| CD REVIEW Saxon |
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Band : Saxon Hey man, Heavy Metal legends Saxon are finally back on a roll! As far as studio albums go, they opened the new millenium with the 2001 album Killing Ground, took three years to follow that up with 2004’s Lionheart, and then again took almost three years (only 2 ½ months less) to release the 2007 The Inner Sanctum (review by yours truly posted 03/03/2007). So to see Into The Labyrinth arrive only 22 months later, is something which can only be encountered by multiple cheer-i-os at by the millions of fans the band still has today (myself counted among those)! Just like its predecessor, Into The Labyrinth takes more time to get into than the band’s singalong albums of the latter ‘80s…and that’s a góód thing, because at the time that side of the band’s music had me get disinterested in it in the first place (see also mentioned review above)...and so it can be said that this new studio album was definitely grown from the members’ increased inspirational flux, rather than being a rush job! These days Saxon increasingly makes use of a bit of keyboards in their music, and that how they open up proceedings on this album with the truly bombastic “Battalions Of Steel”. Right after that the guys take it more straight-forward with the AC/DC riff endorsed “Live To Rock”. The ensuing “Demon Sweeney Todd” and “Valley Of The Kings” (interluded by the calmer “The Letter”, which is just Biff singing accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar – I ain’t sure, but it just míght be an intro for “Valley Of The Kings”, you know?) both deal with historic facts, the first in a sstyle as we’ve grown acustomed to from Saxon, the latter again with passages of bombastic keyboards (the second of which even with a “choir” sustaining Biff). “Slow Lane Blues”, as its title suggests, is a slower track with the trademarks of Saxon mixed up perfectly with a Bluesey sound…but geared mostly towards the first, which makes for quite a heavy track after all! The ensuing “Crime Of Passion” has about the same pace, but not the Blues pretence! It’s followed by the 40-second instrumental “Premonition In D Minor”, which is really an intro to the semi-balladesque “Voice”. “Protect Yourselves” gets the band goin’ with whaling guitars alternated against crushing riffs. Not a typical Saxon opus, but you dó get very nice solos to boot! For “Hellcat” the pace is picked up considerably, and although the chorus is quite a singalong (the song is definitely on of the easiest to get into on he album) it’s certainly not out out of its place on this album. The anthemic “Come Rock Of Ages” is the actual album closer, as one might see the “Bottleneck Version” of “Coming Home” as a bonus track. After all, the track was already featured on the Killing Ground album, and brought here in a new version with slide guitar. Gives it a very “Southern” touch…very moody and not bad at all! If you’re interested in info trivia, you’ll want to know that the album was recorded in Germany’s Twilight Hall studio in Krefelt under productional guidance of Charlie Bauerfeind. The download version of the album through iTunes is supposed to have a 14th track…or so tells us the info with our promo, which also tells us that a single Live To Rock has been available for download through iTunes since October 17, that the band has already toured the UK and Germany (alongside Motörhead and Danko Jones during November and December, and that the band will set out on yet another (world) tour come early February. 93/100 Tony. |