In praise of Saxon

[ElectricWiz]

I've been on a huge Saxon binge, which is something that happens with me every few months. Once I get started it's one record after another. I've been a fan since I first heard Power and the Glory back in the day (and then went back and bought all the previous records).

You know, at the cusp of the NWOBHM Saxon, Maiden, and Priest were the "big three." You know what happened well enough with the other two, but Saxon never really caught on in America. Everytime I go on this binge I find myself wondering at that. I suppose it has something to do with Biff's voice. I mean, I think he's got a love it or hate it voice. Or maybe it's a bunch of factors, but let me go on the record as saying that there are days when my love for Saxon exceeds that of Maiden. They (Maiden) are the archetypal metal band, but Saxon is right there neck and neck with them.....and I'm quite serious about that. AND, hands down, Saxon is making better records RIGHT NOW for sure. Anyway, hats off to Saxon!

The titles in my current binge.....

Heavy Metal Thunder
Killing Ground
Metalhead
Lionheart
Wheels of Steel
Denim and Leather
The Eagle Has Landed (live):hotjump: :hotjump: :hotjump: :hotjump: :hotjump: :hotjump:

 

[SickBoy]

They (Maiden) are the archetypal metal band, but Saxon is right there neck and neck with them.....and I'm quite serious about that. AND, hands down, Saxon is making better records RIGHT NOW for sure. Anyway, hats off to Saxon!

Amen to that!
Maybe sitting on the top of the HM world made Maiden lazy, while Saxon are somewhat of the underdogs really, despite being among the HM pioneers.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I agree, I've like the last two Saxon albums much more than I have the last two Maiden albums. That says something for the band right there. For whatever reasons they didn't catch on in America, they were always big among my group of friends. We even drove half a day once to see them in concert!

 

[ElectricWiz]

Amen to that!
Maybe sitting on the top of the HM world made Maiden lazy, while Saxon are somewhat of the underdogs really, despite being among the HM pioneers.

You know? I do think it's the underdog thing that works for them. Maiden keeps releasing greatest hits stuff, and Saxon HAS to work to pay the bills (though I think they pay them fairly easily right now). And none of this is disrespect to Maiden. I thought Brave New World in particular was fantastic.

But there's an urgency to Saxon's stuff right now that rivals their early days, and that is more or less unprecedented in all of metal; a band that goes for 30 years, and then makes several classics in a row!

 

[Hammer of Might]

I love Saxon! Though I haven't got many of their releases yet, just one of their best ofs (why do they have anout two thousand compilations??) and also Lionheart, which I think is one of the most stunning traditional metal albums to emerge in recent years, and it has so much more balls than a lot of power metal.

I often wonder why Saxon don't get the recognition of Maiden or Priest, they certainly deserve a high place in the metal pantheon!

 

[No-Mercy]

They (Maiden) are the archetypal metal band, but Saxon is right there neck and neck with them.....and I'm quite serious about that. AND, hands down, Saxon is making better records RIGHT NOW for sure. Anyway, hats off to Saxon!

they are a very, very good band and i do love them...and even though maiden is my favorite band, saxon has always been there too. i must disagree on the statement that they are making better records at the moment though...not every after seventh son is like NPFTD or blaze era, or as most call it, "bad for maiden".

i actually find the last 2 albums, BNW and DOD very enjoyable...you should give the whole albums a more close listen, if you havent, and id think youd be quite surprised.

 

[ElectricWiz]

No, I like them both very much. And in truth, I don't know that I'm saying that the Saxon albums are better exactly. BUT, in comparison to the rest of their catalogue (each bands OWN catalogue), Saxon, for my money, is making records that sound like they are being produced by people half their age.

I guess my point is that Lionheart is much more comparable to Wheels of Steel quality wise than Number of the Beast is to Dance of Death.

I choose Dance of Death on purpose there, as I did actually think (and do) that Brave New World was an absolutely top notch record.

Only that Saxon is cranking out good record after good record right now, and Maiden is only making records every couple to three years, and it's a crapshoot as to whether they will live up to the old stuff or not.

In my view:
Brave New World = FANTASTIC
Dance of Death = Average

whereas

Lionheart, Killing Ground, Heavy Metal Thunder, Metalhead = Fantastic

Quite run for a bunch of geezers, and I don't think that can be said about Maiden right now.

Note also, I tend to choose Maiden 4 out of 5 times in this debate. Which was really the whole point of my post, as I think Saxon deserves more credit, even from me.


....not to over respond. I like talkin' about this stuff....

 

[ElectricWiz]

I often wonder why Saxon don't get the recognition of Maiden or Priest, they certainly deserve a high place in the metal pantheon!

