Metalhead

Performer: Saxon
Engineer: Charly Bauerfeind
Producer: Biff Byford; Charly Bauerfeind
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Saxon: Biff Byford (vocals); Paul Quinn, Doug Scarratt (guitar); Nibbs Carter (bass); Fritz Randow (drums). Additional personnel: Chris Bay (keyboards). Recorded at Karo Studios, Hamburg, Germany. Despite all naysayers, and whatever the price, new wave of British heavy metal pioneers Saxon continue to persist year after year, label after label, lineup after lineup, through think and thin. They've continued to stubbornly wave the flag of British heavy metal, overcoming bad management decisions, misguided artistic directions, and widespread neglect on American soil to forge a respectable comeback in the mid-'90s. Indeed, the return to form initiated with 1992's Forever Free is delivered in full-force by 1999's Metalhead. Led by the instantly recognizable voice of frontman Biff Byford, the newly revamped quintet (featuring new German drummer Fritz Randow) rips into action with the bombastic title track, then rolls into one of their best all-around songs of the decade, "Are We Travellers in Time." Surprisingly convincing thrash-outs ensue on "Conquistador" and "All Guns Blazing," and despite losing focus on some of the intermediate tracks, the album finishes strong with the epic metal grandeur of "Sea of Life." Sadly, no matter how impressive their efforts, old warriors like Saxon can never hope to convert the kids to their cause. But at least they seem to be having fun again, rather than trying to be something they're not. ~ 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.

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