Saxon – Sacrifice

3

Review by Tosh Davies


Saxon’s legacy is unparalleled, one of the few bands from the NWOBHM-era whom have consistently put out material since their incarnation. Like all bands there have been highs and lows but you’d expect that from a band nearing its 40th anniversary. Recently however those highs have been a regular occurrence and Sacrifice could well be a pinnacle.

Sacrifice is Saxons 20th album to date and while you’d think things may have gotten a little stale over the years you could not be further from the truth. This is a rock solid, old school Saxon album that stands head and shoulders above many young pretenders. The first thing that grabs you is the massive sound, produced by Biff Byford and mixed/mastered to perfection by Andy Sneap it oozes from the speakers like escaping mercury. From the title track to ‘Made In Belfast’ the album has a real metallic bite, Biffs vocals weaves the story of each song. His lyrics are observational masterpieces, some influenced by travel experiences and others like the vital venom of ‘Stand Up And Fight’ a call to arms for anyone who’s ever been knocked down in life. This whole album is the sound of a band riding the crest of a new found, new deserved wave of appreciation through its ability to produce timeless powerful anthems with remorseless punishing riffs. Even the tongue-in-cheek ‘Standing In A Queue’ brings its own Saxon charm and humour to proceedings.

Sacrifice is a bold album for a band that has been close to the edge a few too many times. Its solid metal presence ensures that the Saxon legacy is in safe hands for a good few years to come. Saxon have produced something rather special and continued their new found enthusiasm with an album knocking the door of ‘Classic’ status… and this excites me.

Sacrifice is out on the 4th March and Saxon start a full UK tour in April

Saxon - Sacrifice9 out of 10

Track listing:

  1. Procession
  2. Sacrifice
  3. Made In Belfast
  4. Warriors Of The Road
  5. Guardians Of The Tomb
  6. Stand Up And Fight
  7. Walking The Steel
  8. Night Of The Wolf
  9. Wheels Of Terror
  10. Standing In A Queue

 

 

 

 

3 COMMENTS

  2. A cool review with a top score. So is this review deserved on saxons sacrifice album. Yeah it sure is ive got the album and it is a cracking album. Well worth the
    money.

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