working with that and talking to our friends at Live Nation about what a plan might look like,” he smiles. “Hopefully, there will be a Triumph that people can come and see again.”

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