Customer Reviews

Lionheart

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

as a long time metal fan this release really made me take notice. saxon means business and they show no signs of slowing down. i really appreciate the musical effort saxon have put forth here with lionheart. its really great to hear this "old school" british-type of metal played with such gusto. vocals and rythym and lead guitars are superb as is the song writing/lyrical content and production. the recording is crisp and clear, no instrument overshadows another. and their new drummer is excellent. sure you've probably heard these beats tempos and riffs before, it all sounds a little familiar, but i imagine its difficult to be consistently original when locked within the confines of a particular style of music. but man, saxon really knows how to make it sound good! this isnt familiar and boring, its familiar and awesome! i thought after their last album "heavy metal thunder" where they re-recorded some of their greatest tunes (i loved this cd) that maybe the creative well had run a bit dry. hell-no! these guys are alive and kickin! i have listened to these guys for quite some time and i think this is one of their strongest releases. a highly recommended five stars plus!

Metal veterans Saxon kick you right square in the rear with their new album, Lionheart. Though the last few albums were not bad by any means at all, this one is close to perfect. If you fear that Saxon, like fellow countrymen Iron Maiden have run out of steam and are hesitant about purchasing this album, I hope I'll lay your fears to rest, coz you have my personal guarantee(whatever that means to you) that this is worth every penny. Sure, there are one or two tracks that are a little lackluster, but I'm sure it can't be easy nowdays to make a metal album of nothing but five star songs. But even those songs are decent if not as good as the other 80% of the album. And it's not overlong either. Saxon obviously concentrated on making solid songs instead of a bunch of heavy metal claptrap to fill 60+ of cd space. Band hopper Jorg Michael steps in on the drums and he is more than welcome. From the band photo Bif looks as though he belongs in a rest home, but don't let that fool you coz he sounds better on this than he has in a long time.....probably better than ever actually! Guitar-wise, this one is heavied up a little more, but it's still Saxon, and any Saxon fan knows what to expect. It's really a shame that of all the NWOBHM bands, Saxon got the green weenie in the States. Personally I wish Def Leppard had been the band to get left behind. Oh well, Saxon lives on with their fans, and they have a steady following in other countries, so hopefully we will be hearing more albums like Lionheart in the future. You can bet your sweets that I'll get them.

Why is it that people from Finland hate Saxon? Seriously, this Himo fag below me and this Rijo queer who is also from Finland are both hate Saxon for some reason. They are a good band, i'm not too crazy about them, but i know what is good music. Lionheart is a classic Saxon album released in 2004 esentialy, there is really nothing too differant from this album then what would be found on the POWER AND GLORY or CRUSADER albums released 20 years prior. Don't worry, this is not a band that has sold out and changed their sound and releses complete crap now, like Metallica, Saxon is still Saxon.

Having primed my metal pump with Unleash the Beast & Heavy Metal Thunder recently, I felt compelled to write a review on one of the truest metal stalwarts in the biz- the mighty Saxon.
To cut to the chase, this new offering from Saxon flat out kicks ass with blazing guitars, super production, & great songs. I know that may sound bland but I'll spare the adjectives- it's awesome! Yeah, there is a familiar feel to this, but that's why we love this band.
Having been a fan from the beginning glory days & watching them struggle thru most of the 80's you wonder why the hell they didn't do this album in 1988. U can blame the recording industry for that mess but the Saxon boys of today don't give a damn anymore- they're gonna play it the way it should be done.

A few of my favorites are Witchfinder General, the title song, Justice & To Live By the Sword.
Younger listeners- get out there & discover the roots of metal- you will be astounded by how well oiled this metal machine is.

Saxon have been a much maligned band in some quarters for years. I can not see the problem. Call it traditional, power metal, call it what you like, this is good solid heavy metal music, the music this band has been making and I have been listening to for longer than I care to remember. The only personnel change from recent years is the loss of drummer Fritz Randow, replaced with Jorg Michael. It is a seamless transition. The typical Saxon guitar sound is here, and Biff just sounds as good as ever. Saxon continues their tradition of strong albums with the exception of that period between Crusader and Solid Ball of Rock that we don't talk about. Do yourself a favour and get this album, it will not let you down.

