Sacrifice

Champions of metal for over three decades, Saxon have again released an album that further cements their reputation for consistency not only in terms of regular album releases, but also in terms of the quality of music they record. Although they have gone through some line-up changes over the years, original members Biff Byford and Paul Quinn have kept the band on the right path from the beginning and this album is no exception. The current line-up has been together since the mid 90’s now and as such has formed a tight night group over the many years on the road and in the studio since then, and it shows.Sacrifice follows on from where 2011’s Call To Arms left off in that it is more of a straight forward heavy metal album with a sound leaning more towards that of their albums of the 1980’s than those of the 2000’s. We do get an album intro again this time around which sounds like native music from a primitive Central or South American tribe and sets the scene nicely for the title song to open the album. With a good blend of aggressiveness and melody this song is one of my faves. Made In Belfast is good too with it’s acoustic guitars mixed in, great bass and driving rhythm, and is a tilt of the hat to the working class man which is repeated again later with Walking The Steel. This respect and appreciation for the legacy of generations past, whether in their hard work in nation building industries or in exploits on the battlefield has also been a consistent theme in Saxon’s songs over the decades and has helped to maintain their link and popularity with the common man. Of the two songs though, Made In Belfast is better than Walking The Steel in my opinion.Previously with songs like Backs To The Wall and Never Surrender Saxon have told us to hang in there, tough it out, stand your ground and fight back, to refuse to submit, be down trodden, put down or defeated. That Saxon theme shines through again in Stand Up And Fight which is another song I quite like. Driving cars and riding motor cycles is another theme which has been present over the years right from their very first albums in songs such as Stallions Of The Highway and Motorcycle Man, and this album is no exception with Warriors Of The Road. A straight forward, faster paced rocker about Formula 1 racing (hear the commentary announcing the arrival of Ayrton Senna in the pre-guitar solo bit). I quite like this one too.A song that won’t win the Nobel prize for literature for its lyrics is Night Of The Wolf, a rather simple warning to beware werewolves (that’s if you ever go “far beyond the forest in a land of ice and snow” wherever that may be?), but I can’t help but like the melody of this one. However, my favorite song of the whole album though is Guardians Of The Tomb which I think showcases Saxon at their best. Biff is a master of writing lyrics that tell stories from history and this is another great example but it also has the perfect blend of aggressive riffs, melodic guitar solos, a couple of change-ups in pace, and a melodic chorus the likes of which has brought me much listening pleasure in Saxon songs for many, many years and is why I like this band so much.On the down side there are a couple of songs which although aren’t terrible by any means, don’t really do much for me, those being Walking The Steel and Standing In A Queue. The latter is ok musically but pretty boring lyrically. I’m usually not too fussed by lyrics unless they’re pretty bad, but I just find this tale (no doubt based on personal experience) a bit boring to listen to, even if I can relate to it. I haven’t mentioned Wheels Of Terror, so note that while it isn’t a favourite it isn’t too bad with some cool guitar riffing in it.For some unknown reason Saxon decided that they would only release one song from the album in digital format which is quite irritating, especially when I shelled out the extra dosh to get the digi-pack book version (and very nice too I might add) with a bonus 5 track CD. So I had to buy it on iTunes, but I think I deserved to get that extra track on the CD thanks very much Saxon! Called Luck Of The Draw it’s not a bad song, a straight forward rocker that fits in well with the rest of the album and is far better to finish with than Standing In A Queue.The bonus disc has a couple of re-recorded songs in Forever Free and Just Let Me Rock, an orchestrated version of Crusader and acoustic versions of Requeim (the original is one of my all time Saxon faves) and Frozen Rainbow. I like these acoustic songs the best, and it’s a good bonus disc which makes for a great package over all.To sum up Saxon’s latest, I like it better than most of their albums of the 2000’s, but just a little less than 2011’s Call To Arms. However they’re one of my favourite bands and they are always consistent.Favourite Tracks:Guardians Of The Tomb, Warriors Of The Road, Stand Up And Fight, Night Of The Wolf, Sacrifice

I have been listening to Saxon for about 10 years now, after seeing them live at Bloodstock 2003 and being completely blown away by their performance and their excellent songwriting. I gradually collected many of their albums over the years, and really looked forward to their last 4-5 releases as they came out. The 2000s have been a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion, with certainly more good than bad. But with the release of Call To Arms, it sounded like Saxon were going back to more of a rock feel (I for one have liked their foray into heavier material) and their songwriting was getting a bit weaker. I certainly didn't play it as much as their previous release, Into the Labyrinth.Well, in comes metal producer Andy Sneap and a fresh set of 10 tracks, and suddenly we have Saxon producing their finest record since Lionheart. The riffs are fantastic, the choruses are soaring and catchy, and the writing in general is just very strong. The instrumentation is also fantastic. The guitars are fresh sounding, the solos are unique and the drums are absolutely thundering, but not overdone where they take over the mix. I'm convinced that if you put a song like Warriors Of The Road on US rock radio and didn't say what band it was, it would catch on. This stuff is so much better than the generic drivel I tend to hear on the FM dial.The first 5 tracks after the initial "Procession" are the best of the bunch, and make me just want to jump in the car and hit the gas! I suggest you do the same and head over to the record store to pick this up. Or just order it here : )The bonus disc of new, different versions of older tracks was also more interesting than I thought it would be. Requiem was a great fit for an acoustic version. Thanks to the Saxon guys for another album that I'll be spinning for years. And please come back to the US! The 2011 tour was the best time I've had at a show in a while.

