New album from NWOBHM legends a blast from the past
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| Saxon - Sacrifice 2013 |
Saxon’s 20th album, titled Sacrifice, is due out Feb. 26 via UDR, and front man Biff Byford
promises it’ll offer a return to traditional metallic Saxon values, as the band
seeks to restore the Harley-like roar of its glory days.
“Less tricks, more power!” That’s what Byford wanted from
Sacrifice, as he says, “My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be
afraid to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”
Not that Saxon has wavered much from those principles of
late, as recent albums like A Call to
Arms, Into the Labyrinth and The Inner Sanctum have, indeed, harnessed
the horsepower and raw energy of classic LPs Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm
of the Law, and Denim and Leather.
New tracks like “Warriors of the Road,” “Wheels of Terror” and “Stand Up and
Fight” are purported to be weighty and hard-hitting, with some elements of
modern-day thrash thrown in for good measure and the invigorated guitar work
from Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt amplifying Saxon’s thunder.
“It’s certainly been done from a more early ‘80s thrashier
perspective,” explains Byford, “and it’s not just guitars bashing away
willy-nilly, they’ve got a fresh drive, purpose and perspective.”
It’ll be interesting to see what Saxon has cooked up this
time around, considering the record was co-produced by Byford and the highly
sought after Andy Sneap, who helmed the production of Accept’s last two
records, the critically acclaimed Blood of
the Nations and Stalingrad. Along
with ten new songs, Saxon has some other surprises in store, including unique
re-recordings of Saxon classic songs – among them an orchestrated version of “Crusader”
and an acoustically rendered “Frozen Rainbow.”
Sacrifice will be released in a variety of formats, from a
limited-edition deluxe digibook (including a bonus disc featuring the revisited
classic tracks) to the standard jewel-case CD, a vinyl LP picture disc, a
direct-to-consumer fan package (available exclusively for online order from
online retailers), and as a digital download.
“From the songs to the production, I wanted to focus on the
raw aspects which made us great in the first place,” says Byford. “And living
in that rawness, combined with some great classic Saxon songwriting, has in my
opinion made Saxon fresher than ever.”
Sacrifice track
listing:
01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made in Belfast
04. Warriors of the Road
05. Guardians of the Tomb
06. Stand Up and Fight
07. Walking the Steel
08. Night of the Wolf
09. Wheels of Terror
10. Standing in a Queue
Bonus Disc:
01. Crusader (Orchestrated version)
02. Just let me Rock (Re-recorded version)
03. Requiem (Acoustic version)
04. Frozen Rainbow (Acoustic version)
05. Forever Free (Re-recorded version)
