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The wheels of steel keep turning for the heavy metal masters, and have turned ever more quickly for Saxon in the millennium
Photo: Darren Griffiths
In April 2007 there was a reality TV show when Harvey Goldsmith hosted an attempt to restore Saxon’s reputation and standing. But, as Biff Byford told us in 2014, it was really a publicity stunt for the band and there was really no need for such promotion.
Indeed that has been borne out by a particularly productive “purple period” with the band producing solid, well received albums and consistently excellent live shows.
The band formed in 1979 and became pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). Long time fan and supporter Joe Geesin says “I honestly feel that Saxon have never released a bad album, and before anyone screams ‘Destiny’, check out the band’s cover of ‘Ride Like The Wind’”.
The start of the 1990s saw the band take a more rock’n’roll direction, with ‘Solid Ball Of Rock’. This introduced young bassist Tim ‘Nibbs’ Carter, a real character on stage and still in the band to this day.
When Geesin asked Nibbs about the band’s love of tea, he replied “Yes. I’ve nearly run out, I’m down to my last 150 bags. They like tea over there (Germany) but you just can’t get what you get here. Typhoo or PG Tips, or even your Tesco’s premium home brand. I take it over in its own fuckin’ ship”.
The band returned to a heavier sound with the albums ‘Dogs Of War’ (1995) and Killing Ground (2001).
Since GRTR! started in 2003 they have been a staple of many festivals (several captured on DVD or CD) and released eight studio albums (ten if you include the two “Inspirations” albums). The period has also been marked by countless reissues. The band also resolved a legal wrangle with former band members for use of the band name.
Another example of a band back in fashion in the millennium – quality always wins out – Saxon went through a leaner period like many contemporaries in the late 1980s (when they were dropped by EMI) and 1990s when they dipped in and out of heavier rock responding to perceived demand. Albums were, as a result, patchy and sometimes confusing but always interesting.
After the EMI deal, their manager was pushing the band to break America. Biff told Joe Geesin: “We had a three-album deal that EMI didn’t renew. We had a break and weren’t doing a great deal. I was renovating houses and selling them, and we did a live album. I was living in Lincolnshire and this promoter, Reiner Hansel, drove there, pulled up, and said that Virgin Germany wanted to sign us, and I said yes. We went back in the studio and it all really started again; Solid Ball Of Rock was a key album.”
The band then spent several years on German label SPV before moving to UDR, now Silver Lining, and continue to go from strength to strength.
Our first sighting of the band in the millennium was in August 2003 when they headlined the Bloodstock Festival. Reviewed by Ian Pollard and Jason Ritchie who noted “Saxon were again on fine form and for sheer classic metal you can’t beat them at the moment.”
In October 2004 Joe Geesin – a long time fan and advocate – witnessed a packed London Astoria “To say hotter than hell would be both clichéd yet a major understatement.”
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
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We love playing live as this is really the right environment for Saxon. In addition to that, with record and CD sales reaching an all-time low, it is at live shows where the money is and if you want to be able to survive as a band you will need to be on the road as long as you possibly can. |
Shows in 2004 and 2005 (including the Astoria gig) were celebrated on the 2006 release ‘The Eagle Has Landed Part 3‘.
Album review (Lionheart, 2006) |
The double DVD released in 2006 ‘To Hell And Back Again‘ featured footage of the recordng and promotion of ‘Lionheart’ together with live footage whilst Dogs Of War (1995) was reissued.
Joe Geesin’s next encounter was the launch showcase for the band’s ‘The Inner Sanctum’ followed by a gig at London’s Astoria in May when he noted that the venue was packed out on the evidence of the music not a TV reality show.
Photo: Andy Nathan
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Doug and Nibbs are fantastic players – they’re always being slammed in certain quarters, being called faceless session musicians – I’m sure you know who I’m talking about without naming names – but that’s absolute bollocks if you pardon my French!!! The real fans love them! I’ve seen it! They are fully fledged members of Saxon!!!! Nigel Glockler, 2002 (he rejoined the band in 2005 following health issues) |
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
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Like its predecessor ‘Lionheart’ Saxon have produced another album of classic metal. If you’re a lapsed fan this is well worth getting and if you’re new to the band buy it as well! Existing fans already know they are in for a treat! **** Jason Ritchie Album review, The Inner Sanctum (2007) |
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
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I like the idea of doing something like ‘If I Was You’ because it feels like going out and buying a single, when I was 13 or 14 I was going out and buying ‘Never Surrender’, ’20,000 Ft’ and ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’. I think it stands up against all those tracks. |
The release of several more reissues in 2007 and a 3-CD ‘Best Of’ reflected a band in demand and renewed popularity.
