British heavy metal legends SAXON have commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to their 2018 album "Thunderbolt". Vocalist Biff Byford spoke about SAXON's upcoming activities during an interview with 4Sound at this month's Sweden Rock Festival. He said (see video below): "We've got a 40th-anniversary album coming out, a live album. And it's got 40 songs on it. One of our big hits is called '747', so it's a huge package and there's only 747 copies. It's a great, great release. And we're just writing a few songs now for the next album, next SAXON album. I just finished recording my solo album, so I'll be coming back to Sweden with that next year, I think, touring on that." SAXON will release "The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)" on August 2 via Militia Guard/Silver Lining Music. The effort celebrates all the classics from the group's early years with the modern classics which have continued to define SAXON as legends. It will be made in various formats: a triple-CD combo packed in a six-panel digipack with a 16-page booklet, digital download and streaming. "The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)" will also be available as a 12-inch lid-off boxset, containing 5 x 12" 180-gram vinyl, "The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)" tour pass and slipmat and an exclusive 40-page book. The pièce de résistance, however, is the 747 Signature Edition Boxset — limited to 747 copies — which also includes an exclusive 23-plectrum set featuring album artwork from all 22 SAXON studio albums and a limited-edition "The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)" plectrum. The 747 Signature Edition Boxset also comes with Biff Byford's original hand-written lyric sheet of the "747 (Strangers In The Night)" song, with each print being hand-numbered and autographed by the man himself. Although SAXON was formed in 1977, the band's debut album didn't arrive until two years later. Byford and guitarist Paul Quinn are the sole remaining original members in the group's current lineup, which issued its 22nd LP, "Thunderbolt", in February 2018. Originally from South Yorkshire, England, SAXON has gone on to sell about 23 million albums and has produced such classic songs as "Denim And Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel" and "Power And Glory". In addition to Byford and Quinn, SAXON's current lineup includes bassist Nibbs Carter, guitarist Doug Scarratt and drummer Nigel Glockler.
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