Saxon are British through and through. Not only are they among the founders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that kick-started a new musical genre in the early Eighties, they've also upheld the theme of their nati... more »ve country in their lyrics as well as in their music for some 25 years. Pretty much the same can be said of every aspect of their new, haunting album, The Inner Sanctum. From their impressive songwriting with its powerful sounds and ambitioned lyrics about eastern revolutions, British Kings and Queens and the attitude of great warriors, to their striking cover artwork, Saxon unequivocally stand by their origins. At the same time, the band surrounding vocalist Biff Byford display an energy that's almost physically perceptible. Byford rightly explains: "The Inner Sanctum is the most powerful album we've ever recorded." The North American version of The Inner Sanctum comes packaged with a bonus DVD featuring videoclips and Saxon outtakes.« less
Saxon are British through and through. Not only are they among the founders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that kick-started a new musical genre in the early Eighties, they've also upheld the theme of their native country in their lyrics as well as in their music for some 25 years. Pretty much the same can be said of every aspect of their new, haunting album, The Inner Sanctum. From their impressive songwriting with its powerful sounds and ambitioned lyrics about eastern revolutions, British Kings and Queens and the attitude of great warriors, to their striking cover artwork, Saxon unequivocally stand by their origins. At the same time, the band surrounding vocalist Biff Byford display an energy that's almost physically perceptible. Byford rightly explains: "The Inner Sanctum is the most powerful album we've ever recorded." The North American version of The Inner Sanctum comes packaged with a bonus DVD featuring videoclips and Saxon outtakes.
CD Reviews
BEST NEW SAXON CD IN YEARS
Domenic Vitanza | Cleveland,Ohio | 05/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I own every Saxon release ever. Even the rare imports on vinyl and this new cd THE INNER SANCTUM is the very best SAXON cd ever released in some time. It has everything from old Saxon sound to the 90's Saxon sound to the latest Saxon sound all rolled up into one. This cd is a must buy for any true metal fan. SAXON DESERVES ITS DUE. They have put out some great music over the last 35 years and the fact theyre still at it is a testimony to their great music ability on making great hard rock records"
Saxon's second wind
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/30/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's funny, but Saxon, despite being active for the better part of the last three decades seems to really have hit their stride in recent years. The band's glory days may be long behind them, and their lineup shattered, but with their last few albums (2001's Killing Ground, 2004's Lionheart, and now 2007's the Inner Sanctum), Saxon has reached a musical peak not seen since their benchmark New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) albums.
It's refreshing to see a veteran band that isn't content to rest on their laurels and deliver the same stale albums over and over again. Saxon is rocking with all the energy of a much younger band, and that energy is the driving force behind albums like the Inner Sanctum. This is a tight, professional album that recalls both the seminal NWOBHM movement as well as today's more refined power metal sound. Driving anthems like "Need for Speed" and "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" would not have been out of place on Wheels of Steel or Denim and Leather, and epic tracks "Red Star Falling" and "Attila the Hun" are worthy of NWOBHM peers Iron Maiden.
Anyone who may have written Saxon off in the 90's would do well to pay attention to what the band has been up to recently. Call it a metal revival, or maybe just the band's second wind. Whatever it is, the result is a string of fantastic metal albums that no classic metal fan should be without.
NOTE: There are a couple of different versions of the Inner Sanctum. The European version features a radio edit of the song "If I Was You" as a bonus track, while the US version comes with a bonus DVD that features outtakes, live material and other behind the scenes footage. Given its lower price tag, the US version is probably the way to go.
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Keep getting better and better, yet no one seems to notice
stagecrewlizzy | Wheaton, IL | 05/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's true. This album is awesome. Saxon was a great band in the 70's/80's during the NWOBHM movement and then they started to dissappear because the studios were forcing them to do the type of music they didn't want to. Honestly, they just got bad management and marketing which is a true shame because they really are a talented group. Probably one of the best metal bands ever but they'll never get the light of day. Yes, they'll always be remembered for 747 "Strangers of the Night" but for the most part, they won't be remembered for stuff later on like this album which is sooooooooo much darker than their earlier stuff but they like Judas Priest can pull it off. I loved Lionheart and when people were saying that this was better, I didn't believe them. But you know what, they're right. It is. This is the type of music that I want to hear but unfortunately, the industry is dying by genetically altered bands who are robots to their record companies. ALL HAIL SAXON FOR NOT SELLING OUT IN THIS DAY IN AGE!!!!"
Like A Fine Wine..
Stanley Runk | Camp North Pines | 04/26/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Saxon's newest album is a nice dose of straight ahead, no foolin' around, nothing overly fancy, no B.S. heavy metal. Some may translate it to boring, bland, and been done before. But in a metal scene that finds so many of it's bands trying to get more epic, more progressive, more, more, more, an album like this is refreshing. While I like bands like Blind Guardian, Symphony X and Rhapsody, sometimes I just get in that mood where I want to say, "just shut up and rock!" Ya know? Those who have enjoyed much of Saxon's music for the last ten years or so should really enjoy this one. Or of course if you enjoy their classic period, but through modern recording technology, this one sounds quite a bit heavier, and there's nothing wrong with that, is there? Saxon do seem to be getting heavier over the years, and Inner Sanctum has some of the heaviest stuff they've done to date. Even at 56 or so, Biff sounds strong as a horse. Hell, he may sound better now than he ever did! The dvd on this edition is a rockin' bit of fun, and shows Saxon on their previous tour(where they played strictly 80s tunes and charged 80s prices for their shows and tshirts! How many bands would do something like that, eh?). The band come across as a fun, humorous and ego-less bunch of guys who truly love what they do. I tell ya, it's such a damn shame that these guys can be so unappreciated in the U.S. while jackasses like Korn pack the concert halls. Anyhow, Saxon show no signs of slowing down or going down the crapper, and judging by this new cd, they have lead in those pencils. I hope they don't call it quits any time soon."
Saxon Kickin'
Robert Rasch | Milwaukee, WI | 06/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If your a fan of Saxon add this to your cd collection. It's a cd/dvd combo. The clarity of the dvd is amazing. It's just like you are front row at the show. Under rated band to say the least. They rock hard for sure. Saxon is like Motorhead to me. I don't think either band has a bad album !!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1