SAXON — Into the Labyrinth (review)

SAXON — Into the Labyrinth album cover Album · 2009 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Pelata
In this, their 30th year since the self-titled debut, Saxon releases album number 27 Into The Labyrinth. Now, when a band lasts this long there are always hills and valleys in the discography; some inspired and some less so. After spinning this CD a few times now, I am happy to report that Into The Labyrinth is a fantastic Heavy Metal album.

Silvery coiffed wailer Biff Byford turns in a stellar performance throughout the album’s 13 tracks from softer moments like “The Letter” to all out Metal wailing in “Demon Sweeny Todd” and “Valley Of The Kings”. The band is in superior form here as well. Not bothering with trying to reinvent, reinterpret, rearrange or do anything else to any sort of round, wheel shaped contraption, Saxon circa 2009 turns in a seasoned, passionate Heavy Metal performance showing some of these newcomers how it’s done. Opening song “Battalions Of Steel” is a fleet-footed juggernaut of a track full of mid-tempo Power Metal melody and fury. The aforementioned “Demon Sweeny Todd” is an aggressive neck-snapping beast. Some of the tracks carry a timeless Metal swagger, like “Slow Lane Blues” and “Live To Rock”. “Hellcat” (driving head-banger), “Crime Of Passion” (mid-paced groove-banger), “Come Rock Of Ages” (horn flying melodic monster) and even left-turn “Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)” (front porch blues jam) are all peaking the meter here.

Nothing else to add, really. The songs are strong, the sonics are nice and fat and the overall flow of the album is damn near textbook. This is Heavy Metal. This is Saxon. This is damn good.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Rot Stink Rip Death Metal
TOMBSTONER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Human Rosin Melodic Metalcore
HATE BREEDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Through The Hell Hardcore Punk
ENEMY 906
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lightmatter: Rebirth Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Eye Of Horus (Lightmatter EP Pt. 2) Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 5 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 5 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 5 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 5 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed