Showing posts with label Paul Quinn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Quinn. Show all posts

CD Review: Saxon – Sacrifice


CD Review: Saxon  – Sacrifice
UDR/EMI
All Access Review: A-

Saxon - Sacrifice 2013
James Cameron’s “Titantic” had star power, amazing special effects and a budget that rivaled the gross national product of some small countries. “Made in Belfast,” Saxon’s blue-collar tribute to those who put their blood, sweat and tears into building the doomed luxury liner, was recorded for their rampaging new album Sacrifice with considerably less money and a leading man in Biff Byford who looks more like a motorcycle club president than Leonardo DiCaprio. And yet, it’s “Made in Belfast” that’s more deserving of an Oscar.

In comparison, Cameron’s interminably long film has nothing on the widescreen epic that serves as the awe-inspiring centerpiece of Sacrifice, Saxon’s third killer album in a row out now on the UDR label. As good a place to start with Sacrifice as any, “Made in Belfast” is an interesting anomaly for Saxon. Dramatic and devastatingly heavy at times, with a crushing, knee-buckling chorus as damaging as the iceberg that tore a gigantic hole into Titanic’s supposedly indestructible hull, “Made in Belfast” also sweeps across the Irish countryside on wheeling Celtic mandolin courtesy of Paul Quinn. And the aural landscape Saxon paints is breathtaking.

An experiment that works astonishingly well, against all odds, the contrast of punishing heavy-metal riffs, soaring twin-guitar helixes, and lovely folk accents is a refreshing change for Saxon, but don’t expect them to make a habit of it. Fascinated by history, just as Saxon was when they penned their own examination of the Kennedy assassination in “Dallas 1 p.m.” some thirty years ago, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal vanguards go old school and burn up the asphalt on “Warriors of the Road,” a fireball of delirious metal energy that’s a throwback to Saxon’s early ‘80s work. The bruising, hard-nosed contemplation of modern-day frustration that is “Standing in a Queue” is just as nostalgic, although it seems to pine just as much for the simple, but brutally effective, hooks of Bon Scott-era AC/DC as it does for their NWOBHM heyday.

Still hungry for new adventures, however, Saxon displays how enamored they are with the explosive, riotous sound of thrash on Sacrifice by raining down torrents of serrated guitar noise – designed by Quinn and his partner in crime Doug Scarratt – in the violent, feverish mosh pit of a title track. And they seethe with rage on the menacing “Wheels of Terror,” but Saxon hasn’t given up on melody, a crucial element of the classic Saxon sound found on “Guardians of the Tomb,” the bruising workingman anthem “Walk the Steel” and “Stand Up and Fight,” all of which feed on the raw fury and searing speed of Exodus or Testament.

The limited deluxe edition of Sacrifice is paired with a bonus disc of extras that find Saxon re-imagining a handful of their most revered classic songs – among them, a majestically orchestrated version of “Crusader,” lush acoustic takes on “Requiem” and “Frozen Rainbow,” and a frenzied “Forever Free.” Still, it’s the hot, molten core of Sacrifice and its brazen “go for the throat” attitude that ought to send old fans and new converts alike into paroxysms of rock ‘n’ roll ecstasy. Saxon's not dead yet. In fact, they seem to found metal’s fountain of youth, as Sacrifice burns with a relentless intensity – no ballads were allowed here – that belies their age.
    Peter Lindblad 

Saxon's 'Sacrifice' a thrash-metal throwback


Front man Biff Byford talks new album, U.S. release date pushed back

By Peter Lindblad

Like a general marshaling his troops for another saber-rattling, bloody charge into battle, Saxons Biff Byford had an inspirational message for the band on the eve of preparing to go to work on Sacrifice.

Saxon - Sacrifice 2013
Due out now in late March, the 26th to be exact, in the U.S., having been delayed because of manufacturing problems, Sacrifice is rough-and-tumble, old-school New Wave of British Heavy Metal mixed with fire-bombing thrash, influenced by the same bands, including Metallica, that once worshiped at Saxon’s altar.

As Byford says in the press materials related to Sacrifice, “My brief to the band was not to be afraid, to be raw, be real and not be afraid to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”

Between 1980 and 1983, Saxon toured relentlessly and churned out album after album of rugged, hard-working metal machinery that celebrated the blue-collar lifestyle, the commitment to spreading the gospel of metal and the pure enjoyment of engines and driving heavy-duty motorcycles. Studio albums such as Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather and Power & the Glory are considered stone-cold NWOBHM classics, and Sacrifice – coming hot on the heels of such critically acclaimed works as 2009’s Into the Labyrinth and 2011’s Call to Arms – is a throwback to the good old days of Saxon. 

“Yeah, I think we’re in that sort of period again that we used to be in, in the ‘80s,” says Byford, in a recent interview with Backstage Auctions. “We’re knocking them out really good. So, yeah, we feel pretty good about this album. I produced it myself. I was more in control of, you know, the actual songs and the sounds, so I’m quite happy about that.”

The decision to captain the ship this time around came from a desire to make a classic Saxon album, especially in light of the fact that Sacrifice is the band’s 20th album.

“I just really wanted to make an album that I liked and not be beholden to the people who are not doing it,” explains Byford. “The fans are quite happy with that, so that was good. Yeah, I just wanted to reflect them on this album. There are no ballads, just good rock music, just good metal music. That’s what I wanted to do.”

For homework, the boys in Saxon – Byford, guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt, drummer Nigel Glockler, and bassist Nibbs Carter – were assigned the task of sitting with those landmark recordings and trying to channel the spirit and attitude of Saxon’s glorious past.

“I mean, we went back to the ‘80s a little bit for two or three of the songs, just to figure out what made us great,” says Byford. “I think ‘Warriors of the Road’ and ‘Stand Up and Fight’ are sort of thrash-metal-y like the ‘80s were, and yeah, I just wanted to play with Marshalls and Gibsons really, and just play and not rely too much on too many digital tricks and just play like it is really.”

Forget Pro-Tools and all that foolishness. Sacrifice was made in England, the old-fashioned way. And though it certainly contains elements of classic Saxon, Sacrifice did allow the band to stretch out creatively.
“Some of the stuff is quite modern, like ‘Made in Belfast’ is a really heavy song, with the Celtic sort of style (mandolins being part of the equation),” says Byford. “We were experimenting as well, but yeah, I wanted the songs to have that kind of push like it was recorded yesterday, but still have that one foot in the past.”

Sacrifice was originally slated for release Feb. 26 in America. It’ll come out in a variety of packages, including a standard jewel-case CD, a limited-edition deluxe digibook, a vinyl picture disc, a direct-to-consumer fan package (available exclusively for online order from online retailers), and a digital download that includes one bonus song, “Luck of the Draw.” It’s an iTunes exclusive. A complete version of our interview with Biff will be available as the release date for Sacrifice approaches.

For more information on Saxon, visit saxon.udr-music.com or www.saxon747.com.

Saxon's 'Sacrifice' to drop Feb. 26


New album from NWOBHM legends a blast from the past
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)