OK, even though I said something similar to this myself, I do have to admit they made two or three pretty crappy albums in the 80s, which was a pretty crucial period for their career and metal in general. Still, nobody really caught on to Power and the Glory, so they probably wouldn't have gone over either way. Also, I agree with ya on Lionheart, it really is that vital sounding!!

 

[No-Mercy]

No, I like them both very much. And in truth, I don't know that I'm saying that the Saxon albums are better exactly. BUT, in comparison to the rest of their catalogue (each bands OWN catalogue), Saxon, for my money, is making records that sound like they are being produced by people half their age.

I guess my point is that Lionheart is much more comparable to Wheels of Steel quality wise than Number of the Beast is to Dance of Death.

I choose Dance of Death on purpose there, as I did actually think (and do) that Brave New World was an absolutely top notch record.

Only that Saxon is cranking out good record after good record right now, and Maiden is only making records every couple to three years, and it's a crapshoot as to whether they will live up to the old stuff or not.

In my view:
Brave New World = FANTASTIC
Dance of Death = Average

whereas

Lionheart, Killing Ground, Heavy Metal Thunder, Metalhead = Fantastic

Quite run for a bunch of geezers, and I don't think that can be said about Maiden right now.

Note also, I tend to choose Maiden 4 out of 5 times in this debate. Which was really the whole point of my post, as I think Saxon deserves more credit, even from me.


....not to over respond. I like talkin' about this stuff....

not at all, i like to discuss this stuff as well.

well know, i am more of a power metal guy, and being that, with maiden being my favorite band, i would choose SIT, POM, BNW over NOTB and PS, something people call me crazy for.

i, personally, think that dance of death has a really different feel than NOTB, and it may not be on the same level, but i dont think they have much relation other than the band that created them.

maiden have been all over their genre of music throughout their career, and being Metal (generally) was bigger back in the day, and it was newer, those albums hit it off more.

something you must understand about me is, i will rank NPFTD, SSOASS, NOTB, and BNW all the same...i would rank all of them the same- kick ass!!! i like em all so much, i can't make a honest statement if it involves saying 1 thing of maiden is better than another thing from maiden, other than bruce is the best vocalist of em all.

that said, i feel while saxon and maiden are both NWOBHM (classification), they are far apart on the wheel of NWOBHM. my angle is more, overrall, i think Maiden is more superior at what they (maiden) write and play than Saxon is superiour at what they (saxon) write and play.

//greg

 

[ElectricWiz]

With the exception of No Prayer, we are in agreement.

I'm a Maiden fanatic too, so this is good talk. I would rate everything up through Seventh Son as equal, and I can choose any of those as my favorite at any given time. I include Brave New World in that list too. I wore that album out for sure. I still think Thin Line Between Love And Hate is amongst the best album closers they've yet recorded.

Dance of Death, for whatever reason, didn't catch on real well for me. I liked the song Nico wrote, Rainmaker, No More Lies....OH, and Face in the sand is freaking awesome. Actually it's all pretty good with the mild exception (for me) of the title track and Paschendale which received massive praise from fans (which I didn't understand). Actually, I should go put that album in again...

As I say, I wore out Brave New World though, and Dance of Death kinda took a backseat after about 15 listens or so. I wouldn't even want to guess how many times I've listened to Brave New World.

Last, I am of the mind (as are many) that Bruce's last three solo albums are all better than DOD. Brave New World...? I'd say it's a tie.

....and you'll get no argument from me that Bruce is the best singer in metal. Just like Saxon/Maiden though, it's kind of dependent on the day as to whether Bruce is my fave, or another English chap who goes by the name of Ian Gillan.

 

[No-Mercy]

With the exception of No Prayer, we are in agreement.

I'm a Maiden fanatic too, so this is good talk. I would rate everything up through Seventh Son as equal, and I can choose any of those as my favorite at any given time. I include Brave New World in that list too. I wore that album out for sure. I still think Thin Line Between Love And Hate is amongst the best album closers they've yet recorded.

Dance of Death, for whatever reason, didn't catch on real well for me. I liked the song Nico wrote, Rainmaker, No More Lies....OH, and Face in the sand is freaking awesome. Actually it's all pretty good with the mild exception (for me) of the title track and Paschendale which received massive praise from fans (which I didn't understand). Actually, I should go put that album in again...

As I say, I wore out Brave New World though, and Dance of Death kinda took a backseat after about 15 listens or so. I wouldn't even want to guess how many times I've listened to Brave New World.

Last, I am of the mind (as are many) that Bruce's last three solo albums are all better than DOD. Brave New World...? I'd say it's a tie.

