Finally, here's the first of the New Release review articles, now that I've split them from the classic ones. Hopefully, this will help keep things more organized as I move forward. Starting this off this year was a solid trio of classic heavy metal by bands who have been there since near the beginning.
While part of me wants to debate the need for an Oxford comma in the title, it is very impressive that this is Saxon's 25th studio album, and by the sounds of it, nothing can stop them, because this album just plows ahead without looking back! These Brits have started the year with some excellent traditional metal.
Despite the religious imagery in the cover art and title, most of this album focuses on a number of historical topics, ranging from the Battle of Hastings, through the travels of Marco Polo, up to pirate radio stations off the coast of England. With such diverse topics, the music keeps things pretty safe and formulaic, but when the formula is this solid, why mess with what works? The album is chock full of chunky riffs, anthemic choruses, and pure NWOBHM power. The title track stands out, setting the tone for the album, as well as "Fire and Steel," "Kubla Khan and the Merchant of Venice," "1066," and "Super Charger," which is a solid closer. While not all the tracks are great, the album is very consistent across its run time. Honestly, if you're a fan of classic, old-school metal, and you somehow haven't checked out Saxon, I recommend you fix that immediately!
Here's a band that's been around as long as Saxon, though they took a considerable break from the late 80s to 2010. Despite their long history, this is only their 10th album, not that it matters all that much, as they're clearly keeping things old-school. While I've featured them before on the blog, this is my first time really sitting down and jamming one of their albums.
While I was expecting classic metal, I was surprised to hear a good chunk of 70s blues rock as well. Much of the album takes things at mid-tempo, focusing on solid, simple riffs and straight-forward lyrics. The album does start a little sluggish, but things pick up with songs like the title track, "Metal Highways," and "Shockwave," with "Cry Out Loud" being a good mid-tempo epic,with an anthemic chorus. Freddy Villano may be the new guy in the band, but his bass tone is definitely chunky, providing some excellent bottom-end to these songs. David "Rock" Feinstein's solos turn out to be melodic and typical, but they serve the songs well, and honestly fit right in with what they're doing.
Which ends up being a bit of a double-edged sword. While these songs are catchy and have some good grooves, they really don't seem to be pushing themselves, instead of settling in for their own brand of cruise control. Naturally, these guys aren't going for something big and innovative, aiming for a spot between British-Steel-era Priest, Motorhead, and Deep Purple (especially when those organs kick in). However, part of me of me feels like it's going to get lost by the competition. Not all the songs hold up, but it's decent, and you'll be headbanging through most of it, like I did.
Let's finish things off with the titans themselves. I can't believe it's been six years since Firepower, which was a pretty solid album, if maybe a little long. However, it definitely retained much of the Painkiller spirit, and made for a highlight of 2018. As for this new one, I get the feeling that they're aiming for a stronger 80s vibe, with the bright colors and synths. While I enjoyed the first two singles, later ones left me a little lukewarm. Now that I've listened to the album as a whole, they really are carrying on where they left off, continuing their ironclad legacy.
Honestly, this album is pretty consistent. While some songs stand out more than others, these veterans just plow on through, riff after riff, wail after wail, and there are no low points. The highlights for me was the opener "Panic Attack" with the synths and mixed meter, the title track with the strong energy and a nod to the classic song "Sinner," "Trial By Fire" with the anthemic 6/8 groove, and "Sons of Thunder" that's a short and sweet burst of classic metal power. If there is a problem, it's that the album might be a bit too long and some of the songs might blend together in the mind (especially with the Deluxe Edition, as those three songs don't add much). Still, the standard of quality makes this a massive album, and while I know it's early, I could see this squeaking in to my Top 5 for this year!
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