Artist: Saxon
Label: SPV Records
Release: 2007
The new album from Saxon, surviving dinosaurs and champions from the N.W.O.B.H.M. days, who ever since “Solid Ball Of Rock” have sounded German, mostly thanks to a rawer production that was never typical of the Brits, and even the way the riffs are built picked up a bit of German flavor (the nineties!!!!), not to mention the occasional sprinkling of double bass drum pedal, something the band’s “pre-Solid Ball Of Rock” era never knew, takes us back to the 1997 – 2001 period with the new record “The Inner Sanctum”. The return of drummer Nigel Glockler to the band probably didn’t have all that much to do with it, but this very lineup gave us, for example, the amazing “Unleash the Beast” (1997). Either way, “The Inner Sanctum” is once again a Saxon record from head to toe, more so than “Lionheart” (2004), where the guys wanted to catch the sonic power metal trends of the 21st century, and we all know a band like Saxon needs no imitating whatsoever. Hallelujah, “The Inner Sanctum” draws straight from the sacred Saxon tradition again, adding a bombast that they managed to bring to “German” Saxon in the most beautiful way on “Killing Ground” (2001). The best example of merging the tradition of the “Denim And Leather” days with the “German” side is I’ve Got To Rock (To Stay Alive), as the title itself suggests.
The words heavy metal! The eighties. Saxon are a first-class stereotype of “heavy metal”. Their expression carries the finest merchandise of all the protected and representative trademarks of the phrase “heavy metal”, which Saxon have been spoiling us with ever since way back in 1979, right up to this very day. There’s no point in philosophizing. Here you get big melodies, a solid, unyielding riff formation, anthemic choruses, the by now standard brilliant soloing of the Scarrat/Quinn duo, Biff’s unmistakable vocal stamp, and all of it artfully, and for old cats like these almost routinely, backed by the devilish Carter/Glockler rhythm section. “The Inner Sanctum” is a highly dynamic record and Saxon set an incredible pace across the entire running time. Even after 30 years of the band’s existence, the album “The Inner Sanctum” sounds unbelievably fresh, with the guys playing like untamed stallions, as if they were still fighting to put their name on the rock music map.
After the first three bangers, the guys slow things down with Red Star Falling, into which they mixed some of that golden “eighties” atmosphere of the legendary songs Broken Heroes and The Eagle Has Landed. Saxon simply know how to time the mood and create waves of dynamics across their albums. That’s how the album ends too, in the most elegant way possible. The prelude Empire Rising brings the atmosphere of the opening of “Unleash the Beast”, and then comes a cannonade with a venomous riff! The longest song, Atila The Hun, serves as the closer and the atmospheric peak of “The Inner Sanctum”, with a longer instrumental middle section where the guys really go berserk and the metal beast menacingly growls, baring its terrifying teeth, showing that Saxon, despite the long road traveled, are far from having chipped fangs!
The production is lively, the balance between the instruments is there, the vocals sit in the center, and above all the excellent bass line of Nibbs Carter stands clearly separated in the overall sound, his clanking and grinding booming thick and cutting through the steel of the album’s guitar riffs. That’s the Saxon magic! A band that can’t and won’t deny who they are. Tradition lives! Loyal to tradition, for the band’s loyal fans. What more could anyone possibly wish for? The name Saxon remains big and proud! “The Inner Sanctum” is another real Saxon record! Another one like this, please!
Lineup
Biff Byford – vocals
Paul Quinn – guitar
Doug Scarrat – guitar
Nibbs Carter – bass
Nigel Glockler – drums
Production
Biff Byford & Charlie Bauerfiend
Tracklist
1. State Of Grace
2. Need For Speed
3. Let Me Feel Your Power
4. Red Star Falling
5. I’ve Got To Rock (To Stay Alive)
6. If I Was You
7. Going Nowhere Fast
8. Ashes To Ashes
9. Empire Rising
10. Atila The Hun
Album length: 44.37
