OLIVER/DAWSON SAXON - It's Alive

Posted: 9/17/03

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Hard Rock

Released: 3/13/03

Label URL: www.angelair.co.uk

Artist URL:

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If you are a fan of Saxon you're probably already aware of the rift that's occurred between the original members of this legendary British heavy metal group. Graham Oliver (guitar) and Steve Dawson (bass) are on one side and Biff Byford (vocals) and Paul Quinn (guitar) are on the other. Byford and Quinn continued as Saxon long after Dawson exited the fold, and did the same after Oliver was supposedly sacked. Oliver and Dawson joined forces shortly after Oliver's exit and reassumed the name Son Of A Bitch, the moniker used by Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, and drummer Pete Gill prior to assuming the Saxon name. Dawson and Oliver realized that the Son Of A Bitch handle proved to be a turnoff, so a few years later they emerged as Oliver/Dawson Saxon with former Shy vocalist John Ward, former Saxon drummer Nigel Durham, and former Saracen guitarist Haydn Conway. The use of the Saxon name ignited a long legal battle between the two sides.

It's Alive is a live performance recorded in Yorkshire, England in December 2001. It includes twelve tracks, made up of nine Saxon classics (actually ten because "Wheels Of Steel" and "Devil Rides Out" are delivered as one song), two Son Of A Bitch songs, and one new song. Instrumentally, the band is tight, powerful, and delivers the Saxon classics as you would hope to hear them. Even the Son Of Bitch tracks ("Past The Point" and "Bitch Of A Place To Be") are good metal songs. The new song, "One More For The Road," isn't a catchy song, and it's too modern, with down-tuned rhythms. My major complaint, however, is John Ward's vocals. He certainly isn't on the same level of Biff Byford, and it's a glaring weakness for Oliver/Dawson Saxon, especially when they perform so many Saxon songs. Ward's style is really the polar opposite of Byford's, too. He's got a raspy approach and sings in a much lower register. While this works on the Son Of A Bitch tracks, it really doesn't on the Saxon songs. Nevertheless, I'm such a Saxon fan that I did enjoy hearing the material. The Saxon and SOB hooklines are so strong that they do overpower the limitations of Ward, helping to achieve the 3.5 score. However, if they plan to continue playing the Saxon classics, my advice to Oliver and Dawson is to find a vocalist similar to Biff Byford.