Traversus – Navigate

Traversus
Navigate
Out: 12. September 2025
Playing time: 30:46

Extremes are able to coexist. If there is one medium which proves beyond all doubt that this is possible, it would be music. Dutch metal band Traversus understands this, and made it their mission to bridge divides both musically and lyrically. Their hard rock sound is enhanced with influences from progressive rock and metal, and as such, manages to seamlessly blend the theoretical with the emotional.

This quote from the press release already says a lot about the Dutch band. I couldn’t find out exactly when the band was founded. The first entry on Facebook dates back to October 23rd, 2018, but the debut EP ‘The Only Way Is Through’ wasn’t released until September 2023. Two years later, the follow-up ‘Navigate’ is due to be released.

A short synth introduction, but then ‘Headline Anxiety’ takes off. The guitars bang, the drums rumble. Madelief de Groot’s somewhat calmer vocals sound beguiling. And stands in contrast to the sometimes hectic guitars. This is also the case on ‘No Way To Silence Me’, where the guitars are once again a little weird, while Madelief is mostly responsible for the melodic vocals and uses her varied voice to good effect. ‘Eye To Eye’ is once again driven by guitars and drums. Progressive influences are clearly to be heard. Beautiful guitar melodies are interspersed from time to time. The vocals alternate between hard / rocky and then again enchanting in soprano. The guitar riffs stomp along. On ‘Maybe In Another Life’, the Dutch band set a high tempo right from the start. This time the vocals also match this tempo. ‘When The World Goes To Waste’ is introduced by industrial sound effects. The guitar melody is then underpinned by hard riffs and drumming. Heavily distorted guitars can be heard at the beginning of ‘Dead Hands’. This is the quietest song on the EP, a progressive ballad. Hard guitar licks can be heard again and again. Vocally, you are almost seduced by Madelief de Groot’s voice.

OK, it took me a few listens to get into the music of Traversus. But that’s not a bad thing. After all, it testifies to a certain degree of non-conformity, far away from any mainstream. The Dutch are a more than interesting splash of colour in the progressive Hard Rock world. As you can read in the quote – ‘Extremes can coexist’ – so here are hard, sometimes dissonant rhythms and impressive vocals that are captivating.

Traversus – Maybe In Another Life: https://youtu.be/1uJU-OCTinM?si=IiiMrKbCIEtK9fhA

Lineup:

Joey Wessels – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Diko Eleveld – Bass
Madelief de Groot – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Liam de Groot – Drums

Track list:

• Headline Anxiety
• No Way To Silence Me
• Eye To Eye
• Maybe In Another Life
• When The World Goes To Waste
• Dead Hands