It's almost getting tedious talking about new Saxon albums at this point, the band just firing on cylinders unknown to normal NWOBHM acts, who are now here with their 23rd (!) studio album, titled Carpe Diem. Yes, that's right, another year, another barnstorming, kick ass Saxon record, who have been delivering some of their finest records in recent years that are easily rivaling some of their best of the '80s. Thunderbolt, Battering Ram, Sacrifice, Call to Arms, Into the Labyrinth, Inner Sanctum, Lionheart, Killing Ground...you get the picture...all the albums since the start of the 2000's have been of such ridiculous high quality, and Carpe Diem, their fourth album in a row working with producer Andy Sneap, is a terrific sounding heavy metal record filled with one powerful anthem after another.
Highlights are many, with leather lunged Biff Byrford, another ageless wonder, leading the charge. "Carpe Diem" and "Age of Steam" kick things off in fine, NWOBHM fashion, the band sounding 35 years younger than they actually are, and follow those corkers up with the melancholy "The Pilgrimage", a long lost cousin to 1985's "Broken Heroes". Other standouts to look out for are the bulldozing "Dambusters", the near thrash of "Super Nova", the epic sounding "Lady in Gray", and the two crushing riff monsters "All For One" and "Black is the Night", each one chock full of metallic fury from the guitar duo of Paul Quinn & Doug Scarratt.
Basically, if you are looking to get your classic heavy metal groove on, you won't get much better than Carpe Diem here in 2022. Another instant classic from Saxon, a band who seemingly have no desire to stop those creative juices from flowing.
Track Listing
- Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)
- Age Of Steam
- The Pilgrimage
- Dambusters
- Remember The Fallen
- Super Nova
- Lady In Gray
- All For One
- Black Is The Night
- Living On The Limit
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
