RuneWalsh2112 Another ok but somewhat unnecessary release from Saxon. The band hasn't exactly been innovating their sound over the decades and most of their live sets still consists mostly of the early '80s material. I'm a huge fan of the classic trilogy of "Wheels Of Steel", "Strong Arm Of The Law" and "Denim And Leather" but none of the albums after that have managed to re-capture the great songwriting of those releases. Saxon never bothered of treading new ground but instead continued in that same direction that was paved by the classic releases. This might be all right for some fans but I honestly feel nothing for each new album that is being released by the band. Still, they keep on releasing one new album after the other and there doesn't seem to be an end to this cycle.

"Call To Arms" from 2011 had a few memorable moments but the album as a whole never really took off and "Sacrifice" from 2013 was a pretty lackluster release that I've listened to two times before dismissing it entirely. "Battering Ram" fits somewhere in between the two previous releases, some of the material works but the album as a whole feels flat. The first three tracks are pretty decent, even though none of them sticks out that much. The opening album titled track is a fun live track but that's pretty much it. "The Devil's Footprint" is very moody and flirts with "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest but lacks a real punch. "Queen Of Hearts" is the most creative track of the three but the chorus is really weak in comparison to the rest of the track.

After a few filler tracks like "Destroyer", "Hard And Fast" and "Eye Of The Storm", we finally get to another two highlights. "Stand Your Ground" sounds like a classic Saxon track that might as well have been a part of one of the '80s albums. The only downside is that the chorus is really weak in comparison to the rest. "Top Of The World" starts of with a riff that reminds us of "Princess Of The Night" followed by twin guitars that remind me of Iron Maiden. This and the final track are probably my favorite moments off this release. What makes these songs so great is that they show Saxon embracing new sounds and directions that they otherwise lack in their sound.

After the terrible "To The End", that drags on for almost 6 minutes, we finally get to the "Kingdom Of The Cross". The track starts in the same slow tempo as "To The End" but the arrangements all scream that this is a classy composition and not just another metal by numbers track. "Kingdom Of The Cross" shows a completely different side of the band that almost sounds a bit progressive at times. This track is probably the reason why I bothered reviewing this album to begin with!

If you're a fan of the classic Saxon sound and want a weaker version of just that then "Battering Ram" might be for you. Personally, I prefer quality metal and this album has a few moments here and there but lacks the momentum that made Saxon one of the classic metal bands that we know and love.

**** star songs: Battering Ram (4:56) The Devil's Footprint (4:09) Queen Of Hearts (5:08) Stand Your Ground (4:16) Top Of The World (4:01) Kingdom Of The Cross (6:08)

*** star songs: Destroyer (3:21) Hard And Fast (4:46) Eye Of The Storm (3:55)

** star songs: To The End (5:51)