Unleash the Beast [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Saxon
Producer: Kalle Trapp; Kalle Trapp; Saxon
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Saxon: Biff Byford (vocals); Paul Quinn, Doug Scarrat (guitar); Nibbs Carter (bass); Nigel Glockler (drums). Recorded at Karo Studios, Brackel, Germany. Saxon: Nibbs Carter (bass guitar); Doug Scarratt, Nigel Glockler, Paul Quinn , Biff Byford. Personnel: Biff Byford (vocals); Doug Scarratt, Paul Quinn (guitar); Nigel Glockler (drums). Audio Mixers: Kalle Trapp; Biff Byford. Liner Note Author: Biff Byford. Recording information: Germany (1995); Karo Studios, Brakel (1995). Photographer: Thorsten Eichhorst. Like their stone-faced warrior namesake, Saxon is merciless. Their brand of crunchy guitar, relentless beats, and menacing bass-lines has been Master to metal masochists for almost two decades and their legacy can be found the world over. With UNLEASH THE BEAST though, Saxon are not merely keeping step with their legacy, they're creating a new one. As an important member of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that swept the world in the early 80's, Saxon released what is often considered the defining album of the movement: THE POWER & THE GLORY. But where that album went to 10, UNLEASH THE BEAST goes to 11. Songs like "Terminal Velocity" and "All Hell Breaking Loose" will have heads banging to the point of hemorrhage, but the thought-provoking "Ministry Of Fools" and the introspective "Absent Friends" will restore those shattered neural pathways. In fact, there is not a dud song on the album. Once again, Saxon has truly unleashed a beast of a record. All hail the new metal! CMC International seems to have found a way to sign every available "no longer hip" metal band on the planet, so it was only a matter of time before they snapped up Saxon. After a string of surprisingly strong records, the band delivered another solid platter in Unleash the Beast, their first release following the departure of founding guitarist Graham Oliver. Adding some gothic overtones and slightly darker lyrics than its predecessors, the album also saw Saxon touring America for the first time in almost a decade. [Steamhammer's 2007 reissue includes bonus tracks.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Along with Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, Saxon was one of the key bands in the early-1980s scene known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Using the hard-rock template laid out by Deep Purple and Black Sabbath but playing a faster, louder, and more theatrically bombastic version of it, Saxon's sound would influence a plethora of metal bands--from Megadeth and Bathory to Metallica and the Darkness--for decades to come.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5