SAXON - "THUNDERBOLT" (2018)

SAXON - "THUNDERBOLT"
(Running time: 47: 47 minutes; 12 songs)
("Silver Lining Music"; 2018; CD):

Hey guys, back from the fantastic TANKARD gig yesterday and somehow holding the infuenza a bit 'on distance' today or so it seems at least currently I decided after an easy-going day today that will thankfully and very smoothly move over into an easy-going night tonight I could also do something new up here and come up with a new post one more time again, yes, and so I now do with my record-review on the brandnew SAXON album "THUNDERBOLT", yes, the 22nd SAXON (pushing on since 1979) full-length-album that was released @ the 2nd of February 2018 via "SILVER LINING MUSIC". Last year I did my review on the predeccessor "BATTERING RAM" from 2015 and if you know this then you pretty much know that I love "BATTERING RAM" and also and especially SAXON in general, right, and so it was instantly clear for/to me that I would grab a copy of "THUNDERBOLT" as soon as it would be out, yes, and so I did. "THUNDERBOLT" is purest and best Heavy Metal through and through, SAXON are still NWOBHM in perfection, and... "THUNDERBOLT" is just damn great, period. It's not exactly that strong as "BATTERING RAM" but it comes pretty close and it is anyhow one hell of an asskicking Metal output of the highest quality grade. I still think it's amazing how fresh, how powerful, how strong and how enthusiastic these fine gentlemen still sound after now almost 40 years of delivering the goods and still they deliver fresh ideas and surprising sprinklings in and with their songs and albums like the (Viking/Pagan) Death Metal marks in "PREDATOR" or the operetta-like dramaturgy'n'arrangements in/of "NOSFERATU (THE VAMPIRE'S WALTZ)" up here on "THUNDERBOLT", yes, that's really great and makes SAXON at least in my book stand-out quite a bit with (maybe even only in little steps) ever 'ongoingly' enriching and cultivating their sound'n'style even after nearly 40 years of playing Rock & Roll. And it's also amazing and just heavily and massively rousing how high the dynamics and energy levels still are that SAXON serve us again and again and "THUNDERBOLT" is no exception to this, hell no, but rather the complete opposite as it stands in the best tradition of high energy Heavy Metal that SAXON are so well known (and loved) for. Also in 2018 SAXON deliver hard rocking, sharp and heavy slashing, and yet very melodic and catchy respectively hymnal/anthemic Heavy Metal with great atmospheric intensity and marked by a fresh, powerful, rousing, and nicely varying and diverse songwriting that offers nice little surprises and very alive/lively twists and truns all along the road and that shines with an immense own character/identity and some damn strong arrangements and compositorial tricks so that "THUNDERBOLT" stays from start to finish and also again and again and time after time 'thunderous' like it should be with a title like that. Really strong and forceful onwards pushing guitars, that deliver first class riffs and smashing rhythms all the way and yet especially shine with atmospheric melody lines, singing leads, and brilliant solos, mark the songs heavily as well as the razorblade like sharp cutting and 'highliest' charismatic vocals, and the heavy roaring bass work and the thunderous drumming reliable pouring the loadable concrete of SAXON's "THUNDERBOLT" and making sure that this Heavy Metal warhorse one more time again rides gloriously into battle bringing destruction to All False Metal outta there... or so to say. My personal favorites are the heavily forward pushing titletrack "THUNDERBOLT" himself/itself, the epic "THE SECRET OF FLIGHT", the highly dramatic "NOSFERATU (THE VAMPIRE WALTZ)", the heavy rocking and hard rolling MOTÖRHEAD tribute "THEY PLAYED ROCK & ROLL", the fantastic SAXON/AMON AMARTH mash-up "PREDATOR", the 'epicly paganized' and 'worn-intoned' hymn "SONS OF ODIN", and the catchy as fuck and highly hymnal anthem "ROADIES' SONG". A gorgeous artwork, very strong and diverse, interesting lyrics, and a powerful and heavy smacking production sound finally round it all up and turning SAXON's "THUNDERBOLT" finally and one more time again into the real deal and the complete package. To any Heavy Metal/NWOBHM fan I can nothing but give my honest and highest recommendations and so make sure that the thunder strikes and so that SAXON's "THUNDERBOLT" will become a (prominent) part of your record collection and this by far better much sooner than any later. And don't Forget: Heavy Metal is the law.

