Saxon - Sacrifice review
Band: | Saxon |
Album: | Sacrifice |
Style: | Heavy metal |
Release date: | February 22, 2013 |
A review by: | R'Vannith |
Disc I
01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made In Belfast
04. Warriors Of The Road
05. Guardians Of The Tomb
06. Stand Up And Fight
07. Walking The Steel
08. Night Of The Wolf
09. Wheels Of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue
11. Luck Of The Draw [iTunes bonus]
Disc II [Limited Edition bonus]
01. Crusader [Orchestral version]
02. Just Let Me Rock [Re-Recorded version]
03. Requiem [Acoustic version]
04. Frozen Rainbow [Acoustic version]
05. Forever Free [Re-Recorded version]
I don't know about you but the prospect of standing in a queue isn't much cause for excitement. Much less would I expect it to be a good lyrical subject for a song. Saxon almost convince me otherwise and by the time I reached the final track of their latest and 20th album I was telling myself this is one of heavy metal's greats still kicking it with the best of them. Yet after repeated listens I can't shake the feeling that there is a lack of rigor that this album possesses in terms of offering yet another quality addition to their discography.
For sure it's trademark Saxon, complete with that guaranteed heavy sound afforded fresh energy by modern production values, here given a bit of shoeshine polish from Andy Sneap. Biff is still more than able to fill the vocal space, age proving inconsequential as he continues to give the songwriting that lively presence as he belts out lyrics concerning ancient cultures, typical consideration of the trials and tribulations of a life of rock'n'roll and ship construction in Belfast. Images of such large-scale building seems to have been an inspirational subject as "Made In Belfast" is one of Saxon's heaviest tracks in a while.
The songwriting is tight and leaves little time for any unnecessary additives; clocking at just shy of 40 minutes it's short and concise. Which really is a relief as this one simply doesn't stack up against the many quality albums the band have released. It just lacks anything which might distinguish it from what came before, aside from a noticeably heavier sound most comparable to the surprisingly edgy Metalhead record. Whereas that album often had a somewhat darker or more aggressive character about it with what is much more exciting songwriting, Sacrifice is completely devoid of anything which really gives it a distinct identity of its own.
Saxon went for the simple approach and it really does make Sacrifice quite forgettable. In the band's queue of albums this one is well to the back.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 8 |
Songwriting: | 8 |
Originality: | 5 |
Production: | 9 |
| Written on 07.03.2013 by R'Vannith enjoys music, he's hoping you do too. |
Rating:
8.2
8.2
Rating: 8.2 |
Latter day Saxon albums can be a mixed bag; never plunging to the depths many of their NWOBHM peers sunk to, they never eclipsed them by any great margin either. Sacrifice however ensures that this cannot be applied to all their latter day albums by hitting heights the band had not reached for some time. Sacrifice serves as a reminder that you should never count a band out and a demonstration that they still have fire in them after all these years. Read more ›› |
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