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What would you change about your past? Probably being more courageous, in the business sense, in the early days. We got pushed around a lot. |
Saxon were paired with Motorhead on two tours, in June 2005 and November 2008 when in Joe’s words they “played a stormer” but:
“Sadly I was standing – not pleasurable with a toe infection that was literally left bleeding by the large number of blind imbeciles whose lack of intelligence would give Neanderthals a bad name who insisted on stamping on their way past. That said, Saxon lifted my spirits and are the epitome of Englishness, opening to the fanfare of ‘Jerusalem’ before flying into ‘Motorcycle Man’.”
The band and St.Georges Day have a special connection and Geesin reviewed their gig at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on that very day in 2008.
| You tour a lot, you play long sets, you’re active on stage and your voice is still good, what do you do to keep in shape?Biff: I don’t know, I’m just lucky I guess. I didn’t abuse myself when I was younger, you know, with the drink and drugs, so I’m getting the benefits now. |
In 2008 Saxon ran a competition to find “The Riff King” with entrants supplanting their solo over the track ‘Live To Rock’. Ben Randall’s entry received a commendation.
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Throughout the album Biff’s voice remains strong, whatever angle the band take, there’s something here for Saxon fans new and old, and for most metal fans. ***** Joe Geesin Album review (Into The Labyrinth, 2008) |
In 2009 Saxon were celebrating their 30th anniversary. At their gig in November 2009 at Camden’s Koko Joe Geesin commented:
“Proof here that they have a stronger catalogue than most, and are both willing and able to mix things up. When you compare the 90s output to the likes of Iron Maiden and Motorhead, you’d have to go with Saxon, who don’t need to rely on early classics.”
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There’s a lot of young kids getting into the music, and there’s a lot of older fans you used to be into us and Iron Maiden and Whitesnake who are coming along to see us again and bringing their family along. There’s definitely a huge amount of people getting into it all right now (heavy rock). You see AC/DC and Metallica selling out in like 15 seconds, there’s a real resurgence. And not just here, across the world. We’re going back into America, doing some great shows. “Battalions Of Steel” was number two on the College Radio playlist across America which was great, we’re getting a lot of airplay, a lot of people getting behind us. There’s no egos in the band, which is maybe why we’re doing so well at the moment. It’s not like it used to be, and the whole band are getting recognition. It’s not just like focus on the singer, Paul Quinn, who I think is a really underrated guitarist, he’s getting in ‘Guitarist’ magazine, it cements the whole band thing. |
A DVD was released in 2013 recording Saxon’s gigs at the Wacken festival in Germany 2004, 2007 and 2009. (Previously, the Chronicles DVD featured a 2001 Wacken show).
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
Over the years Biff Byford has guested on other artists’ albums including Avantasia (2013) and – in 2012 – Doro.
David Randall reviewed Saxon’s gig with Doro in May 2009:
On a roll, on a mission and nearly through with their UK tour. Fresh from his appearance in Paris on stage with Metallica, it’s time to re-evaluate Biff and the Band especially on the back of an excellent new album and spate of reissues. The Saxon star, or cross (?), is in its ascendancy again.
This was the best gig of the year so far, aided by an engaging frontman (‘no make up, just sweat and metal’) and a back catalogue most bands would give their tattooed right arm for.
They were also as tight as a sealed boxed set with Paul Quinn’s soloing more in evidence trading off the excellent Doug Scarratt and a rock-hard rhythm section of Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter.
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Probably more than any other band in this genre, Saxon deliver on all fronts. Easily parodied perhaps, but I think it is Saxon who have the last laugh. Their songs are durable, dramatic when necessary, and they give renewed life to the noble art of headbanging. David Randall |
Photo: Noel Buckley
GRTR! writers cropped up in unlikely places and Mark Taylor reviewed the band at the Bang Your Head Festival in Germany in July 2009 when
“The amps were turned to ten and it didn’t matter if you spilt the pint of the person next to you: We were all unified by the strength of metal tonight.”
