siLLy puPPy And then on the eighth day, God created SAXON, the legendary heavy metal band that transcends all time in order to insure that the universe perpetually rocks. At least so it seems! This band goes waaaaaay back to the very beginning of the NWOBHM scene having formed in 1976! In its four decade plus rampage through time, SAXON has released a whopping 27 studio albums, 14 live albums and a smattering of singles to back em all up.

While many following in SAXON’s wake have long crashed and burned, this English band still has the chops to carry on well into the 21st century and while the band doesn’t seem particularly interested in experimentations or reinventing its classic style, one thing is for sure and that is that this aging band shows no signs of losing their ability to crank out the most authentic classic heavy metal of the ages.

CARPE DIEM is the latest chapter of the SAXON saga and delivers exactly what any 80s heavy metal fan would expect, namely tight-knit melodic twin guitar riffs and solos along with classic metal bass and drum rhythmic chops. Vocalist Biff Byford may have reached his 70s but still has the vox box to unleash those classic heavy metal wails. Perhaps creativity is not SAXON’s strongest suit but longevity sure is as these guys literally sound as good as they always have while other bands their age sound tired.

While musically speaking these guys never left the 80s, on the production side of things Andy Sneap of Sabbat, Hell, Godsend and Fozzy has carved out a secondary career as a producer and has fully adopted all the advantages of modern day recording methods thus making SAXON sound somewhat of a living fossil in the digital age but when you latch onto a formula that works so extremely well that stands the test of time then why bother risking your reputation on some silly experiments that may unleash a fan backlash.

SAXON has never been a favorite band of mine as i much prefer Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Mercyful Fate and a gazillion other 80s heavy metal bands but there is no denying that these guys deliver a satisfying product time and time again with no signs of their final chapter coming soon. While CARPE DIEM will not dethrone the band’s classic albums as their most popular, SAXON surprises by delivering a kickass slice of heavy metal in the expansive metal universe that we find ourselves in the current calendar year of 2022.

Unitron As fantastic as Saxon's great trilogy of albums before are, Power & the Glory is what I consider to be the band's best album. They take their classic metal sound that has proven to be such a winner, and expand their songwriting skills further with more subtle changes to create a rich sound while never deviating from what they do best.

Everything sounds so powerful, extra energetic, and if Power & the Glory isn't a fitting title I don't know what is. The title track is one of the finest openers I've heard, six minutes of pure metal that makes me feel ready for anything. One example of a subtle expansion of songwriting is Redline. It's a swaggering rocker that the band's always been great at, but with added guitar harmonization that really enhances the impact it has. Midas Touch has an instant hook of a riff, and great contrast between catchy riffs and moody sections. Nightmare is a great metal ballad, and is the first time I ever heard double bass drumming in a song of its kind. It closes out the song and makes an already memorable song that much more.

The album closes out with one of Saxon's most unique songs, the gargantuan The Eagle Has Landed. It's almost psychedelic, starting out like something from Pink Floyd's Animals album. It has a wandering and grandiose atmosphere, even once it gets heavy with riffs as slamming as they could get in '83. It's a wonder they never did anything else like this song, but that just makes it that much more special.

Saxon has no shortage of excellent albums, but Power & the Glory has just an extra edge above other favorites like Strong Arm of the Law and Rock the Nations. One of classic 80's metal's finest.

Unitron As soon as that riff that opens Princess of the Night and the album starts, it just screams classic. Again, Saxon continues the same route of melodic and infectious classic metal of the previous two albums, and it works just as well.

Strong Arm of the Law is the best of what's often considered their best trilogy of albums, and I'd place Denim and Leather in between Strong Arm and Wheels of Steel. The songs aren't quite as strong as the likes of Taking Your Chances, few are, but a bit stronger than most of Wheels of Steel. The aforementioned Princess of the Night is rightfully so the band's biggest hit, it is the definitive example of a Saxon song. The title track and Rough and Ready are a couple other favorites of mine.

Denim and Leather is maybe Saxon's most consistent album, most of the songs are equally great and catchy, so it's harder to describe the album than its predecessor's. An excellent album, but the next album would show how just a few little additions in sound would refresh the band before they could go on auto-pilot.

Unitron Like Blue Cheer in '68 and Black Sabbath in '70 before them, Saxon joins the chosen few bands who've not only released two great albums in the same year, but have the second one even better than the first. Strong Arm of the Law indeed takes the Saxon sound that was formed on Wheels of Steel, and kicks everything up to eleven more than it already was.

Heavy Metal Thunder couldn't be a more fitting opener, because that's just what this album is. Instead of striking with lightning, Saxon strikes with hooks and there's so much damn energy in their performance that you want to scream along to every song even before you know the lyrics.

It follows the same formula set with the previous album, just with even stronger songs. Both the swaggering title track and Hungry Years swagger even better than the last album's title track, and 20,000 Ft. is even more frantic than anything before. Taking Your Chances may be my all time favorite Saxon song, it's got such an infectious hook coupled with being one of the most classic sounding of classic heavy metal songs. It just gets me so pumped, feeling ready to take on the world, which is what I love classic metal for.

If someone were to ask me to define 80's heavy metal, this would be a close second choice after a Judas Priest album. All the attitude, energy, and personality of classic metal is here in a thirty-six minute ride.

Unitron "Fighting through the night!"

Wheels of Steel is commonly known as the first of a masterpiece trilogy of albums that include this, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather, and not without good reason. While their debut was a decent foot in the door of music recording, Wheels of Steel expands upon the sound of the best songs of the debut. Right from opener Motorcycle Man, it's obvious that the band chose to truly become Stallions of the Highway.

Stand Up and Be Counted (Funnily enough there would be a Krokus song a few years later called Stand and Be Counted, Krokus being a band that reminds me of Saxon a bit), 747-Strangers in the Night, the swaggering title track, the roaring closer Machine Gun, and my personal favorite Street Fighting Gang all display the perfect Saxon sound. It's raucous and raw with tons of kickass attitude yet melodic and majestic as well. Biff Byford in particular is one of metal's finest frontmen, there's great riffs aplenty, but Byford's commanding vocal performance takes everything to even greater heights.

I think the following three albums are my favorites, but Wheels of Steel kicked this legendary band's career into full gear and is a bonafide metal classic.