SAXON (NWOBHM Legends!) – Carpe Diem Album review – album due to come out on February 4, 2022 via Silver Lining Music #Saxon #CarpeDiem

All the band links you need are here —> Link Tree for Saxon
Thanks to New Ocean Media & Silver Lining Music for the advance!!!
Review by John Erigo

Quick question – how does a heavy metal band survive for over 6 decades? Answer – release albums like CARPE DIEM, that’s how!!! SAXON is a legendary band that has cranked out a huge chunk of quality metal over many years, and their newest offering CARPE DIEM can hang with the best of ’em. Saxon has flirted with tinering their sound from time to time, from the once “Boogie Metal” in the early days, to a more polished 80’s/American sound, to sounding like European power metal band, to flat out kicked in the teeth blistering metal, they’ve never really strayed away for just being straight metal for too long or gone too far. So right now in 2022, a band that started in the 1970’s is till sounding relevant, vibrant, full of life, and 100% fucking metal!!!!

The title track opens the album and before you know you’re hit right between the eyes with smashing metal. Saxon has always been a well rounded and talented band, great musicians, vocals and songwriting. Tip of the metal cap to Andy Sneap for a brilliant production job too – this album sounds HEAVY!!! Biff Byford (Vocals), Paul Quinn (Guitars), Nigel Glockler (Drums), Nibbs Carter (Bass) and Doug Scarratt (Guitars), are ALL in top form and there’s no sign of any aging or drop off. Slamming bass and drums, soaring guitar solos and Biff’s signature vocals have always been a deadly and grand combo. A song like “Dambuster” puts it all on display!

The second single “Remember the Fallen” really has a classic Saxon sound. Combining catchy melodies and heavy riffs with a driving backbeat, this is SAXON!!!

As a fan and webmaster here at Kick Ass Forever, I can not wait for metal fans to hear this album! Songs like “Super Nova”, “Lady in Gray”, “All For One”, I mean, damn there isn’t a bad song on this album!!! There’s an epic tune like “The Pilgrimage” on here, this collection of tunes is really strong and diverse but the bottom line – IT’S AWESOME!!! Here’s a quote from Biff about the title —
“In Latin it means ‘seize the day’ and I think it’s a great thing to say;” continues Biff “it’s what the Romans used to say to each other on a regular basis, apparently, never having met one, I wouldn’t know! But we’re gonna do the Seize the Day world tour, the album’s Carpe Diem, this song’s called “Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)” and it’s such a powerful thing to say.”

Another quote from Biff about the songwriting for this album —

“It all starts with the riff,” says front man and co-founder Biff Byford, “if the riff speaks to me, then we’re on our way. It’s a very intense album, and that’s all down to the fact that the essence of a great metal song is the riff that starts it, and this album has loads of them.”

“We want every album we make to go platinum,” says Biff defiantly. “We never make an album that we don’t expect to be fantastic because there are no laurels around here, and as a band, we’re always trying to do something a little bit new, a little bit daring. I love fast metal like “Princess of the Night” and “20,000 Feet”, and I try and bring that style of Saxon into the music now, but in a more modern style. We don’t sound like an old band on records because we’re not sitting back on our past success, we’re always trying to make a great album.”

And Sir I would like to say you have succeeded!!!! I love that Saxon doesn’t rest and rely on their history and continue to create new music and tour the World. Here’s to this great album and many more of one of my favorite and classic metal bands SAXON!!!!!