With a more meticulous and revitalized production style, Saxon have now captured ten of their strongest and most inspired songs in many years for eternity. This album is a worthy successor to their last album 'Call To Arms'. "Less tricks, more power!" roars frontman and band founder Biff Byford, "My instruction to the band was: be raw, be real and don't be afraid to take inspiration from our old classics."
The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and produced by Byford together with Andy Sneap. Jacky Lehmann handled the mixing and engineering. It is bursting with power and metallic fervor, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt's guitar work is superb and Biff's voice sounds fresher and livelier than ever. The songwriting harks back to the classic era in Saxon's history, with highlights such as "Warriors Of The Road", "Wheels Of Terror" and "Stand Up And Fight" recalling the halcyon days of yore, but with a modern twist, combining the classic Saxon sound with the snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as Megadeth.
The title track "Sacrifice" in particular proves very impressively that this combination works perfectly. "It's more from an 'early 80s thrashy perspective'," explains Biff, "the guitars have more thrust, purpose and perspective and don't just thrash around in a blunt and messy way."
Alongside the new material, Saxon will also include reissued classics in unique versions on some formats of the release, also produced by Byford and mastered by Andy Sneap, including an orchestrated version of 'Crusader' and an acoustic version of 'Frozen Rainbow'. "From the songs to the production, I paid particular attention to the raw aspects that made us famous back in the day," concludes Biff, "and that rawness combined with some great Saxon songwriting presents Saxon fresher than ever in my opinion."
Limited black vinyl pressing
Tracklisting
1. Procession
2. Sacrifice
3. Made In Belfast
4. Warriors Of The Road
5. Guardians Of The Tomb
6. Stand Up And Fight
7. Walking The Steel
8. Night Of The Wolf
9. Wheels Of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue
