SAXON new album

SAXON To Release Sacrifice Album In February; Artwork, Tracklisting, Release Dates Revealed




With a storming new stomp in their boots and a renewed, lithe swagger
to their legendary sound, SAXON will release their new album, Sacrifice,
on February 22nd in Europe, February 25th in the UK, and February 26th
in North America, through UDR.





Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on
this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest,
heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy
successor to their last album, A Call To Arms.


“Less tricks, more power!”, roars frontman and founding father Biff
Byford. “My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid
to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”


The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced
by Byford with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann. It
fairly bristles with muscular metallic intent, Paul Quinn’s and Doug
Scarratt’s guitar work the best it’s ever been, while Biff’s vocals
sound fresher and livelier. The songwriting too harks back to a classic
era in Saxon’s history, with the likes of ‘Warriors Of The Road’,
‘Wheels Of Terror’ and ‘Stand Up And Fight’ evoking the halcyon days of
yore with a contemporary twist, the classic Saxon sound absorbing the
snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as
MEGADETH, as evidenced by the crunching title cut, ‘Sacrifice’.


“It’s certainly been done from a more early ‘80s thrashier
perspective,” explains Biff, “and it’s not just guitars bashing away
willy-nilly, they’ve got a fresh drive, purpose and perspective.”


Besides the new material, Saxon will also be adding some unique
recordings of revisited classic to certain formats of the release, also
produced by Byford and mastered by Andy Sneap, including an orchestrated
version of ‘Crusader’ and an acoustic version of ‘Frozen Rainbow’.


“From the songs to the production, I wanted to focus on the raw
aspects which made us great in the first place,” concludes Biff, “And
living in that rawness, combined with some great classic
Saxon-songwriting, has in my opinion made Saxon fresher than ever.”





Sacrifice tracklisting:


'Procession'

'Sacrifice'

'Made In Belfast'

'Warriors Of The Road'

'Guardians Of The Tomb'

'Stand Up And Fight'

'Walking The Steel'

'Night Of The Wolf'

'Wheels Of Terror'

'Standing In A Queue'


Bonus track:

'Luck Of The Draw' (iTunes only)


Bonus Disc:

'Crusader' (Orchestrated version)

'Just Let Me Rock' (Re-recorded version)

'Requiem' (Acoustic version)

'Frozen Rainbow' (Acoustic version)

'Forever Free' (Re-recorded version)


Never tired of the road, Saxon recently announced the UK leg of
their Sacrifice World Tour, in support of the upcoming album of the same
name. The band will play nine dates in April 2013 and they can’t wait
to share their new material on stage.


Throughout the years, Saxon have been touring relentlessly and
earning an excellent reputation for the quality and energy of their
performances. This is documented in their Heavy Metal Thunder – The
Movie, which is released on December 7th. As UK fans await Sacrifice
with the same anticipation reserved for Saxon’s previous work, they know
the spring shows will be - as always - a treat not to be missed.


Biff Byford says: “People have been asking me if this is going to be
our last album and tour - we don’t know yet we’ll see how it goes.”

Sacrifice will be released on: February 22nd in Europe, February 25th in
the UK, and February 26th in North America, through UDR.





Sacrifice tracklisting:


'Procession'

'Sacrifice'

'Made In Belfast'

'Warriors Of The Road'

'Guardians Of The Tomb'

'Stand Up And Fight'

'Walking The Steel'

'Night Of The Wolf'

'Wheels Of Terror'

'Standing In A Queue'


Bonus track:

'Luck Of The Draw' (iTunes only)


Bonus Disc:

'Crusader' (Orchestrated version)

'Just Let Me Rock' (Re-recorded version)

'Requiem' (Acoustic version)

'Frozen Rainbow' (Acoustic version)

'Forever Free' (Re-recorded version)


Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on
this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest,
heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy
successor to their last album, A Call To Arms.


“Less tricks, more power!”, roars frontman and founding father Biff
Byford. “My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid
to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”

SAXON - First Support Band Confirmed For UK Leg Of Sacrifice World Tour



Birmingham, UK-based hard rockers REDLINE will be supporting SAXON on the UK leg of their Sacrifice World Tour this April/May.





Redline are hitting the road to promote their new album, Vice, which
features 'King Of The Mountain', the official anthem and TV soundtrack
to the Isle of Man TT Motorcycle Races. A thunderous set of “in your
face rock” awaits... balls to the wall guitars, a locked and loaded
rhythm section and a real powerhouse of a vocalist, Redline are sure to
impress with their own brand of hard rock and British heavy metal.


Saxon's complete live itinerary can be found at this location.


Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler was recently interviewed by Decibel
Geek writer Rich (The Meister) Dillon. During their Q&A session,
they discussed Saxon's new album, Sacrifice, due in February. An excerpt
follows:


Q: What can we expect from this record? How involved in the writing process were you?






Nigel: "Everyone was very involved writing-wise - there has to be a
starting point for each song, be it a riff, or keyboard idea, a drum
pattern, melody, title, or whatever, and I personally think this album's
a killer - but that's just my humble opinion! (Producer) Andy (Sneap)'s
done a wonderful job on it - I was determined that there should be no
samples on the kit - I didn't want it to sound euro-metal like so many
other bands - I love the fact that I can hear the softest snare ghost
note but the mix still tears your head off!"


To read the interview in its entirety, click here.


Exact release dates for Sacrifice are as follows:


February

22 - Europe

25 - The UK

26 - North America


The cover art and tracklisting can be seen below:





'Sacrifice'

'Made In Belfast'

'Warriors Of The Road'

'Guardians Of The Tomb'

'Stand Up And Fight'

'Walking The Steel'

'Night Of The Wolf'

'Wheels Of Terror'

'Standing In A Queue'

'Luck Of The Draw' (iTunes only track)


The limited, digi-book edition features a second disc, containing five re-worked Saxon originals:


'Crusader'

'Just Let Me Rock'

'Forever Free'

'Requiem (We Will Remember)'

'Frozen Rainbow'

SAXON - Sacrifice Track-By-Track Review Available




SAXON will release their new album, Sacrifice, on February 22nd in
Europe, February 25th in the UK, and February 26th in North America,
through UDR.


Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on
this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest,
heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy
successor to their last album, A Call To Arms, according to a press
release.


“Less tricks, more power!”, roars frontman and founding father Biff
Byford. “My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid
to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”


BraveWords' Mark Gromen has given the album and 8/10 in the track-by-track overview below:





I was critical of the last studio effort, for being more of a hard
rock album than outright metal. No such ambiguity here! While
pre-release press has Biff Byford mentioning thrash, there's no need to
worry that these Englishmen have undertaken a major stylistic re-write.
The intensity has been upped, guitars in particular are heavier and
faster, yet it doesn't come at the expense of their infectious abilities
as song smiths.Early momentum wanes, before ending strong. Nine new
songs, the opening 'Procession' being nothing more than a jungle
soundtrack (myna bird calls and the like), akin to the audio portion on
some Disney theme park ride. There is a bona fide tenth track, 'Luck Of
The Draw', albeit available exclusively as an iTunes download. The
limited, digi-book edition features a second disc, containing five
re-worked Saxon originals.


'Sacrifice' - Gritty and aggro, from the get go. Ties into the Mayan
/ indigenous South American cultures (live human sacrifice) which also
graces the cover art.



'Made In Belfast' - Opening with acoustic lilt of Irish jig, that
reappears later in the tune, this is a historical ode to the shipyards
of that fair city, an industry which birthed the likes of the Titanic
(although that ill-fated vessel is never mentioned).


'Warriors Of The Road' - Like the roar of the Formula 1 engines it
references, this one tears out of the gate and never downshifts. Think
'Stallions Of The Highway' on steroids! Crazy guitar flourish at the end


'Guardians Of The Tomb' - First real tempo change from the frenetic
start, beginning with a somewhat Asian acoustic melody. That quickly
gives way to more Western sounds, especially guitar driven music.
Lyrically refers to the terra cotta Warriors that "guarded" Chinese
emperor's final resting places.


'Stand Up And Fight' - Despite the traditional Saxon lyrical
territory, something of a throwaway, musically as well. "It's you
against the world, stand up and fight"


'Walking The Steel' - A mid-tempo song dedicated to the post-9/11
rebuilding of the Word Trade Center in NYC. "Rising from the ashes, for
all the world to see. Rising like the Phoenix, towards the sky... The
Twins will stand, hope will never die."