It’s a very good heavy metal album and it was delivered on time

Although Saxon has been around close to 40 years, they haven't had killer albums in years (other than live ones and collections). This year they toured and I was exposed to their new album. They opened the show with Sacrifice and they were fantastic. Peter "Biff" Byford still has a great voice and can move like someone half his age. Needless to say, I went out and purchased the CD and it knocked my socks off. The title song is riveting. It is a Saxon-coming-at-you type of song! Made In Belfast is an interesting song with great lyrics about shipbuilding in N. Ireland. Guardians of the Tomb and Night of the Wolf also continue in the great Saxon Heavy Metal tradition. Warriors Of the Road demonstrates that Biff's vocals are tip-top. "Stand Up and Fight" and "Walking the Steel" show off Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt's axe expertise. Wheels of Terror is again a fine Saxon song that doesn't slow down until it ends. Standing in the Queue reminds me of a Krokus song in the way that it flows.The bonus disk is very nice also. My favorite from the bonus disk is "Forever Free". Not real big on Frozen Rainbow. Crusader is always good. "Just Let Me Rock" starts out like a Great White tune but then takes off as a strong Saxon ballad.

..they still do whats required,without sacrificing or compromising who they are,,Biff and the boys continue to rock and surely now can be seen as the UK's premier metal band of the last 20 years,no other has made consistently great albums at this level of quality,in my humble opinion.It may not be 'Wheels Of Steel' nor 'Denim And Leather' but their 20th studio album holds all the traditional Saxon moments, you want songs about History ? try 'Guardians of the Tomb' or 'Made In Belfast', fast cars see 'Warriors of the Road',war? take a listen to 'Wheels of Terror',you want an anthem then blast 'Stand Up And Fight' from your HiFi, everyday life then how about 'Walking The Steel' and (cough) 'Standing In A Queue'.The title track 'Sacrifice' is modern metal based on traditional values,its a screamer with nods to Motorhead',which just leaves 'Night of the Wolf' another superb metal moment.Clocking in at approx 37 mins (if we forget ,the frankly , rubbish intro (procession),this is the shortest Saxon album for a while,its short.sharp and to the point,as good an album as they have ever done,well done lads,another classic,all enhanced by a tremendous sound curtesy of Andy Sneaps' production.

Hello....listened to this a few times today since it arrived and actually think it sounds musically and production wise better than their latest release Carpe Diem.. BUT BUT BUT !!!!! Carpe Diem gets five stars because its bloody BRILL !...Bye

After the fairly disappointing last album " Call To Arms " (relatively speaking ,as all Saxon albums are better than most others) these likeable rock veterans are back on track .I put this on with a slight feeling of trepadation & on the initial 1st play only "Made in Belfast " & "Night of the Wolf " grabbed my attention.However , the more i played it the more i started liking the other songs to the point where it has been in my car for weeks & i now like the whole album .It can't be easy for the band to keep putting out albums that sound vital & fresh but they've succeeded here .In fact ,with the exception of "Call to Arms" ,all their albums since 97's "Unleash the Beast" have been fantastic.As witnessed by my recent visit to the Shepherds Bush Empire,London , Saxon remain a magnificent live act.

Yet again Saxon have produced another superb release; nearly 10 years ago they really struck gold with Lionheart and since then four fantastic slabs of hard rock/heavy metal; well produced, outstanding musicianship, not forgetting Biffs distinctive voice, putting melody into the metal. This is excellent classic metal, not a bad track - favourite, Stand up and fight - least, not quite so favourite, Standing in a queue. Love the intro track leading into Sacrifice, although this is not new to the boys. Slight disappointment to the length of the album but it makes up with the quality. No offence but they're not exactly spring-chickens so how they can still do this after all these years is commendable; third best after Lionheart and Wheels of Steel.

Well like many on here I am a fan from their early stuff onwards. I left them alone for a while in the 90,s but got back into them with the brilliant unleash the beast album. Their later work has a definitely harder edge to it, or should I say heavier, but that may be the evolution in recording .Anyway this album did take a few listens before I fully appreciated it which is why I rate it 4 stars and not 5. Stand out tracks for me are Warriors of the road, followed by Stand up and Shout both very reminiscent of the heyday of Saxon and briliiant songs. Guardians of the Tomb has a good riff, Standing in a Queue is a typical tongue in cheek saxon song with a great riff and should be appreciated a little more than it seems to be.Wheels of terror is a slight let down for me, and it took me a couple of listens to really get into Made in Belfast although I now really like this song. Sacrifice is a good opener , but the intro is a little out of place and we could have done without it really.Anyway that's why I have 4 stars. A cracking album with some fantastic songs and it is playing almost constantly at the moment in my car. A couple more of songs like Warriors of the road and this would be a bonafide classic.Rock on Saxon and I cant wait for April 19th when you kick ass in Nottingham.