Saxon - Real Metal and New Music!

Watch this: a video trailer for Saxon's Let Me Feel Your Power live album. Real metal. A great band. Happy Saturday!

Comments

[Him]

Nice to see a band like this still kicking about, making music . . . a sorta' Anvil with talent. Given their legacy, I wonder why they never translated as big over here in the States. Any theories?

First thing I heard from them was probably one of their least loved albums, _Innocence Is No Excuse_ (had to love that cover . . . which is why I initially bought it!). Even enjoyed the sap-tastic "Broken Heroes" on the same album. That got me to go back and listen to their earlier stuff.

Funny, though, how what initially draws us into a band (even if it is pretty mediocre by their or their "true" fans standards) sticks with us. Must go back to the whole "memory/context" thing we have discussed on here before.

Sorry for the digression. Good for Saxon . . . and Biff!!!!

[Badland]

Denim and Leather
Brought us all together
It was you that set the spirit free

[Metalboy!]

HIM! Now your pushin' the ol' proverbial buttons...

These guys blow Anvil off the stage...

AND Maiden, for that matter (don't get me started on those greasers!)...

I've seen Saxon 5 times, ALL occasions at POINT BLANK range, the first in 1985 at Hammerjack's in Baltimore AND they are incredible!

HIM, you raise an interesting topic. Maybe someone on here can actually tell us why they didn't make it here, but for now, I will speculate...

1) BIFF BIFFORD -- Great guy and I've had several face to face conversations with him AND Quinn over the years, but to be quite honest, Biff's a bit bizarre looking and can't sing his way out of a paperbag. I mean, let's be candid, shall we... Halford was always bizarre looking yet he could scream his a*s off and can still hold his own. Bifford always sounded like his tonsils are in a cage and it hasn't gotten any better for the man, unfortunately.

2) PAUL QUINN -- Super nice guy and sizzling guitarist but he always looked like a cross between Rick Neilsen and Lena Horne wearing a golf visor. Come to think of it, the reason they didn't make it might just come down to the frickin' visor. He just came off like a nerd late to the Nerd Party.

3) DESTINY -- Though I absolutely LOVE this album, reality is it was their death nell. The record company tried to package 'em up including a hairpiece for Quinn and even had 'em laughably cover Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind", but as we know, Metal was and still is a, shall we say, niche market and this was their last bid at "stardom" but ultimately, the album flopped.

[Metalboy!]

Before Badland and Ripper jump up my a*s, which they'll do anyway, I misspelled BYFORD. Let the hangover do the typing.

[Metalboy!]

Also, though "Battering Ram" is somewhat amusing, 2009's "Into The Labyrinth" was their last good album on "Live To Rock", alone, a song that's actually as good or better than almost anything they've ever done.

[Dj]

Saxon is great! That's an interesting topic you bring up HIM. I've always wondered the same thing about a lot of earlier metal bands. I think it comes down to that specific style of music was never really the "cool thing to like" according to the rest of the world. I mean look at Motorhead, they are highly inspirational and respected but I don't recall them doing stadium tours in the USA. Another thing is, bands like Saxon, Motorhead, Anvil, or even something like Mercyful Fate which have all been doing killer and releasing great material never really had their "Hysteria" or "Black album" that pretty much changed everything and appealed to everyone, as much as I love all bands mentioned I think that may be the case, and it's a damn shame they never broke "huge" status. Ah well, it's all rock n roll!!!

[JAT]

Saxon is a good band that has put out good albums for a long time. I love Judas Priest. One of my all time favorite bands. Loving JP is how I discovered bands like Saxon. "Dallas 1PM", "Wheels of Steel", "20,000 Ft" and so on. Really good solid songs.

[Him]

Metalboy!, my good Sir. You misread me. Starting with ". . . a sorta' Anvil with talent," I was actually singing their praises, explaining how I got into them, and wondering why they hadn't gotten greater exposure.

Glad I wasn't the only one wondering, Dj. I can think of a number of bands (and some of the ones you mention) who just seem stuck in "cult" status, either here in the States or more generally. Bands who inspired a legion of other bands who broke much bigger. Diamond Head, for one, comes to mind. And, absent any more details, Metalboy! does provide several reasonable suggestions as to why Saxon remained where they did (even if they have experienced a late-career rebirth of sorts these past few years).

Anvil, for me at least, is a special case. They are good at what they do . . . but what they do was never going to puncture the metal ceiling (so to speak). If not for the documentary, well, you can see where I am going with this. Nothing wrong with their brand of good time "Metal Rules" metal and dildo-wielding shenanigans. And I am glad they got another moment in the sun. But they are miles apart from bands like Saxon (or others aforementioned).