'Night Of The Wolf' - A little acoustic guitar, at times all by
itself, in juxtaposition with electric six-string barrage. "Hear them
calling, night of the wolf. Barking at the moon."


'Wheels Of Terror' - Was worried about the seemingly recycled hit
title, but this deals with "Battle tanks of war." After several songs
that seemed to loose/step down the initial enthusiasm, this is generally
wall-to-wall guitars.


'Standing In A Queue' - Personal experiences of Biff on the road (especially dealing with hamstrung situations in the USA).


Of the digi-only extras, there's an orchestra backed 'Crusader',
complete with opening "Who dares battle the Saracen" voiceover and
backing vocals, come the chorus. Hard to improve on the original, if you
ask me. Strangely enough, there's also a re-recorded version of 'Just
Let Me Rock', which appeared with the aforementioned on that album of
the same name. Neither it, nor 'Forever Free' (now twenty years old, but
still not quintessential Saxon) offer anything new. The remaining pair
are both acoustic takes, practically bookending the band's career. First
there's 'Requiem (We Will Remember)', originally off Solid Ball Of Rock
and one of my favorites, 'Frozen Rainbow' from the debut, which remains
dear to my heart, having grown up with its non-traditional Saxon
stylings ('Still Fit To Boogie').

he band are touring in support of their forthcoming album Sacrifice
which will be released on: February 22nd in Europe, February 25th in the
UK, and February 26th in North America, through UDR.







Sacrifice tracklisting:

'Procession'

'Sacrifice'

'Made In Belfast'

'Warriors Of The Road'

'Guardians Of The Tomb'

'Stand Up And Fight'

'Walking The Steel'

'Night Of The Wolf'

'Wheels Of Terror'

'Standing In A Queue'



Bonus track:

'Luck Of The Draw' (iTunes only)



Bonus Disc:

'Crusader' (Orchestrated version)

'Just Let Me Rock' (Re-recorded version)

'Requiem' (Acoustic version)

'Frozen Rainbow' (Acoustic version)

'Forever Free' (Re-recorded version)



Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on
this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest,
heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy
successor to their last album, A Call To Arms.

SAXON Upload The Making Of Sacrifice Album Footage




SAXON's have uploaded making of footage, documenting the recording of
their new album, Sacrifice, which will be released on March 1st in
Europe, March 4th in the UK, and March 26th in North America. Watch the
footage below:

Saxon - The Making of Sacrifice





Sacrifice tracklisting:


'Procession'

'Sacrifice'

'Made In Belfast'

'Warriors Of The Road'

'Guardians Of The Tomb'

'Stand Up And Fight'

'Walking The Steel'

'Night Of The Wolf'

'Wheels Of Terror'

'Standing In A Queue'



Bonus track:

'Luck Of The Draw' (iTunes only)



Bonus Disc:

'Crusader' (Orchestrated version)

'Just Let Me Rock' (Re-recorded version)

'Requiem' (Acoustic version)

'Frozen Rainbow' (Acoustic version)

'Forever Free' (Re-recorded version)





An EPK for the album can be seen below:


Saxon - Sacrifice - EPK




Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on this,
their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest
and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy
successor to their last album, A Call To Arms.

Have you ever dreamt about or wondered what it feels like to travel
around like a real rock star? Do you want to ride, party and sleep in a
real rock'n'roll-nightliner-bus? Just like the band and crew? Do you
want to experience life on the road - like your favourite band? Saxon?
How about not only like Saxon - but with them? Dream no more, because
now not only is this possible, it is now a reality!





According to a press release:


The Rock 'N' Roll Experience offers you - for the first time ever -
the opportunity to join Saxon on tour! Travel with us in a real
nightliner bus, the same kind of bus that the band and crew travel in on
their tour. We will take you to selected gigs (Nottingham, Newcastle
and Glasgow. Dates 19, 20, 21, and 22nd of April). You will follow the
bands tour bus to the gigs, and in most cases (depends on individual gig
access) park right next to them.





