Saxon!

[Charger]

I just listened the new one through twice! Man it's a killer!

[Zzzptm]

Now I'm going back through the older stuff just to make sure and, yes, this is prime quality NWOBHM we got, here. The vocals definitely sound younger in the early 80s, but that's the only difference. Once I finish the review of the early material, I shall do a pass-through of other Saxon albums to find where the commercialism ended and the rocking began anew.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I just checked and it was not a compilations I had but a two album reissue in one CD case. It is Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law. I will have to give them a spin!

[Vyn]

I shall do a pass-through of other Saxon albums to find where the commercialism ended and the rocking began anew.

It is the Lord's work you are doing, thank you!

[Zzzptm]

Going from the 90s end of things, having deemed the mid-late 80s trio of Innocence is No Excuse, Rock the Nations, and Destiny as poor-quality albums.

Solid Ball of Rock... It's got a heavy opening, but is it enough? Sounds like a Def Leppard song, the opening/title track. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but I am looking for Saxon here... Altar of the Gods is more to form with the ripping guitars and proto-thrash drumming. Yeah, I can like this track. But do they keep up the good work? And in the middle of the rocker, some spoken word part that just doesn't go right. Oh well, it gets back to the thrash, so I'm cool with that.

The next track, "Requiem" apparently is pretty well-loved, judging from the comments about how it was played at funerals. That's some respect for the song. As it opens up, I do hear something special and heartfelt in it. It is a ballad, but not for some mortal passing fancy, but for a dear, departed friend. Made me think of our Billy and how I'd love to be sharing a Saxon thread with him, whether he liked 'em or not. Could the song be leftover 80s sentimentality? Perhaps and maybe so, but it is also being put to a good use here in remembering the dead. It's a keeper and whether I like the rest of the album or not, I'll likely get this song because it's really getting me in a good way in a good place.

As the next track starts, it's clear that the band are making their way back to their roots in this release. They're not entirely there, but are honestly and earnestly trying to get back home. But this one and the next are too slow, still too 80s-ish for them to be true classic Saxon. Track number 6, "Baptism of Fire" is a good rocker, better than the previous two, it's almost where it needs to be. There's just something not quite there and I can't specify what it is with this song. It's good and I'll like this along with Requiem and Altar of the Gods, but it's just not grabbing me the way a really good Saxon song does. Maybe it's the echo effects on the vocals, I don't know. Still, I made it to the end without skipping forward, which I can't say for the two previous tracks.

"Ain't Gonna Take It" sounds like a Van Hagar tune as it opens up. Uhhh... not sure about that... But it's definitely reminiscent of "Pound Cake" from Van Hagar. Sadly, it's formulaic and not heavy enough. I think the song itself has good bones and would maybe be better in the hands of Morse-era Deep Purple, but it's just not working for the Yorkshire lads.

"I'm on Fire" is like Def Leppard meets The Rolling Stones. Guessing these guys were blasting out Hysteria as they wrote this album. I think the song works OK, but it's a slower song that belongs between two faster songs. It didn't get that placement in this mix, maybe because the band were coming up short on fast songs. It's reminding me of the Motorhead albums where they were kinda drifting and not hitting on all cylinders that were also coming out around this time.

Next track is sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow, ugh, not what we're looking for, lads... then there's a bass solo that leads into "Crash Dive" that has a nice riff on top of the vibrant bass line. Just wishing the lyrics were about shipbuilding in Glasgow or U-boat crews instead of this being something of a warning to a rival or wayward lover. Yes, I want songs about shipbuilding in Glasgow, given how much I love "Fire and Steel" off their latest album about Colchester steel. This one's not really delivering on the promise of the bass line plus riff. Sad thing...

Not recommending this one. There are a few hits and many misses. It's not there yet, but it's getting back that way.

[Zzzptm]

Forever Free

Title track/opening track has a great riff to it, but that sound quality is poor. It's close to Power and the Glory in structure and riffing, but lacks the same grab, wondering if it's the sound quality. I need to find a live version, just a sec... yep, the live version from The Eagle Has Landed Part II is way sharper in quality, great track live. So I'll play that one instead and then go back to the studio album, hoping the sound quality issues get fixed on it.

"Hole in the Sky" - still has the audio issues, so the sweet speed on this one is going to face the same uphill battle as Metallica did on their first album. Shame about the production, as this is a strong rocker. Maybe there's a live version of it that's better... no? That's a shame. OK, I'll just put up with the poor mixdown and rate the songs on their Saxon-ness, of which this one and the previous are strong on. Both had a few things not *quite* in the classic mode, but they're both better than the previous album as a whole. I'm good with that.

Next up is a remake of the Willie Dixon classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You." It's like Thunderstruck meets Foghat with ZZ Top, with some odd results. I'm really worried about how the drums sound like the 80s there, that's usually not a good sign. Gonna pass on this one, ultimately. Really need a song about shipbuilding in Glasgow, guys.

"Get Down and Dirty" - PLEASE let this be about coal mining and not a date night! Oh darn, it's not about coal mining... while not as overt as an AC/DC song, it is nevertheless implying a desire for satisfying teenage lusts. Nice riff to it but the drums are still stuck in the 80s. Gonna pass on this one.

"Iron Wheels" - ballad intro, oh dear. Hang on, *this* is the song about coal mining! Did not expect my joke to turn into the next song. Sounds a lot like Bon Jovi, though. A LOT. And then the synth background kicks in... I just can't. Sorry, mates, if you want to be sad and ballad-y about a coal miner in his broken age, let's NOT use Bon Jovi's musical vocabulary.

