SAXON - The Inner Sanctum  [CD + DVD]

Posted: 03/02/08

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Heavy Metal

Released: 03/05/07

Label URL: www.spvusa.com

Artist URL: www.saxon747.com

As a long-time Saxon fan, I’m proud to say that the band never lets its fans down.  While so many other classic bands go through good and bad albums, or even worse, continue on despite being long past their creative years, Saxon still release great album after great album.  The level of creativity in this band is mind boggling when you consider that they’ve been doing this non-stop since the late 70s. 

Saxon left some of its classic lineup behind years ago but additions Doug Scarratt (guitar) and Nibbs Carter (bass) have only served the band better.  The tone of The Inner Sanctum balances contemporary production and guitar tones with all the great 80s elements (hooky riffs, powerful vocals, thoughtful lyrics, varied songs, and big choruses).  The diversity in songs keeps the disc fresh and moving along.  The anthemic “I’ve Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)” is a peppy, fist-in-the-air rocker and "Going Nowhere Fast" is a chorus driven track with a classic high-end Byford vocal - both are the most 80s sounding tracks on the disc - but they have a modern heaviness.  Fans of the classic “Broken Heroes” will immediately take to “Red Star Falling,” an emotional ballad about the fall of a dictatorship.  A darker, more contemporary guitar sound is featured in "If I Was You," while "Need For Speed" and "Let Me Feel Your Power" show the relentlessly fast drumming of returning drummer Nigel Glockler.

The Inner Sanctum not only features the 10 song cd, but it also comes with a dvd called A Night Out With The Boys, which features interviews with the band and the guys performing some seldom played classics live - "Redline," "Suzie Hold On," "Stand Up And Be Counted, " and "To Hell And Back Again."  The dvd is of the highest quality too - both visually and from a audio perspective.  Saxon understands that it's important to encourage fans to purchase the physical album (and not simply download it for free or otherwise), so they give fans a reason to by coming up with a  worthwhile cd/dvd package.

The Bloody Truth:  Just when I get discouraged with heavy metal in the late 00's, Saxon returns to kick my ass.  They are the template for what heavy metal should be.  They've blended all that's good with today's technology with classic metal.  This is an absolute must have purchase for all metal/hard rock fans.