....and you'll get no argument from me that Bruce is the best singer in metal. Just like Saxon/Maiden though, it's kind of dependent on the day as to whether Bruce is my fave, or another English chap who goes by the name of Ian Gillan.

ah very cool.

yeah, i noticed the majority of people either like maiden only up til SSOASS, up to SSOASS and BNW, or all of maiden...i am a "all of maiden" fan.

bruce solo does rock, especially the last 3 albums. i think Chemical Weddning is the strongest overral, AOB and TOS are quite equal for me. although, i wouldnt put these next to maiden...nothing goes next to maiden for me, but this is the closest something can be.

than of course followed by my second favorite band Blind Guardian.

so, DOD hit it huge for me, as did SIT, NPFTD, POM, etc. maiden, to me, has a different sound on each album, they always do something new, but its still Maiden...they don't change the band, just the little thigns here and there, as Janick said on the RIR dvd...(not his exact words).

let us say, all praise NWOBHM!!

 

[Wyvern]

Saxon plainly rules! And the reason is simple since 1979 they have consistently bringing quality metal in every album. Even if some albums have been weaker like "Rock The Nations", "Destiny", "Metalhead", still they are full of great songs. Unlike some bands of NWOBHM which never made it beyond 1-2 albums, or those who didn't kept their style across time (eg. Iron Maiden, Demon, Def Leppard) Saxon has deviate very little from 'Wheels Of Steel' to 'To Live By The Sword'.

Saxon was among the first bands that caught me when I turned to metal, was among the first bands I heard in radio back in the 80's, and is among the few bands in my collection that I can still go on a blind purchase and know they won't let me down.

To the power and the glory raise your glasses high

NP: Tytan - 'Ballad Of Edward Case'

 

[ElectricWiz]

You da man Wyvern.

And for the record, I dig both Metalhead and Destiny. On the latter Red Alert, and Jericho Sirens are particularly good.

 

[SickBoy]

You know? I do think it's the underdog thing that works for them. Maiden keeps releasing greatest hits stuff, and Saxon HAS to work to pay the bills (though I think they pay them fairly easily right now). And none of this is disrespect to Maiden. I thought Brave New World in particular was fantastic.

Yeah, my point exactly!
And it's not just that they release great stuff, but they engage 101% in their concerts and enjoy them thoroughly! When Maiden played in Croatia, they were finished after mere 1h15m and (surprise surprise...) played a very predictable set of songs (aside from 22 Acacia Avenue...).
Then again, I saw Saxon the same year and they absolutely put Maiden to shame! What a gig!
I went the next year to see them as well and the setlist really differed. We managed to pull 3 encores, being a very enthusiastic crowd and they showed their appreciation by playing them.

But there's an urgency to Saxon's stuff right now that rivals their early days, and that is more or less unprecedented in all of metal; a band that goes for 30 years, and then makes several classics in a row!

I think Maiden needs to revisit their sound immediately!
Saxon did a damn good job at that, becoming harder but still being Saxon, unlike Judas Priest, who managed to ruin everything they were about with overemphasising the "hardness" factor on Jugulator and Demolition.

Go Saxon!

 

[Hawk]

I agree with those before me that Saxon is on the right path the last few years. They are somehow back to their roots, but better. And live they are bloody fantastic!!

 

[Wyvern]

You da man Wyvern.

And for the record, I dig both Metalhead and Destiny. On the latter Red Alert, and Jericho Sirens are particularly good.

Don't bget me wrong, I don't dislike the albums, just they are sub-par IMO compared to the rest of the catalog. I do love 'All Guns Blazing', 'Conquistador', 'Red Alert', 'Jericho Siren' and more songs from those albums.

NP: Stormwind - 'Soul Dancer'

 

[ElectricWiz]

I agree with those before me that Saxon is on the right path the last few years. They are somehow back to their roots, but better. And live they are bloody fantastic!!

Saxon remain one of the few bands that I would call an essential part of my collection that I haven't yet seen live. If they'd just get this American tour taken care of I'll get my chance. I had tickets to the tour cancelled previous to the one just cancelled (ha) in CA, but oh well. They'll come.....

 

[SoundMaster]

Saxon never really caught on in America. Everytime I go on this binge I find myself wondering at that.

Could that have to do with their abysmal stab at a Def Leppard, commerical party rock sound/style in the mid 80s? The songs just weren't even as good as the American pop metal bands. "Innocence" has two good songs, to my ears. The next two are, well, better left unmentioned, IMO.

But they still should have been bigger before that anyway, I agree.

And I also agree that they're are on top of their game today, 25 years on.
I do, however, have to disagree that they're making better music than Maiden today, as I find DOD to be a masterpiece (sans WIldest Dreams, which is lame). :hotjump:

 

[No-Mercy]

i wouldnt know how much Saxon engage in their concerts...theyve cancelled all ive bought tickets too...lol

 

[TheWhisper]

Saxon RULE! Their new stuff stands up very well with their classics, as far as I'm concerned. An essential band in the history of metal and one that deserves to be mentioned along side the likes of Maiden, Priest et al.