Walt Trachsler

Walt Trachsler co-founded Rotting Corpse in July 1985 alongside vocalist Jim Mulqueen, while working as guitar tech for Dimebag (billed as "Diamond" at the time) Darrell Abbott. Guitarist John Perez and bassist Steve Murphy joined soon after, rounding out the band's original lineup.

A Detour With Death

In 1990, Trachsler was working as a roadie for death metal pioneers Death when Chuck Schuldiner opted out of the band's European touring commitments, citing organizational and personal issues back home. Rather than cancel, drummer Bill Andrews and bassist Terry Butler kept the tour going — and handed Trachsler the guitar. It's the kind of trust that doesn't get extended lightly: stepping in for the founder of death metal, on his own album's tour, in front of European crowds who'd paid to see him.

A Guitar Credit On Massacre's From Beyond

Trachsler also picked up rhythm guitar on Florida death metal outfit Massacre's 1991 album From Beyond — a session that went uncredited on the original release but is documented in the record's full personnel history. It's a quiet line in someone else's liner notes, but it says something: by the early '90s, players well outside his own scene were calling on him.

Devastation

Trachsler also plays guitar for fellow Texas thrash outfit Devastation, joining their 2008 reunion. Frontman Rodney Dunsmore has said the reunion might not have happened without him: "Walt is 100% in the band; in fact if he would have said no there would not be a reunion," adding he'd "always been like our sixth member anyway" — running sound and handling tour logistics alongside playing guitar.

Still Telling The Stories

Trachsler's history with Dimebag Darrell hasn't stayed in the past. He's appeared at a Heavy Metal Hall of Fame event in Arlington, Texas, sharing a firsthand Dimebag story on stage — one of a shrinking number of people who can speak to that era from the inside.

In His Own Words

“What we are doing now is not a reunited or reborn or re-what-the-fuck-ever — this is a new band.”

From a 2009 interview discussing the band's reunion-era demos, recorded with producer Keith Krouse at Monster Music in San Antonio, and touring plans for the year ahead.