SAXON
SAXON “Hell, Fire and Damnation”
By Dr. Abner Mality
At one point on this album, you can hear the King of the Hawkmen, Brian Blessed, bellow out “SAXON’S ALIVE!” in his best kingly tones. A very perceptive man, Mr. Blessed!
Following the huge success of last album “Carpe Diem”, the question was, could SAXON keep such quality going? Well, they sure give it their best try here. I can’t say this is better than “Carpe Diem”, but it’s pretty damn close. The energy and spirit of the prior record is here and that results in the best one-two punch SAXON has done since “Denim And Leather” followed “Wheels of Steel”.
One big surprise is that long-time guitarist Paul Quinn has retired...I never thought I’d live to see the day. But who did they get to replace him? None other than Brian Tatler from DIAMONDHEAD! I didn’t see that one coming! But Tatler’s playing here is so true to SAXON’s style that it’s as if Quinn never left at all. Which I have no complaints about.
This is the finest British steel. The pace of the album is slightly less frantic than “Carpe Diem” and the emphasis is slightly more on mid-paced numbers. Following another bombastic Blessed narration, the title track is such a song, rumbling along in catchy fashion. Surprisingly, they follow it up with another such “stalking” track, “Madame Guillotine”, which is slow but deadly. Then things kick into a higher gear with the fast-paced “Fire And Steel”...lots of fire on this album.
“There’s Something In Roswell”, “Pirates of the Airwaves” and the slow, ominous “Witches of Salem” show the catchier side of the band….”Pirates of the Airwaves” really takes you back to the days of “Wheels of Steel” and it’s hard to get the chorus of “There’s Something In Roswell” out of your head. Old man Biff sounds as solid as ever here and even indulges in the occasional high pitched scream. He’s the Gandalf of metal, that’s for sure.
My two favorite tracks have to be “Kubla Khan and The Merchant of Venice” and “1066”. The former is one of my favorite SAXON songs ever...so powerful and majestic! Both cuts have that “marching off to battle” vibe about them. The album ends with the ubiquitous “race track” song “Super Charger”, which is fast and furious.
Performances are excellent all the way around and a special word should be said for Nigel Glockner’s thunderously accurate drumming. SAXON now seem locked in a great groove and if you are looking for classic HEAVY METAL and nothing but, “Hell, Fire and Damnation” is essential.