Released by: Frontiers Records
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Genre: Glam/Hard Rock
Links: http://www.trixterrocks.com/
Line Up:
Pete Loran Vocals
Steve Brown Guitar / Vocals
P.J. Farley Bass / Vocals
Mark “Gus” Scott Drums
Tracklist:
01. Drag Me Down
02. Get On It
03. Dirty Love
04. Machine
05. Live For The Day
06. Ride
07. Physical Attraction
08. Tattoos & Misery
09. The Coolest Thing
10. Save Your Soul
11. Walk With A Stranger
12. Heart Of Steel (bonus acoustic track)
If I was asked why I have never considered myself a Trixter fan, I would be hard pressed to answer. Seriously, other than the fact that back when they first hit the scene they were extra cheesy compared to most bands, and came at a time when grunge was starting to overpower the dying hair metal scene, they truthfully have all the elements of many bands I enjoy very much. Catchy tunes, great musicianship, and a singer that can actually sing are everything a good hair band should have. Yet not one time in my life did I ever consider them to be anything more than a lesser Firehouse.
Unbeknownst to most people, Trixter released a couple albums in the 90’s (most only remember “Give It To Me Good” their one modest hit from their debut,) then a live and Best of in the 2000’s. Now Frontier Records is proud to present Trixter’s first album of original songs since 1992 New Audio Machine. Truthfully, not much has really changed. They still have essentially the same sound they did back in the day. The songs are still catchy, the performances are still good, and they sound like they haven’t aged at all. Despite all of this, I’m still not blown away by it. It’s very good, and I certainly didn’t feel like I was wasting my time listening to the album. They still sound like a watered down Firehouse. And as much as I love Firehouse, I really am not interested in a clone when the real one and is still very much alive and well.
What gets me is the songs really are catchy, and not necessarily bad, they just sound like they’re trying to emulate so many other bands, yet missing the mark. I can’t really put my finger on it, but there’s something missing from their sound that I feel like really should be there to set them apart. If I (or they) could figure that out, I could see myself supporting them a lot more. Let’s look at the song “Ride.” It starts off with a vocal harmony not unlike a Firehouse intro. Then the song starts, and it has a bounce to it, but no groove and no heart. It’s like hair metal color by numbers. It runs the same when they sound like Dokken, XYZ, Great White, and really any other band from that day. Even the song “Tattoos and Misery” sounds like an uninspired Sleeze Beez. Seriously, how many people reading this will even know who that band is?
I will say this: If you were a fan of Trixter back in the day, they’re certainly back and at their best. The album really is a good album, I just don’t love it. Despite my misgivings (and truthfully, maybe it’s just me) I still think that it’s great to see a band like Trixter still plugging along. They definitely sound like they’re happy to be doing what they’re doing and with the classic line up, and I’m not going to fault them for that.
Written by Chris
Ratings Chris 7/10
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