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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy metal gods, still heading for the stars, playing rock and roll guitars., 4 Jan 2009
It's now over thirty years since Saxon launched themselves on the heavy metal scene, although they'd already been around for a few years under the name Son Of A Bitch. Despite their vintage, they were adopted wholesale by the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, having some incredible success in the very early eighties with hit albums like Wheels Of Steel and Strong Arm Of The Law and hit singles such as "And The Bands Played On". They rushed out a series of albums including the legendary live release The Eagle Has Landed, but it all went sour on their home turf, when they broadened their sound in attempt to crack America, and things rapidly went downhill after 1983's Power & The Glory release.
They tried an increasingly commercial approach which hit a nadir with their cover of the Christopher Cross tune "Ride Like The Wind", and a series off lineup changes ended up with two versions of Saxon doing the rounds before the version led by vocalist Peter "Biff" Byford won the legal battle. However, they always maintained a strong presence in the metal heartland of Germany, and remained beloved by many for inspiring the writers of "This Is Spinal Tap". Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer have confirmed that Saxon was a major inspiration for the 1984 mockumentary and they copied many of Saxon's mannerisms on stage. This came about after Harry Shearer toured with the band in 1981, hearing anecdotes from lead guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist Steve "Dobby" Dawson. Shearer also copied many of Dawson's mannerisms, such as playing his bass with one hand plucking the strings while the other one points to the crowd and he even sported a moustache just like Dawson's.
The nineties and the new millennium saw them releasing a series of strong but unheard albums as they toiled away in the farther reaches of Europe until 2007 saw them the subjects of an episode of legendary promoter Harvey Goldsmith's Get Your Act Together TV series. Despite (or because) of the clashes with Goldsmith their popularity in the UK soared and the resulting single "If I Was You" (a song about gun culture), went to number one on the Rock charts in over 10 countries. Saxon then sold out the City Hall in their hometown of Sheffield, resulting in their biggest UK date in over 15 years. They also became the most talked about band at the 2008 Download Festival, despite being on the third stage. They cemented this stunning comeback by releasing their strongest album in over a decade, The Inner Sanctum, and setting out on headline treks across the UK. The end of the year saw them touring with fellow veterans Motorhead, leading to this, their 18th studio album.
Into the Labyrinth sees them continuing to mine the power metal template that has sustained them during the lean years and is another strong album. The opening number "Battalions of Steel" is a somewhat laboured and generic number, but is rapidly followed by their last single "Live to Rock", the latest in a long line of metal anthems that gets the album back onto solid ground, something that continues on "Demon Sweeney Todd" and "Valley of the Kings".
They then throw a curve ball by throwing in a seriously rocking blues number called "Slow Lane Blues", which not only surprises, but ends up as one of the strongest tracks on the album. Then it's back to the metal for the remainder of the album with "Protect Yourselves" and "Come Rock of Ages (The Circle is Complete)" probably the strongest of the songs on offer. They end the album by revisiting a number from their Killing Ground album in the shape of "Coming Home", but done in a bottleneck slide guitar version, in a similar vein to Motorheads "Whorehouse Blues" of a few years back. Apparently they have plans for an acoustic album, and if this is a taster, then bring it on. There will also be an additional 14th track available only on download on the day of release (12th January).
It's another strong album as Saxon continue on one of the more unlikely metal comebacks, although not as instant as The Inner Sanctum. However, there is more than enough metal to keep the legions of denim and leather happy.
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![Into The Labyrinth [Limited Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ha%2BA1mvLL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
