SAXON (Heavy Metal Legends! – UK) – ALBUM REVIEW of their new album “Hell, Fire And Damnation” out January 19, 2024 via Silver Lining Music #Saxon #heavymetal

Review by: John Erigo

Thanks to Doug Weber from New Ocean Media!!!

Hell, Fire And Damnation will be available in a variety of formats and pre-orders can be placed at this location

SAXON are back once again! All things seem to be right in the metal world when Saxon delivers new music. Saxon has been a constant metal machine since the late 1970’s and their new album “Hell, Fire And Damnation” will not disappoint. Firing on all cylinders with a new line up, the UK Legends give us another heavy album filled with quality heavy metal songs. As for the new line up – longtime Saxon mainstay Paul Quinn (Guitarist) has decided to step away from the band. HE may be back for an occasional show, but for the most part he is retired (thank you for all your many years of shedding Sir!!!!). So, enter in Diamndhead Brian Tatler. You can tell there is a slightly different influence in some of the guitar playing and songwriting, but don’t fret (get it?? LOL!) – this is SAXON!!!!!

The album opens with an eerie/ominous track “Prophecy” – starts out as instrumental then a narration comes on (Actor Brian Blessed OBE) as the track then morphs into the title track “Hell, Fire and Damnation”. Hell yeah!!! Great metal from the get-go, great riffs and vocalist Biff Byford in fine form. Drummer Nigel Glockler tapping into the fountain of youth is just bashing on this track and album! A little different is 3 songs clocking in over 5 minutes in length. But trust me, it is ALL good!!!

There a few real uptempo facemelters on this album – “Fire and Steel” and “Super Charger” are fun! The new single the band released just prior to the album is “There’s Something In Roswell” – a cool groove in this tune, classic Byford vocal melody here. We have the historical song that Saxon likes to deliver in “Kubla Khan and the Merchant Voice” (1066 too)- history lesson, but also a lesson in METAL!!! Cool track. “Madame Guillotine”, “1066” and “Witches of Salem” are rich with mid tempo thumping and all around great musicianship! Nods to longtime Saxon members Nibbs Carter (Bass) and Doug Scarratt (Guitars) too – the band sounds amazing! Once again produced by Andy Sneap (along with Biff),this album is sonically awesome too.

I literally have been into Saxon since about 1980 and I have very rarely been let down by this great band. The faces have changed but the music has been consistent and true for the most part. This new album is another in a long line of classic sounding metal that all us devout metalheads need to cherish. Long live Saxon!!!