Traxter: Take Heed | Better Late Than Never
(2025 – Roxx Records)
There are surely people who don’t remember Traxter or even have them on their radar. That’s understandable, since they were an old heavy metal band from the ’80s that only released a single album, “Rock N’ Race,” in 1991, before breaking up. They got their start in 1987 in the Bakersfield, California area, and their only legacy was the aforementioned album. The thing is, before breaking up, Traxter had new songs ready for what would have been a new album—one that was never released due to the unexpected breakup. And so, Traxter left those songs unfinished. Time passed, and after nearly three decades, the band reunited in 2024.
What followed was Traxter’s decision to finally bring those old, unfinished songs to life. The result is this EP titled “Take Heed,” which takes us back to Traxter’s early days and introduces us to that old material that never saw the light of day—naturally, with new recordings and an updated sound, while still maintaining the essence of the era in which they were conceived.
“Take Heed” consists precisely of those seven songs that had been left halfway through a new recording, with a style we could describe as a blend of old-school, melodic ’80s Heavy Metal with hints of Hard Rock, featuring plenty of riffs and harmonies in their compositions, resulting in material that’s direct, straightforward, and deeply rooted in the essence of Rock and Metal, without veering into strange territory or unconventional experiments.
In fact, Traxter’s sound is built on their riffs—well-constructed, powerful, and direct—alongside a foundation firmly rooted in Metal. “Can’t Run Can’t Hide” opens this EP with a semi-staccato rhythm very much in the style of Judas Priest, placing heavy emphasis on the guitars, which showcase their diverse sounds throughout nearly the entire track. The vocals of Terrence Steven Fischer—better known as Tee Steven—are distinctive and original enough, at least for a project like Traxter’s. Far from the classic high-pitched screams or off-key shouts, Steven works with deeper tones, which give Traxter’s music its own unique personality.
“Power Will Be” opens with a strong, sustained riff accompanied by a sort of rapping from Steven—though it’s not quite rapping but rather the opposite—and what stands out most is the heavy rhythm section that accompanies it throughout nearly the entire track, while “Game Of Life” begins with a drum intro that’s somewhat reminiscent of “Painkiller,” but centered on traditional, galloping Heavy Metal—with a strong Iron Maiden influence, you might say.
If there’s one thing Traxter does exceptionally well, it’s the tremendous riffs that form the foundation of their songs, and in that regard, we can’t fail to mention “The Captain”—a massive hit, we could almost call it the best track on the album, showcasing plenty of melody and harmony thanks to its double bass drum sound and its relentless, intense rhythm that drives and controls the timing of a song that boasts great work in both composition and concept.
Continuing with this EP, we come to “Cold In Hell,” which is basically closer to ’80s hard rock, very much in the “Sunset Strip” style, yet still maintains consistency with the rest of the material. It feels introspective, almost like a ballad set to the rhythm that Traxter imprints on every song, with different and interesting passages where various textures in the composition can be discerned, though the focus remains on the song’s main riff.
Finally, we reach the end of “Take Heed,” and first encounter an interlude: “Freedom (interlude),” a sort of instrumental featuring cinematic dialogue and a distinctly warlike atmosphere. It serves as the intro to the final track, also titled “Freedom”—a tremendous anthem rooted squarely in traditional Heavy Metal, fierce and combative, yet featuring a compositional structure worthy of note. Its guitar melodies and harmonies provide ample reason to consider it another highlight of the album and an ideal choice for those seeking old-school Metal.
It’s about time Traxter decided to dust off these old songs—perhaps adapted to a more modern sound, but which somehow give a sense of what the band had been working on and planned to release in the mid-’90s. The band retained the original arrangements of each composition and captured the essence of those old songs, which, thanks to this reunion, we can now hear on “Take Heed.”
In that regard, the sound this EP achieved is noteworthy. The band used Tonex software to record the amplified sounds of guitars and bass, but that doesn’t mean they used AI in the creative process—it simply means that, instead of amplifying the sound with standard amplifiers, they used that technique to record those instruments. That’s why it’s worth clarifying, but it also goes without saying that the songs on “Take Heed” originated in the ’90s, so Traxter is far from relying on AI for their creative or vocal approach.
The album cover and design are the work of Leonard Bennett, Traxter’s guitarist, featuring a distinctly apocalyptic concept that, in a way, encapsulates the band’s message and vision through the songs included here. For now, “Take Heed” has only been released in a limited run of 500 CD copies; it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that at some point, the decision might be made to release this EP on vinyl.
Traxter’s approach to “Take Heed” isn’t just about taking a handful of old, unreleased songs and presenting them exactly as they were. They took the time to thoroughly develop the concept and achieve compositional and conceptual cohesion, with the focus centered on traditional Heavy Metal featuring certain elements of hard rock. The result is solid and will surely appeal to those seeking old-school Metal. Hopefully, this isn’t just some sort of “revival” of bygone eras. We look forward to more from Traxter, especially with fresh, new material. Judging by what we heard on “Take Heed,” the potential is there. It’s up to the band to capture what they still have to offer on a new album.
Here’s one of the released singles, specifically the track “Can’t Run Can’t Hide,” and as always, the band’s social media links so you can follow them and stay up to date on their latest news…
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027731876858
