Published on Dec 14, 2000
Biff Byford and the rest of the gang in Saxon have to be getting
really pissed off. They’ve been cranking out albums since the ’80s,
and are considered one of the forefathers of the New Wave Of
British Heavy Metal. Yet they’ve never been able to capture an
audience like Iron Maiden. Instead, they’ve marched to their own
beat, with thir small but loyal legion of fans, putting out albums
that have been quite pleasing — at least insofar as the ones I’ve
listened to.
Metalhead, the band’s 1999 release, is another one of those
discs which sadly seems to be destined to become a forgotten gem.
Too bad that the bulk of the civilized metal world doesn’t know
what they’re missing in this band, as this disc keeps a successful
streak alive for Byford and crew.
Following an uncredited intro track (performed by Nigel
Glockler), Saxon kick off with the title track, and proceed to do
what they’ve done best for so long — play rock music which will
suck the listener in hook, line and sinker. Sure, there’s not as
much flash in the guitar work of Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt, but
in the whole picture (where the song is the thing of importance),
they don’t need to be doing Joe Satriani impressions.
That’s what is special about both
Metalhead and Saxon. There is great emphasis placed on the
song, not in showmanship. If anything, this helps to tone down the
music to a point where even someone who claims they don’t like
metal would be willing to give songs like “Are We Travellers In
Time,” “What Goes Around,” “All Guns Blazing” and “Sea Of Life” a
fighting chance.
Oh, sure, there’s still the occasional tie to the old days, like
when Byford lets loose with a balls-on-a-benchsaw scream or they
heavily invoke evil imagery as they do on “Song Of Evil” (hey, at
least they don’t hide it); these are the only times where things go
a little south for Saxon. I’d prefer to see them manipulate the
music so it sounds relevant in 2000 than trying to recapture old
glory. (To the band’s defense, they rarely fall into this trap.)
And there are one or two songs, such as “Piss Off” and “Prisoner,”
that aren’t the easiest to get into.
Fortunately for Saxon, the missteps are few, and the joys on
Metalhead are many. Saxon has been in the music game for a
long time, and it would really be nice to see their efforts
rewarded somehow. If they could re-awaken interest in the band with
this disc, something tells me they’d be considered one of the
leaders of the Third Wave Of British Heavy Metal.