And in November Dave Hunter reviewed the band at the Hellfire 2 event in Birmingham. The following year the band played the inaugural High Voltage event.
Joe Geesin chatted to Biff at High Voltage in July 2010.
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Trad British Metal at its best. And for those of you who can’t understand my constant raving about these guys, there are certain constants in life that NEVER change: the speed of light, the earth is round, the sky is blue, Saxon never put on a bad performance. Joe Geesin |
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Saxon have made a sure fire album album here, because it keeps the momentum of the last 2 albums without sticking to a formula, with strong nods back to the 90s metal and classic early 80s period. The balance is right, the balance is fresh. The band are tight, all working hard to stay on top of their game and it comes off. ***** Joe Geesin Album review, Call To Arms (2011) |
Yiannis Stefanis, then our metal editor, summed things up after he saw the band at London’s Koko in December 2011.
I have had the pleasure of seeing Saxon live on numerous occasions in the past but it really feels like each new performance is more impressive than the last!
What makes them stand out from the crowd, apart from the sheer talent of each of the individual members, is their commitment to ensuring that attending a Saxon show is not only a truly enjoyable experience but is also ‘value for money’ and also their determination to remain an outfit relevant to the times.
For these reasons, it is no exaggeration to say that the age of tonight’s ranged from sixteen to sixty! I am not sure what the future holds for this legendary band, but I do know this: next time you see a new Saxon album being released or a new gig being advertised, do not hesitate – something that cannot be said for all bands these days!
Pete Feenstra chatted to Biff Byford in November 2011 prior to their UK tour promoting the ‘Call To Arms’ album.
Photo: Jeff Oram
A year later we reviewed Saxon with Judas Priest and then, in June 2012, Andy Nathan reviewed Saxon playing “at the ridiculously early time of midday” at Download. However the band played a tight 40 minute set and Andy observed: “Biff Byford, with his flowing grey hair and overcoat, has the look of an old sea dog these days but remains one of rock’s best and most endearing frontmen.”
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Saxon have been on a bit of roll with recent albums and tours getting much acclaim. And this new album sees no let up at all. This album is to the last few albums what Dogs Of War did all those years ago – a real metal monster and it’s fantastic from the outset. ***** Joe Geesin Album review (Sacrifice, 2013) |
Yiannis Stefanis interviewed Biff in 2013 when the singer talked extensively about the new album ‘Sacrifice’.
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
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…we kind of lost that Spinal Tap element a little bit when Graham (Oliver) left and Doug (Scarrett) replaced him as a superb guitarist and eventually he also became a great song writer. |
In 2013 Saxon was one of our most reviewed bands with four different sightings plus Steelhouse Festival. Andrew Lock in Leamington noted that the band frequently change their set list from tour to tour, whilst our Live Editor Dave Wilson in Glasgow hadn’t seen the band for a while but summed it up “a fantastic two hours in the company of one of metal’s most enduring and entertaining bands.”
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
Simon Dunkerley at the Nottinghan gig noted “The crowd was made up of all ages; from fans from the 70′s/80′s to new fans and it’s was good to see the tradition of ‘cut-off’ denim jackets filled with band patches still going as I saw a few nice new ones rather than the usual old faded ones.”
In Oxford, Andy Nathan summed the band up:
If only everything in life was as reliable as Saxon. You can set your watch by the fact the enduring Yorkshire stalwarts of the NWOBHM will be touring every spring, usually to coincide with St George’s Day.
And you can guarantee a top quality professional performance, and a set list with a perfect balance of new material, unexpected cuts from their lengthy career and, as the set wears on, the classics that those of us of a certain age grew up on.
| Few bands are more consistent at delivering the goods time after time
Andy Nathan |
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Saxon are one of the enduring British rock bands who have consistently delivered the metal clad goods. This new album though offers something a little different in that the band have taken some of their well known classics and have reworked them to produce something fresh and new. **** Dave Wilson Album review (Unplugged And Strung Up, 2013) |
Heavy Metal Thunder Live was released as a DVD in 2013 chronicling tha band ‘s history with documentary footage and live material. The CD Live In Germany 1991 was also available.
