CD Review: Praying Mantis – Legacy

CD Review: Praying Mantis – Legacy
Frontiers Music srl
All Access Rating: B+

Praying Mantis - Legacy 2015

Keeping a stable lineup together was always difficult for Praying Mantis, whose role in growing the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into a force to be reckoned with in the '80s was relatively minor, as opposed to say, Iron Maiden or Motorhead.

Not as rough or as edgy as their denim-and-leather clad NWOBM brethren, Praying Mantis – established by brothers Tino and Chris Troy in 1973 – eschewed traditional metal to explore the possibilities melodic hard-rock had to offer, even as its revolving-door membership tested the strength of its hinges by continously spinning over the years.

For their 10th studio album, Legacy, Praying Mantis welcomed two new members into the fold in lead vocalist John Cuijpers and drummer Hans in't Zandt to a band that also includes guitarist/vocalist Andy Burgess. The changes are more than cosmetic, especially with a greater emphasis on larger-than-life production and a different singer belting out these gloriously dramatic anthems that, at times, fly awfully close to the blazing, blinding sun of bombastic power-metal, especially on a theatrical "Eyes Of A Child," the soaring epic "Against The World" and a defiant "Fight For Your Honour."

Were this 1985 and not 2015, the searing, streaming jets of twin-guitar leads, trampling rhythms, dynamic vocals and flashing synthesizers that carry Praying Mantis on their broad shoulders might have a puncher's chance at getting FM airplay, as radio-friendly, bittersweet fare such as "The One," "All I See" and the winding, night-crawling, aural metropolis "Tokyo" make for rousing eargasms. As it is, Praying Mantis will simply have to take pride in crafting flowing, captivating songs of resilience, romance and adventure with big climaxes for whoever's still listening for such things in music today. And while the sometimes all-too-familiar, completely over-the-top sound of Praying Mantis may have exceeded its expiration date, it hasn't become exasperatingly stale. There is a freshness and vitality to Legacy that puts it right up there with beloved works Time Tells No Lies and Predator In Disguise – the vivid, sci-fi inspired album art from Rodney Matthews only making the whole experience all the more enjoyable.
– 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, Saxon’s 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 20^th 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.

DVD Review: Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie

DVD Review: Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie

IDR/Militia Records/EMI

All Access Rating: A

Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie 2012

Chosen to support Motorhead on the “Bomber” tour in 1979, Saxon seemed a perfect fit and yet there was something different about them that confounded Lemmy. Being the charitable sort, Lemmy – is there really any need to list his last name anymore? – offered them some of his vodka and samples of whatever drugs he had available, as former Saxon bassist Steve “Dobby” Dawson remembers it, readily admitting that the alcohol made him sick. Saxon actually didn’t seem to want any of it, and that made Lemmy … well, not sad, but a bit baffled. They were a heavy metal band, after all. What part of sex, drugs and rock and roll didn’t they understand?

Shaking his head and having a good laugh about the whole thing now in the long-awaited 2012 Saxon two-disc documentary “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie,” Lemmy still finds it amusing that they were more interested in drinking tea than downing bottles of booze. As a matter of fact, Saxon demanded crates of English tea when they New Wave of British Heavy Metal horsemen set out to conquer America for the first time, believing that they couldn’t find the good stuff in the U.S. That’s what kept Saxon up at night – the ability to find quality tea … and lots of it. Not exactly the stuff of a “Behind the Music” special, is it?

In the beginning, Saxon was one for all and all for one, a band of brothers that busted out of the mining and industrial wasteland of South Yorkshire with modest dreams of heavy-metal glory. Informed by the punk movement and the harsh, dirty noise of industry and machines, Saxon’s sound couldn’t have been less pretentious. Devoid of artifice, the hard-nosed, hot-wired guitars of Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver could sear flesh, and Steve “Dobby” Dawson’s bass rumbled like a Hell’s Angels’ chopper, while the drums – first ably played by David Ward, and then bashed into powder by former Gary Glitter drummer Pete Gill – pumped furiously like pistons. Driving this thundering vehicle, Biff Byford, a lanky, long-haired showman with the voice of a metal god, always has been the heart and soul of Saxon, as well as its most compelling character. They were, and still are, a working-class band, albeit with a lineup that's somewhat different now, and their lyrics often sympathized with the plight of blue-collar England, which at the time was embroiled in vicious labor disputes with the mother of all union busters, Margaret Thatcher – all of these elements are trumpeted in “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie,” an account of Saxon’s history that bares everything.   

Against this backdrop of economic depression and rusted-out factories, Saxon’s story played out, taking interesting twists and turns, their struggle mirroring that of Black Sabbath and other NWOBHM legends. With the kind of honesty and integrity that characterized Saxon’s music, “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie” tells a heroic tale of perseverance and substance over flash. Full of wicked old war stories, as told by the members of Saxon, this documentary traces the Saxon story all the way back to when they were called Son of a Bitch. Despite the dated production values, this no-frills film – supplemented with amazingly rare and vital live footage from various points in Saxon’s history, including great stuff from that infamous “Bomber” tour with Motorhead – travels back to that rough-and-tumble English rock club circuit the band played when that fire that burned in their bellies was all that got them through poverty and dashed hopes. They toured on a shoestring budget, taking liberties with groupies in a cramped van containing their gear and no privacy. They fervently dreamed of securing a record contract, and when they did, it was with French label Carrere Records, a deal that would leave them penniless. Details about how their famous logo was developed and how the cover of their debut album was created are revisited in the film, and when Saxon’s machinery finally started churning out the records they were born to make, like Strong Arm of the Law, Wheels of Steel and Denim and Leather – these powerhouse, chrome-plated albums of tough, smoking riffs, workhorse rhythms and gritty, uncompromising hooks – “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie” traces the band’s steady progression to the top of British rock heap with admiration.

Of course, there’s the inevitable decline, the clueless producers who tamed Saxon’s mighty roar, Dawson’s cocaine use and the fierce battles with Byford that led to his messy departure, and insight into the hard feelings that persist between past and present members – all of whom talk candidly and passionately about these matters and about this thing they started. “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie” would go nowhere without these conversations, and the editing strikes a not-so-easy balance between shaping loads of content into something entertaining while at the same time trying to manage a flood of Saxon-specific information. The result is an engrossing and comprehensive biography, essential viewing for anybody with even a passing interest in Saxon.

And there’s more on a second disc comprised of behind-the-scenes material, stirring live footage, in-studio scenes, various tributes from other rockers, humorous exchanges between Biff and Lemmy – much of it stemming from a recent Saxon tour with Motorhead – and a full-length concert from 2008. Then there’s the vintage video of a tight and energetic Saxon killing it in a raucous 1981 “Beat Club”performance as they charge through “Motorcycle Man,” “Hungry Years,” “Strong Arm of the Law,” “747” and a host of other favorites. It’s an immersive Saxon experience, packaged as unassailable testimony to their grossly underappreciated greatness. Stuffed to the gills with loads of fantastic Saxon material, this whole set is an absolute must-have for Saxon fans. Tea is not included, however.

-            Peter Lindblad