"One Step Away" is back to proper rocking for the main riff, glad for that. The bridge in the verse goes on too long, though, makes me miss that sweet riffage. C'mon, Saxon! The first two tracks were the best so far, we need something with more oomph to it, we know you got it in you somewhere because it really comes out in future records. Just not here, I guess.

So help me there's so much in this album where the guitar sounds sound like a difference between Eddie Van Halen on OU812 and ZZ Top on Eliminator/Afterburner. It's not the right sound for the band, I think, and having 80s-sounding drums just doesn't do the job. And then there's the Def Leppard thing, which really comes out in the second-to-last song, "Grind." But the last track does rock out pretty good, so it's not all bad news on the album. It's just not got any real hits for me and the muddy sound is really holding things back. With some different choices, things could have been better.

Still not yet in the good albums, I'm afraid.

[Zzzptm]

Dogs of War

This one's much better than the previous two, but there are still a few songs that give off that mid-late 80s scent of pop-leaning metal. Not going to go into each song, but I'm feeling better about this album than the others I played today, Solid Ball of Rock and Forever Free. It's still not one that makes me want to jump up and GET IT like Call to Arms and Carpe Diem did. I'll finish this one off and then go to the next one, Unleash the Beast.


Unleash the Beast

Graham Oliver out as guitarist and in with Doug Scarratt and wow, there's a difference there! This is a different band from the one trying to find its way - the opening track (including this with the intro) is home for an old metalhead like me. Second track gets an "Aw HELL yes!" from me, we are definitely in a good place with Mr. Scarratt on guitars. I'm not straining to hear signs of things getting better. Solid output and I'm on the third actual song, it's just WOW after the uninspired stuff I spent a few hours plowing through. I'm gonna say the good years begin with Unleash the Beast. There are a few where drummer Nigel Glockler is out due to a pinched nerve in his neck, so I don't know if those hold up. But with this lineup, it's monsters of rock in the making.

[Ted Sallis]

I just checked and it was not a compilations I had but a two album reissue in one CD case. It is Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law. I will have to give them a spin!

I think I have the same release; it contains 2 CDs and each CD also has bonus tracks, mainly live songs.

Ted

[Zzzptm]

Sacrifice is growing on me. It's got a different energy from the thrashier albums, but I am liking - no, *loving* - how it's all working out. As bonuses, it's got some re-recordings of earlier material, including Requiem and Forever Free. The version of Crusader with orchestra just came up and it's got a Jethro Tull kind of feel to it that surprisingly works. I like it. The re-do of Requiem is great here, no reason to go back to the 80s original. Wow, it's good. And that re-do of Forever Free is a stomper, yeah! Shows the night-and-day difference between that late era with Anthony Quinn and the current era with Doug Scarratt. And this one is the rocker, no need to reach back to the original.

Also listened to Metalhead, the first of a few albums where Nigel Glockler had to step away from the kit due to a nerve issue in his neck. It's a strong album, not my favorite from this era, but I still see it as a quality album of metalsmithing.

That leaves Killing Ground, Lionheart, The Inner Sanctum, and Into the Labyrinth for me to listen to, and I've already played Jolly Jack Tars/English Man O'War from Lionheart, those are some excellent tunes. Very much looking forward to researching the rest of the era with Doug Scarratt, it's great stuff.

As for the albums stretching from Innocence Is No Excuse up to and including Dogs of War, they're definitely a weaker period for the band. They'll have their fans, the way people will get into Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die. Nothing wrong with it, but they'll be swimming against the general current that those are poor releases. Starting with Unleash the Beast and going forward, Saxon does a great job with their original material (the Inspirations albums are a different matter, as I discovered to my cost with the second one) and has made some excellent albums from 1997 to today. I think some that I am OK with, others will love much more. Some that I am enthusiastic about, others may be cooler towards. But I think we'd all agree that this is a great body of work that belongs on the same shelf as their classic period albums, covering Wheels of Steel through Crusader.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I just checked and it was not a compilations I had but a two album reissue in one CD case. It is Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law. I will have to give them a spin!

I think I have the same release; it contains 2 CDs and each CD also has bonus tracks, mainly live songs.

Ted

Just checking and yes both CDs have 5 or 6 bonus live tracks

[Zzzptm]

Into the Labyrinth and The Inner Sanctum are both great albums. Killing Ground and Lionheart to go!

Inner Sanctum marked Glockler's return to the drum kit, so Killing Ground and Lionheart will have someone else in that seat. Metalhead didn't suffer for a lack of Nigel Glockler, so I'm figuring those will both be fine.

Then someone gonna make me do a ranking, I just know it...

[Zzzptm]

Ah, the run couldn't last forever... Killing Ground is weak overall. Better than the 80s stuff, but it drags along. I'm checking to see how much longer I have on it, and that's when I know I've got an album I might not listen to much ever again. Of the 12 studio albums with original material with Scarratt, one had to be the weakest among them, and Killing Ground is it.

[Charger]

Thank you for all the analysis! I will take this all into consideration as I move forward with my Saxon collection. I won't be quite as fast obviously as I buy cds but still...bit by bit.

[Zzzptm]

SO GLAD that I can play them on YouTube first and then make a guided choice in my purchases.

Starting on Lionheart today... and then I think I'll go back and play all the ones I bought and have a Saxonathon!

I think I'll also review Heavy Metal Thunder, which looks like it's not a best of, but a re-recording of their early material with the current lineup, I'm interested in that.

[Zzzptm]

Lionheart is a crusader army of thumbs up. Halfway through it, I know this one's a great ride, don't need to hear the rest to get it.