Customer Reviews

Into The Labyrinth

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you liked Saxon's last release on SPV Records "The Inner Sanctum" you'll want to pick this one up too. With "Into The Labyrinth" (as well as with all Saxon releases) you have non-stop in your face metal. Think guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt exchanging lightning fast licks, powerful drumming thanks to returning member Nigel Glockler, Nibbs Carter's bass and Peter "Biff" Byford's strong gutsy vocals. Beginning with the first two tracks "Batallions Of Steel" and "Live To Rock" you get a taste of what the remainder of the cd is like. My favorites are "Battallions Of Steel", "Live To Rock", "Valley Of The Kings", "Crime Of Passion", "Protect Yourselves" and "Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)". The only complaint I have with "Into The Labyrinth" is that the cd is highly compressed creating distortion on some tracks. Also, check out Motorhead's "Motorizer" and Uriah Heep's "Wake The Sleeper" all recently released on SPV Records.

Into the Labyrinth is the latest offering from British heavy metal icons Saxon. It's the band's 18th studio album, and the latest in a run of high caliber heavy metal albums that has seen Saxon in their finest form since the original New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) era. After weathering the tumultuous 90's and the acrimonious departure of long time members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson, Saxon has spent the better part of the last decade recording one powerful metal album after another, and Into the Labyrinth is no exception.

As soon as I heard opening anthem "Battalions of Steel", I knew that the Saxon sound from Lionheart and The Inner Sanctum is still going strong. It's an incredibly heavy album, yet one that is also highly melodic. Songs like "Valley of the Kings", "Come Rock of Ages (the Circle is Complete)" and the aforementioned "Battalions of Steel" have a sense of epic and grandeur that rivals most recent Iron Maiden offerings, but unlike Maiden Saxon has retained a measure of that gritty, original NWOBHM sound that gives the songs a more aggressive, harder rocking edge. Even the more mundane offerings like "Slow Lane Blues" and "Crime of Passion" are still hard hitting and still have that "Denim and Leather" sound. A lot of that is due to Biff Byford's instantly recognizable voice, which somehow always manages to sound powerful and fragile, rough and majestic all at once. Into the Labyrinth closes on a bluesy note, with a slide guitar version of the Killing Ground song "Coming Home", but that's about the only laid back moment to be found here. The album is so energetic and vital that it puts most albums from their younger peers to shame.

There are precious few bands from the original NWOBHM scene that are still going strong, and even fewer whose new albums rival their classic 80's material in terms of pure quality and energy. Saxon does that and more with Into the Labyrinth. Long time Saxon fans should find this to be another worthy album, and newcomers are about to find out what they've been missing!

Edition Notes - In addition to the standard version, there is a limited two-disc edition of Into the Labyrinth that includes a bonus DVD featuring the Parzival movie (with Byford acting as King Arthur), a tour documentary, the video for "Live to Rock" and an interview with Byford.