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
2014 opened with an unusual gig for the band in North Wales, and a small venue, The Tivoli. David Randall was suitably impressed: “Tonight was a chance to cherish and savour again one of heavy rock’s finest in a more intimate setting. In harder times, maybe more bigger bands will revert to smaller venues. It must have seemed a world away from Download or Sweden Rock for the band themselves, but quite wonderful nevertheless and – for a brief moment in time – maybe we had indeed re-captured a little bit of our mis-spent youth.”
The main original release this year was the live album ‘St George’s Day: Live In Manchester‘ a 2-CD set/DVD recorded on a traditional flag-waving day for the band and described by Joe Geesin as “a full and complete show perfectly performed and presented. It highlights why Saxon are widely considered top of their game, on record and on stage, 35 years after their debut.”
A 10-CD box set The Complete Albums 1979-1988 presaged the reissue campaign of 2017 when all the EMI albums were re-released. It will be plainly evident that the Saxon discography is complicated by the large number of reissues, duplication, and omissions. The “complete albums” set lacked some of the bonus tracks that appeared on the 2009/2010 remasters. Saxon Sleuth Geesin explains all in our review.
Photo: Paul Rodgers
Saxon played two big UK festival events in the summer of 2015: Rambling Man (July) and Hard Rock Hell (November) Of the former Dave Wilson was in no doubt: “This was one of the best Saxon performances I have seen and proved the guys were worthy headliners.”
2016 saw the release of a multi-CD/DVD box set covering the years 1991 – 2009. David Randall wrote:
The period in question may not be regarded as Saxon’s classic period by some fans. After the halcyon days of chart success in the late 1970s and early 1980s the band’s fortunes wavered slightly as they contended with a changing musical landscape.
In the 1990s the musical weather vane was pointing at grunge and Seattle rather than heavy rock and Barnsley. Even bands like Uriah Heep succumbed to the period and produced some atypical material as they rode the groundswell.
Edsel had already reissued most of the albums in 2016 – ‘Eagles And Dragons‘ – but this time on vinyl.
In the box set, ‘Classics Re-Recorded’ was originally released as a limited bonus with the 2001 album ‘Killing Ground’ and then as an extra disc with ‘Heavy Metal Thunder Live’.
Photo: Simon Dunkerley
A year later ‘Decade Of The Eagle‘ reflected the reissue of albums released in the band’s first 10 years (1979-1988). As Joe Geesin said “Saxon over and above every other rock and metal band have the quality and consistency of catalogue throughout their history to explore, and they do.”
Joe reviewed the first, second, third and fourth batch of reissues which charted the band’s progress from their debut to 1988′s ‘Destiny’. The comprehensive nature of these reviews reflects Joe’s authority and enthusiasm for the band over the years which has also extended to providing liner notes for several releases.
The reissues came thick and fast, also in 2017/2018 10 Years Of Denim And Leather 1990 captured the band’s July 1990 gig recorded for Central Television in Nottingham whilst ‘The CD Hoard’ is a 5-CD trawl though a selection of the band’s live performances.
The 2018 reissue campaign rounded off with a reissue of Saxon’s classic live album ‘The Eagle Has Landed‘.
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Saxon first dipped their toes into rock’n'roll with 1991′s ‘Solid Ball Of Rock’, then into power metal a couple of years later. Since the turn of the millennium they have embraced both, combined with nods to their roots and even symphonic and prog metal moments. The latter two are not so obvious here, but it’s a weighty mix and from the outset you know you’re in for some serious rocking. ***** Joe Geesin Album review (Thunderbolt, 2018) |
‘Thunderbolt’ was subsequently released as a Tour Edition with bonus tracks and a mini-poster. Joe Geesin re-emphasised Saxon as a live attraction:
Saxon’s confidence in their new material. I saw Saxon 20 years ago and they played one track from their then new album, and that was a cover version; a few short years later they were regularly playing 5, 6 or even 7 from a new album. Saxon catalogue exploration and set list variation epitomises why I regularly turned down free tickets to see bands like Motorhead.
Photo: Iain Scott
The band rounded off a busy year on tour in October when Dave Wilson saw them in Glasgow:
Rocking hard and heavy has been Saxon’s bread and butter for their entire career and they do it with style.
Their latest album ‘Thunderbolt’ is a giant slab of unashamed heavy metal which proved that Saxon have lost none of their passion and are still a force to be reckoned with:the demand for classic rock and metal is as strong as ever and that, going into their 40th year, Saxon are still more than capable of bringing the heavy metal thunder to any stage!
