I dont know who takes the cake these days, because when you avoid this shit more than your neighbours, its really hard to post something "good", but it seems fredjan turned this around again into something that doesnt mean steroids and instead just banging? Steroid trance has a negative connotation, it doesnt suppose to be something you banging your head to once in awhile when you had too much caffein,been working out or had too much booze.
I really dont think it did exist before 2006, def not before 2004, and most certainly not before 2003/2. Then it was banging or hardtrance, and techtrance. I challange anyone to post something from 2005 that could be considered steroid trance.
To me it came with Seb Brandt,Sean Tyas,Björn Åkesson etc. And I think Devine especially is a really great example of something that could the birthchild of this style, thats why I first mentioned it in the old forum. Its all about the foundation of the track. I challange anyone to pic a more fitting track, that came earlier. Some say Lift but not as much imo, although it shares some of the steroid charahteristics, and I understand why oldschool trance fans from back in those days looked down on it. It all comes down to this more broish foundation of the track. It got more bare, the arrangements were simple, the drop took the centerfocus, The focus was on making it sound as robotic as possible basically.
It was several years later it took the next step into becoming more of the sound most reference today. FSOE,Monster Force,ASOT took over what Discover,Vandit,Somatic Sense in a way started.