Saxon are one of the first bands that fuelled my passion for listening to heavy metal music and remain to this day one of my favourite bands, and 2009 sees the NWOBHM veterans release their latest album Into The Labyrinth. How does their latest fare? Well I like it a lot, but I also think it could have been better.
Battallions Of Steel is a great album opener in the Saxon tradition, with gothic type intro before it kicks into full pace, with killer riffs and Biff Byfords instantly recognisable voice. It has a great melodic solo midway through, then it dies down and we get that gothic/anthemic type sound again before it kicks back into full blast. Yes it's another battle song, but this type of song has become a trademark for Saxon, and perhaps only the great Iron Maiden can do war songs better. This one ranks up there with their best.
Live To Rock follows, a song they released as a single which is very reminiscent of songs like Wheels Of Steel and Solid Ball Of Rock, with more of a hard rock/metal type sound than pure metal, but Saxon has always done this style justice and this song is no exception. Simple, but I love it and you just can't help singing along with the chorus! This is perfect for a live song to get the crowd singing.
Demon Sweeney Todd comes next, with a short mellow but eerie intro before it kicks into over drive. A fast paced aggressive song with dark lyrics, a perfect balance of hard riffs and melody. In fact it reminds me a lot of the songs on Unleash The Beast and is another album high-light.
Following on we get a short acoustic track The Letter which is really the into for the song to come Valley Of The Kings. I love this song which sounds a bit more progressive in nature. The intro, the fast paced verses with a slower, anthemic type chorus, and a great guitar solo which (together with the ancient Egypt theme & lyrics) reminds me of Iron Maiden.
Slow Lane Blues is next, perhaps the antithesis of their NWOBHM classic song Strong Arm Of The Law. In that song Byford scoffs at the Police and their incompetence, but in Slow Lane Blues it's the law that has the last laugh with Byford singing about getting caught on a speed camera and having his car seized by the cops! It's an ok song, but after the great songs that preceded it, the song just doesn't seem to hit the same high level. However it's far better than the song that follows Crime Of Passion which can't be described as anything other than filler. It's not a bad song, but really there's nothing that grabs you about it at all. Pretty standard fare I'm afraid.
Premonition In D Minor is another short guitar track which is really the intro for the song which follows called Voice. This song is all about the night Byford's house in France burned down and he was lucky to escape with his family alive. Again, this song is ok, on the same level as Slow Lane Blues but not as good as the first four tracks.
Protect Yourself and Hellcat come next and like Crime Of Passion I think they are pure filler, but at least the album closes off on a high with a song as good as the first four in Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete). It's another more hard rock/metal type song with punch and a great melody.
Yes there's another song, but really it can only be considered a bonus track since it's an acoustic blues version of a previously recorded song Coming Home, and it doesn't fit in with the style of the rest of the album.
I have no criticism of the band's playing, they sound as good as ever. However I do have a gripe sometimes with metal bands in that the vocals are sometimes too far back in the mix a bit, so you can't appreciate the talent of the singer as much as you would like. I think that's the case on The Inner Sanctum too. Byford's voice should be right out there, because it is his voice together with other original member Paul Quinn on guitar that makes the Saxon sound.

So what we have here is five top quality songs that can easily stand alongside any of Saxon's best work, two songs that are good, three fillers and a take it or leave it bonus track. Plus a minor gripe about production. Hence my view that it could have been better. I just wish they had taken the time to write some more top quality songs which would have made for a more consistent album, and perhaps even a career best. Maybe next time (let's hope!).

The show must go on. It going on their rising with this album. I think more than good from a previous album(IS)too. I am listening since a week and I still don't get tired.

They don't defeat to passing time.They mixed modern and clasic power sound.

Very good album. As usual the heavy and clear Saxon's sound ! The track 1 and 5 are dynamite. Good riff, heavy guitar, solo duet, and of course nice voice. No complain, one more fantastic album to the Saxon Saga.

Saxon continues to improve on decades of heavy metal excellence. Biff Byford and bandmates are true living legends who could easily rest on their contribution to rock history. But enough is never enough with this band - they just keep making great records. "Into the Labyrinth" is powerful and sounds huge - great production. The songs easily hold up to the classics and some bluesy grooves round out the material nicely. Metal fans are truly blessed to have Saxon still pumping out great records like this. Long live Saxon!

Another great Saxon album! I get tired of people comparing Saxon albums back to back change is good especially if you never leave the roots of metal. If every Saxon album sounded just like the last we would hear the same gripes from the same people, no improvement no change it all sounds alike....blah blah blah. For Christ sakes people this bands giving us headbanging metal since 1980 thats staying power and sure they have one album that is someones favorite while being someone elses let down at the same time. That doesnt make it the worst or the best its just a matter of opinions. Saxon can rock me anytime I can sit down and start with Saxon S/T and go all the way through to Call of Arms and love every minute of it. And even now with Biff up in his sixties and the rest of the band pushing age also they still blow other bands away!! Just check out anything from Wacken on youtube yeah now you get it! Sorry but Im pretty passionate about SAXON !

It's Saxon, nough said. Now buy it. Live to Rock, Crime of Passion, Protect Yourself, Hellcat & Come Rock of Ages are (for me) the the best tracks.

Just a quick review, real heavy riffs throughout this album. Some of the guitars sound almost like Black Label Society. Some may not like that as it departs from old Saxon albums, but I think it rocks. the tone of the guitars is great and vocals are as good as ever. If you like Saxon, you'll like this album.

Recorded at Blind Guardian's studio(power metalers like Sonata Arctica, Symphony X, etc). Tracks Batallions of Steel and Valley of the Kings reflect this. Good album, but not quite there. And I love Saxon!