You will then join the band and crew at soundchecks, we will provide
your tickets for the shows and also arrange for you to have priority
access/entrance to the shows so that you get the best views at the
shows. Not only that but we will arrange either an exclusive The Rock
'N' Roll Experience-meet-and-greet with the entire band where you can
ask them anything you have been dying to ask them, get your autographs
and take loads of your own pictures, close-up and personal. Or we will
arrange that you will have a once-in-a-lifetime-treat, your own
exclusive meal with the band in a local restaurant or backstage. (the
meet-and-greet or meal will be confirmed in advance, so you will know
which of these fantastic offers are available)


In addition you will receive your own collectable laminated
exclusive The Rock 'N' Roll Experience-tourpass. The Rock 'N' Roll
Experience has saved the best treat until last, we will arrange your own
fantastic aftershow party with the entire band attending. This party
will be the highlight of your The Rock 'N' Roll Experience tour with us.





Included in the deal:


• Your own Rock 'N' Roll-nightliner-bus and experienced Rock 'N' Roll-driver.


• Your own tour manager who will liaise with the bands tour manager to organise each days events.


• You will have VIP-access to all the gigs/shows.


So do not wonder anymore, live the dream and join us on our next tour.


All of this is available exclusively to Rock 'N' Roll
Experience-clients only. There are very limited places available for
these fantastic touring experiences on each tour.


For more details visit Rocknroll-experience.eu.

SAXON - Limited D2C Fan-Package Of Sacrifice Detailed




The Limited and Deluxe Edition of SAXON's Sacrifice D2C fan package can be pre-ordered now at UDR-Music.com.
On this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest,
heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, recorded and produced
by Biff Byford with Andy Sneap mixing and mastering.


Limited Edition D2C details:


For collectors and fans there will be a strictly limited
Direct-To-Consumer Fan Edition of Saxon's new studio album available in
two versions:





Standard Version (picture above):


Packaged inside a black cardboard box embossed with the Saxon Logo are the following specialities:

- the CD Album Sacrifice Digibook Edition (including the Bonus Disc with 5 classic tracks in new versions)

- exclusive Saxon Live - CD Live In Haarlem with 14 Live Tracks, recorded live at the Patronaat in Haarlem, December 8th, 2012

- exclusive limited Saxon - Hooded Sweatshirt, selectable in 4 different sizes (M, L, XL, XXL)


And … 15 meet and greet packages are randomly added to the Boxed Packages which will allow the lucky winner to experience:

- free entrance to a Saxon Concert in 2013 (excluding festival appearances)

- experience soundcheck before the actual concert begins

- a meet and greet opportunity with Saxon

- a photograph together with the band

- a signed autograph card


This fan-package is limited to 500 units worldwide and it is only available at the UDR Shop and Digital Stores.





Deluxe Version (picture above):


For those of you who want to have it a little more exclusive the UDR
Shop has a very special offer to make. 50 units of the D2C - Fan -
Package will be available in an extra limited edition, which includes
besides the components of the normal D2C, a very special item.


Gold Smith Ulli Ehlers (Skull Jewels) has designed a hand made belt
buckle in shape of the Saxon S Logo as seen on the Sacrifice album cover
artwork. There are only these 50 units available. And it is exclusive
to the special D2C Box.

Check out the video for 'Sacrifice' below:


Saxon Sacrifice (official) Video Clip 2013

SAXON Frontman Biff Byford On New Album - "I Think It Encapsulates Everything We’ve Learned And Everything We've Stood For"




SAXON frontman Biff Byford is featured in a new interview with Jeb
Wright at Classic Rock Revisited discussing the band's new album,
Sacrifice. An excerpt is available below.





Jeb: This is the 20th studio album for Saxon. Not a whole lot of bands release 20 studio albums.


Biff: "No, they don’t. And the album is pretty happening, actually.
We are pretty on it at the moment. I produced this album myself and I
think this album sounds like Saxon should sound, at this point in time. I
went back to the old days a little bit. It has a bit of the spirit of
the ‘80’s on it. There is a modern edge to it, as well. It is a real
Saxon album, as I don’t think anyone could make songs like these other
than Saxon. "


Jeb: Where does Sacrifice fit into the Saxon history?


Biff: "I think it fits right up there with the landmark albums that
we’ve made. With Call to Arms we got close to this album. With this
one, we really nailed it, because it has that aggression that we used to
have in the ‘80’s."


Songs like 'Stand Up And Fight' and 'Warriors Of The Road' are very
aggressive. It has some sophisticated songs on there, as well. I think
it encapsulates everything we’ve learned and everything we’ve stood for.
I think this album is a great marker that says, 'This is it. This is
where we are twenty albums later.'"