Saxon: "Sacrifice"

Saxon –-legends from New Wave of British Heavy Metal—has 20 studio albums, from the debut “Saxon” (1979) to “Sacrifice” (2013). As of May 2013, Priest has 16, Maiden 15 and Motorhead 21. Saxon has more than a handful of total classic must-haves. Unlike some longstanding bands, Saxon has a remarkable history of consistency because Biff Byford (vocals) and Paul Quinn (guitars) have been at their respective posts since 1977. By now, the other members—Nigel Glockler (drums), Nibbs Carter (bass) and Doug Scarratt (guitar)—have been in Saxon a long, long time, too, decades, actually. Probably their best since the 1997 classic “Unleash the Beast,” this one is very enjoyable all the way through. Even as a Saxon lunatic fanatic, I am surprised at the excellence, high quality and headbangingness of this album. Nine songs: 8 uptempo rockers, 1 midtempo track. Great rocking vibe. Saxon is very good at heavy metal, always has been. In addition, Saxon here offers fun, new versions (reworked, classical or acoustic) of 5 classics, all good stuff. www.saxon747.com