The band’s momentum was halted for a time in 2019 – notwithstanding the release of a live album to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary – with Biff Byford’s health scare and then of course Covid kicked in 2020-21. That didn’t stop the release of Biff’s first solo album ‘School Of Hard Knocks‘ in 2020.
! A genuine work of passion, paying tribute to the artists that inspired them both as a band and as individuals, this is that most divisive of things, a covers album,done in such a way that brings their own feel to some of the classics of the past. **** Paul Monkhouse Album review (Inspirations, 2021) |
The band came out of Covid with the album ‘Carpe Diem’. According to Biff Byford: “I had the heart attack back in September 2019, so things went a bit pear-shaped for the band. And then Covid hit two or three months later, but luckily, we started writing and recording this album before Covid.
We did the drums in Germany and we did the guitars in various places. I was doing a lot of writing while I was in the hospital bed, and we spent quite a long time writing and arranging the ideas that we all had. I do think it’s a very intense album, and maybe some of that intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything in the Covid period.”
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Saxon are at the top of their game with a … bollocks to Covid” work ethic to boot. ****1/2 Joe Geesin Album review (Carpe Diem, 2022) |
Photo: Andy Nathan
The band made a triumphal return to the live arena in early 2022 when they played Hammersmith Apollo belatedly celebrating their 40th anniversary. Andy Nathan noted: “The last time was in 1990 but this was the final proof how they have worked their way back to popularity on the strength of delivering live every time.”
And further: “Combined with the atmosphere of anticipation and a set of generous length based on their crowd pleasers, I left thinking this must be my favourite of all the many Saxon shows I have seen over the years.”
In spite of personal setbacks (Most recently Biff Byford’s heart surgery although Nigel Glockler had left the band in 2002 to return in 2005) and not least the prevailing musical and economic climate Saxon have “seized the day”and consolidated a 40 year plus career. In 2022 it was announced that founder member guitarist Paul Quinn would stand down from live performances which will continue in March 2024 when the band tours the UK with Judas Priest and Uriah Heep.
Joe Geesin gives a personal view: I remember seeing Saxon live on the ‘Unleash The Beast’ tour, in 1997, the first to feature new and current guitarist Doug Scarratt. It was a small venue in Tunbridge Wells. An excellent album (there was never an issue with the music, only the press with it’s head up the backside of other trends), the venue was a sign of the band’s popularity in the UK.
That all changed at the turn of the millennium where the band have become darlings of the fans and press, with many a sold out show at Astoria (RIP), Shepherd’s Bush Empire and, more recently, The Roundhouse.
I remember one show in 2001 where their (surprisingly good) cover of ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ was one of the very few numbers from the then new album they played live. Roll on a few years to ‘Battering Ram’ and 6 of the new album’s tracks were played in a 22 track set. Biff Byford admitted to me that the band went through a period of not being so confident in their new material, and how much that had changed. And it shows.
During the 00s and 10s the band have embraced their newfound power metal heaviness with the band’s roots, and in places symphonic, blues, rock’n’roll and prog metal. Then we get to their most recent album ‘Carpe Diem’ (the covers albums aside), which is by far their heaviest yet. It was co-produced by former Sabbat guitarist Any Sneap, whose production credits include Testement, Megadeth and Judas Priest.
Since 1999 I’ve caught every Saxon show in London bar one (and that was a PR error), and between Get Ready To ROCK! and Record Collector Magazine I have interviewed the band about a dozen times, attending several album launches too, they’re a band that have been close to my heart for a long long time.
Since 2000 the band have been favourites of many a festival, and I remember a cracking performance on the Metal Hammer stage at the High Voltage festival, East London. There I got to meet Biff and Doug Scarratt, and their respective families, who were treating it as a day out.
The band are still very active, and Biff has just released the second Heavy Water album, with his son Seb, while BMG have just issued the 90s and early 00s material previously reissued by Demon.
Stallions of the highway indeed.
Story coordination: David Randall (with additional material by Joe Geesin)
Contributors: Joe Geesin, Dave Hunter, Andrew Lock, Paul Monkhouse, Andy Nathan, David Randall, Jason Ritchie, Yiannis Stefanis, Mark Taylor, Dave Wilson
The GRTR! Grotto Home Page
Band website
What Saxon means to me… (Joe Geesin, 2020)
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