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Terry's
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SPV – 2009 | |
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The intro of "Battalions of Steel" reminded me a bit of the classic Saxon feel of "Crusader." I was very excited to see the line-up of this band. It contains members who have been in the band since the beginning; Biff Byford & Paul Quinn as well as Nigel Glockler who's been with the band since 81.' Having those three guys together is a strong nucleus. Nigel Glockler has always been and will always be one of my favorite drummers. His beats are terrific and most importantly groove oriented. "The Eagle Has Landed," "This Town Rocks," "Rock The Nations" are just a few of the tunes with his imprint stamped on them. Doug Scarratt (who's been with the band since the mid-90's) and Paul Quinn are one of the most underrated guitar duos in metal. Listen to the riffage in "Live To Rock" and you'll know what I mean. Biff Byford's voice is one of the most recognizable in heavy metal. The man has been writing and performing metal classics since the mid-70's. Byford excels on every track on this album. Crank up "Demon Sweeney Todd," "The Letter" and "Valley Of The Kings" to celebrate this extraordinary vocalist. Bassist Nibbs Carter helps keep everything together and has been since 1988. His bottom sound is always important and I was rocking to his playing in the "Slow Lane Blues." Scarratt and Quinn exchange some cool soloing in "Crime of Passion." The dark heavy riff in "Premonition in D Minor" is awesome and ushers in "Voice." This ninth track is one of the highlights of this rocking album. The beginning riff resurfaces and is balanced with this beautiful clean guitar part. This is Saxon at the top of their game. Speaking of heavy riffs, fall into the deep thick guitar groove of "Protect Yourselves." Nigel Glockler pounds out an amazing beat, I couldn't help but banging my head to this tune. Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn have all guns blazing in "Hellcat." Their guitars fire like a Gatlin gun and grenade launcher. The six string artillery strikes quick with force. Kick ass stuff! Into The Labyrinth is a serious statement to the world that Saxon is one of the kings of Metal and don't you forget it.
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