DVD Review: SAXON – Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie

(2DVD) UDR/EMI [Release date 07.12.12]

NWoBHM stalwarts Saxon have been rocking for over 35 years and currently enjoying some of their biggest success ever. Certainly in terms of new album, live reviews, Saxon are pretty much top of their game, and they have a long and interesting career.

This documentary takes us through the band’s history with footage new and old including some recently unearthed live footage from their 1979 Bomber tour with Motorhead, cut with more recent live and interview and backstage material.

It’s nice to see Biff / Quinn and Oliver / Dawson all talking positively and affably about their time together, in fact the band all come over as so friendly, intelligently and nicely spoken. Life on the road and record sales are amongst the topics covered, sex on the road and tea too. Yes really. The then manager and Motorhead’s Lemmy talk of a 5 hour tea frenzy!! Lars Ulrich and Geoff Barton show up too.

Yes this works, the footage is good it’s an enjoyable, well presented and enthralling story that covers 2 hours.

Disc 2 has a load of extras that I am going to watch again and again.

From more interviews and a 1 hour live at the Beat club 1981, interviews circa Crusader, footage from the Innocence recordings. Sound fun? Well, the best is yet to come. Really. 55 minutes of the 2008 St George’s Day show in London. If you don’t believe just how brilliant Saxon currently are, watch this. It is a show I was at, and a recording my whistle can be heard on.

This DVD is, for any Saxon fan, Essential. *****

Review by Joe Geesin

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

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