ALBUM REVIEW: Carpe Diem – Saxon
At this point in their career, Barnsley stalwarts SAXON have earnt the right to do whatever they want musically. They have no-one to impress, having quite rightly found themselves inscribed in the tomes of heavy metal for all time. Carpe Diem is just another chapter in their legacy of answering to no-one. Yet, compared to other “legacy” bands, what SAXON want is not to write overly-self-indulgent-eight-minute-plus album fodder, but rather to keep stoking the fires they’ve been burning for the last 40 odd years. From the opening of the title track, Carpe Diem’s tone is set; this is classic SAXON through and through, with rocking riffs and sing-along choruses galore.
For fans of SAXON’s most well-known material (Strong Arm Of The Law, Wheels Of Steel etc.), this is a record sure to please. The vast majority of Carpe Diem is clearly not trying to reinvent the wheel, but rather refine it and roll it really, really well. Take Remember The Fallen, which shows SAXON at their best. Initially beginning with a shuffling old-school riff, the verses see the rhythm section of Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter keep a constant momentum while the guitarists air out some power chords. Biff Byford’s vocals neatly soar over the top, with all band members colliding for an earworm of a chorus. Then it’s lather, rinse and repeat. To be fair, a decent amount of the material on Carpe Diem follows a similar pattern, but SAXON sprinkle a few new tricks across the album too.
Tapping in to their occasional penchant for epics is the weighty The Pilgrimage. Properly evocative of its title, the track sees a slow and brooding intro of choral synths and echoey clean guitars gradually build in to a climbing, dense march of a riff. At the front of the unit, as ever, is Byford’s powerful and clean voice, leading the charge in to a battle cry of a chorus. It’s a sonic struggle, and brilliantly amplifies the narrative of the lyrics. Lady In Gray occupies a similar space, providing the band with one of their heavier and more haunting numbers overall. A domineering stomp of a riff accentuated by choral blasts opens up to hauntingly melodic verse melodies from Byford, only for the bridge to incorporate an equally unsettling piano melody – a rarely heard instrument for the band. The song eventually develops into an off-kilter set of palm-muted guitar patterns countered by Byford’s increasingly intense vocals before neatly concluding.
On the faster side of things are a few numbers that take on the vitality of early days SAXON and amps it up. Dambusters charges in with a thrashy gallop of a riff, played with more venom than we often hear from Paul Quinn’s typically melodic hand. There is something distinctly very early IRON MAIDEN-esque about the song’s middle eight, which sees harmonised guitar riffs launch into a melodious solo, though it’s not long before the song leaps back into more SAXON territory. Super Nova likewise flirts with mid-paced thrash riffs carefully balanced with a typically SAXON hook of a chorus. While these slight tweaks to the band’s formula never stray too far from their very defined sound, they do give the quintet an opportunity to flex their musical chops and provide a little variety of pace throughout Carpe Diem.
Carpe Diem lives up to its name. SAXON approach the album with an energy and fire that would be more expected from a band half their age, and the warm and clear production from Andy Sneap perfectly captures the group’s drive. If you were being ungenerous, you could argue that Carpe Diem is a SAXON-by-numbers affair. But let’s be real here – SAXON are masters of their art and, when you’re a master, why wouldn’t you show off what you’re best at?
Rating: 7/10
Carpe Diem is set for release on February 4th via Silver Lining Music.
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