(9 of 10 points)

www.saxon747.com (-the link to the homepage of the band)

SAXON - "THEY PLAYED ROCK & ROLL" (2018, "THUNDERBOLT")

SAXON - "BATTERING RAM" (2015)

SAXON - "BATTERING RAM"
(Running time: 50:21 minutes; 11 songs)
("UDR"; 2015; CD/limited digibook Edition):

Hey guys, back on track again, next post, next record-review, next 2015 release in the focus, and after paying respect to a lot of great 2015 releases especially over the last days now we will have a look on one of my personal favorites and top ten albums of 2015 and so now here comes my review on SAXON's "BATTERING RAM" for you. Okay, so here we go: "BATTERING RAM" is the 21st studio/full-length-album by the Heavy Metal/NWOBHM legends SAXON in their impressive career that's already ongoing since 1979, and this alone already means or says something. But what really says and means something and "something-a-lot" is the stunning and breathtaking quality of "BATTERING RAM", an album that from start to finish lives up to the promise of its name. We get hard hitting, sharp cutting, and hymnal stomping, nicely varying and incredible fresh delivered and strong done Heavy Metal/NWOBHM full of "playfullness" and to the peak packed with forceful energy and energized dynamics and shining bright with fresh ideas, cool surprises, and a strong and especially hard (or "hard'n'heavy") rocking'n'rolling approach to it all and that also not shies away from massive stunning groovy rhythms. Sharp cutting, definitely harsh and powerful yet pretty to very melodic and especially very charismatic lead vocals; brilliant and very, very forceful as well as diverse done guitars that shine with very strong rhythmic work(s) and with "earthy" and "organic" grooves and all delivered highest skilled and also damn fucking very fresh and exciting, yes, and all heavily defining the music and the songs, while the first class top notch melodic lines and also the very "out-standing" leads and the exciting killer solos that are nothing else than a pure "joyride" full of "hellish joy" enrich it all massively and also truly pretty unique; varying and all the time damn "crushingly" heavy and just very, very bulky and to the point played, delivered, and done drumming in combination with an asskicking bass work culminate in an over the top rhythm section: this are the ingredients of "BATTERING RAM" and SAXON melt it all "uniquely" together by fresh and alive/lively songwriting full of great ideas, a bunch of nice surprises, outstanding strong verses and just "mighty-to-almighty" athemic refrains that turn song after song in one hymn followed by the next, the passionate play with different tonings in combination with a wide palette of moods and emotions, with strong tension building via impactful arrangements and an intense "dramaturgy" and a tight atmospheric "composition-work" to it all. "BATTERING RAM" is an intense and a forceful and an exciting, a through-and-through powerful and thrilling, and very unique as well, yes, a true stand-alone album and this also to date with now being already two years old; and in short it's in my book one of the very, very best SAXON albums ever and maybe my favorite one of them since their almighty "UNLEASH THE BEAST" masterpiece from back then in the glory days of my youth that were the 1990's. My personal favorites are the crushing "BATTERING RAM" itself, the hard rocking AC/DC inspired anthem "THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND", the "breath-takingly" intense "KINGDOM OF THE CROSS", my personal anthemic über-hit "TO THE END", the sinister and stoic smasher "QUEEN OF HEARTS", the "loud'n'proud" asskicker that is "HARD AND FAST", and the larger-than-life "TOP OF THE WORLD". All is finally enriched by very strong lyrics that also really had and still has a lot to say, a just "stunningly" beauty of an artwork, and a sheer massive wall of (production-) sound as well. For every SAXON maniac and every Heavy Metal and NWOBHM fan, yes, you now here get nothing but my highest recommendation, and I think that all you Hard Rock fans outta there will also nothing but love this out-standing masterpiece that is SAXON's "BATTERING RAM"; and so, in case you really don't know/have it so far, shame on you, go and get it as soon as possible. This is just amazing, it's awesome, and it's a fantastic masterpiece that's since two years now on my heavy rotation schedule, and trust me, that should tell you all about it. I just truly love the "BATTERING RAM", it's one of those (few) perfect albums out there.

(10 of 10 points)

http://saxon747.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

SAXON - "TO THE END" (2015, "BATTERING RAM")

SAXON - "KINGDOM OF THE CROSS" (2015, "BATTERING RAM")