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SAXON
Hell, Fire And Damnation

Silver Lining Music (2024)
Rating: 8.5/10

And here they are again, one of Britain’s longest standing bastions of metal, the mighty Saxon. Just like fellow Englishmen Motörhead, Biff Byford and company have ploughed through the decades, batting away trends and maintaining high levels of robust steel musically.

Rarely do I read other reviews but I had to laugh when some online joker stated that Saxon are not original. Saxon formed back in the mid-70s and spearheaded the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, and although their brand of heavy rock was straightforward it sounded like no one else. Of course, over time Saxon, alongside other veteran acts, had their downs, especially when the US grunge invasion hit, but they rode it out and it could be argued that some of the bands best works have emerged in the last few decades; consider that 2022 opus Carpe Diem was their highest charting record since the 1983 classic Power & The Glory.

Album number 24 is no exception to the Saxon rule as the combo not only dishes out a batch of fully armoured anthems, but along for the ride this time is guitarist Brian Tatler from another legendary UK act, Diamond Head. Tatler replaces co-founder Paul Quinn who left the band in 2023. Admittedly, some of the song titles here are a little cheesy (‘There’s Something In Roswell’ and ‘Kubla Khan And The Merchant Of Venice’) but musically they raise the roof, as expected.

Byford’s recognisable tone rises above the smouldering debris left by the band as they rumble like a restored tank mowing down the opposition. The title track is pure molten metal; a rampant surging machine of power that sets the tone in such bombastic style. And history lessons follow in abundance, whether it’s the steamroller Battle Of Hastings inspired ‘1066’, the scream-littered ‘Witches Of Salem’ or the previously mentioned tales.

The production from Andy Sneap (along with Byford) is obviously top-notch, and enables such metallic monsters to breathe within their colossal scales. Obviously, don’t expect any bizarre twists and turns with this outing. It’s still Saxon in their purest form and that’s why tracks such as ‘Super Charger’ work so well; the riffs are crushing, the percussion of Nigel Glockler is thunderous and the songs bellow like an enormous cathedral bell seeing in midnight.

While a band like Iron Maiden tends to drag out its history lessons, Saxon cut to the chase without boring us with pretend progressive passages. However, there is always a vigour and freshness to the signature Saxon drive and that’s why the band remains such a sonic yet honest force within the genre. ‘Madame Guillotine’ and ‘Pirates Of The Airwaves’ speaks volumes regarding the longevity of the band; strong metal dynamics billowing fury and ferocity and you just can’t argue with it.

If Saxon had begun to decline I’d be brave enough to say it, but the reality of the matter is that Hell, Fire And Damnation is another head banger of a record.

Neil Arnold

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