SAXON-Battering Ram
Militia Guard Music/UDR
What can we say about Saxon that hasn’t been said before in their thirty-nine years of existence? Their twenty-first (!) studio album ‘Battering Ram’ is another milestone. Of course you don’t except the sound to be too different from previous albums but the songs are still of the highest quality. Aggressive opener and title track ,,Battering Ram’’ sets the bar high. ,,The Devil’s Footprint’’, based on a two hundred year old tale, is even faster and heavier with Biff hitting the high notes seemingly without any problem and a nice twin solo to put the cherry on the cake. Drummer Glockler and bass player Carter lay the solid foundation. Guitarists Quinn and Scarratt compete like youngsters and Biff sounds impressive as ever. Saxon never disappoints. ,,Queen Of Hearts’’ is a midtempo song in which, at one point Biff does an Ian Gillan impersonation. ,,Destroyer’’ reminds a bit of contemporaries Judas Priest and ,,Top Of The World’’ is pretty darn catchy. ‘Battering Ram’ has a recognizable sound, great riffing, cool guitar duels and songs that will prove to stand the test of time. For me the outstanding song is also a bit of the odd one out. ,,Kingdom Of The Cross’’ is a melancholic look at the horrors of WW1. It’s a poem read by Hell’s David Bower with Biff only singing the chorus, accompanied by bass and keyboards. It is meaningful and moody and a stylish end to a great album. They did it again and heavier than before.
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