### Saxon: Into the labyrinth

#### 16/01/09 || Euthanatos

Saxon just seems to go on forever. They’re from 1977! Can you believe that? This is, and I shit you not, their 18th album. Good God. That’s pretty amazing right there, whether you care for them or not. Me? I certainly respect them and like some of their stuff, but wouldn’t call myself a fan. Not that any of you care, still, I felt like sharing.

Another thing that’s fascinating about Saxon is that they haven’t changed a bit in all those years. Well, of course they’ve had line-up changes and an ugly feud with some ex members at that, but sound wise, they’ve haven’t exactly kept up with the times, and that’s a good thing. While the production on their albums has certainly improved, not sounding dated (on this album, at least), their song writing has been pretty much the same since “Crusader”, with your occasional ups (“Unleash the Beast”) and downs (“Solid Ball of Rock”), which are only natural to a band with such longevity. In most recent years, Saxon has been rock solid; granted, the last release before this one, “The Inner Sanctum” was kind of stale, but “Killing Ground” and “Lionheart” were very much your traditional metal powerhouses. “Into the Labyrinth”, fortunately, features among these.

How can you listen to something like “Live to Rock”, especially when its sung by 57-year-old Biff Byford and not bang your head and tap your feet? It’s the very essence of rock n’ roll, with just the right amount of metal. Speaking of Biff, I’m very impressed at how good he sounds. The man is nearing his sixties and still sounding awesome, a lesson to all the shitty ass singers out there. There’s also some heavier stuff here, like the powerful “Demon Sweeney Todd” and “Valley of the Kings”. Yes, I know the title has been beaten to death, but the song is totally badass power metal. Another really cool moment is in “Slow Lane Blues”, with its blend of blues and southern rock, your ZZ Top meets LA Rock. Really fun stuff.

Some bands will always come through, even if they have their mishaps. Hell, who doesn’t? You can name some iffy albums on the discographies of Motörhead, AC/DC and Running Wild, and also claim they always make the same album. But goddamn it, they’re fucking good, aren’t they?

The cover: The last one was way cooler, but this one is still pretty good. Your run-of-the-mill Saxon cover.

7 changes are for American presidents out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: SPV/Steamhammer
- Website: www.saxon747.com
- Band
- Biff Byford: vocals
- Doug Scarratt: guitars
- Paul Quinn: guitars
- Nibbs Carter: bass, keyboards
- Nigel Glockler: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Battalions Of Steel
- 02. Live To Rock
- 03. Demon Sweeney Todd
- 04. The Letter
- 05. Valley Of The Kings
- 06. Slow Lane Blues
- 07. Crime Of Passion
- 08. Premonition In D Minor
- 09. Voice
- 10. Protect Yourselves
- 11. Hellcat
- 12. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
- 13. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)