I am becoming a bigger Saxon fan with each album of theirs I hear. I am an `80s metal fan but have only recently gotten into Saxon. Where have these guys been all my life?? And this 2004 release proves they have not lost a step. In fact, I put Lionheart up there with Iron Maiden's Dance of Death as my favorite "new" album by a 1980s metal band. Lionheart is flat out solid with catchy hooks, memorable guitar riffs, and incredible vocals.

It starts out hard and heavy with "Witchfinder General." I also like the lyrics to this one: "Trial is by water no one can win, drown and you're innocent, guilty you swim." "Man and Machine" is more melodic but still rocks. I like the vocals at the chorus. The title track has a beautiful instrumental opening "The Return" and then launches into an amazing 6:00 anthem. It is a work of metal art and is my second favorite track here next to "Beyond the Grave." "Beyond" also starts with a short, soft instrumental and then kicks!!! The vocal work at the verses is awesome. It is low for the first verses and then bursts into Biff Byford's characteristic high-pitched metal voice. The chorus is also amazing and so darn catchy I liked it right away and hit "Repeat Track" on my player. "Justice" is one of the heavier tracks here. It has a melodic chorus with very heavy riffs.

"To Live By the Sword" may be my least favorite track off Lionheart. Perhaps it is the cliché'd chorus line "to live by the sword you must die by the sword" that turns me off. It is not a bad song, though. It is memorable. "Jack Tars" is a 1:00 acoustical track that is very pleasant. "English Man `O' War" is a rocker followed by another favorite of mine "Searching for Atlantis." "Atlantis" rocks but also offers a nice, melodic chorus. It also includes some beautiful guitar work. The last track breaks away from the warrior/pirate them. It is about the band trying to catch a plane to Germany to play a gig. Poor weather threatens their plans. It even offers a reference to their manger Thomas Jensen who "booked another flight." Only the line "playing for the gods" fits the mood of the album. It seems a little out-of-place as it does not mark the big pirate ship battle climax one might expect to end this album, but it does rock and is typical Saxon. The CD booklet includes lyrics and a photo of the band. If you are a fan of 1980s Saxon or 1980s metal who is skeptical of new material give Lionheart a try (as well as Dance of Death by Iron Maiden and Neon God parts 1 & 2 by W.A.S.P.). I think you will be pleasantly surprised. These guys still rock and can still write some amazing, addictive metal tracks!

Unlike Iron Maiden (who has been repeating his formula over and over again each time with less punch and with more fillers), SAxon manages to stays true to his roots, mantains their recognizable sound, but even doing so they still manage to add power, will and some new tricks in each record. This is the caso for LIONHEART, a very good metal album by the lords of metal.

along with Megadeth's 'The System Has Failed' CD, Lionheart is by far the best metal album of 2004. i own every Saxon release and have been a big fan of the band since 1980. their tenacity is incredible. this band deserves more US recognition and its about time they get a Grammy nomination. JUSTICE!

Lionheart is a superb CD full of classic Saxon songwriting, skilled musicians and a singer (Biff Byford) that seems to get better with age. these guys have always been masters at writing killer riffs. THIS CD ROCKS! get this one, you won't regret it! THANKYOU SAXON!!!!

This is an excellent CD. I've been very pleased when I first
heard Metalhead or Killing Ground but there's no comparision
with the feeling I had a few hours ago when I first heard
Lionheart, this is a classic. Biff's right when he says that
this has been the most powerful Saxon recording. Very strong
and heavy riffs on Witchfinder General,Justice,English man'o`
war and Flying on the edge. Jorg Michael does a great work on
drums as this is his recording debut with Saxon. Jack Tars is
a beautiful accustic songs that preludes English man'o'war.
Lionheart has that 80's feel (Crusader). It is admirable that
Biff and the boys are still on the top, creating new music,open
for new ideas and increasing their classic repertoire.

You gotta hand it to the Brits - they love their history. Lemmy Kilmister is an acknowledged expert on war history, Iron Maiden's work is almost all historical in nature, and Biff Byford of Saxon puts his two cents worth in on "Lionheart".
One immediately hears a resemblence to Iron Maiden, particulary "Dance of Death", but where the Maidens tend to border on the pompous with their super long tunes and Bruce Dickinson's operatic vocals, Saxon wisely keeps the arrangements more metallic and tougher, blending the musicianship with real honest-to-goodness headbanging riffs worthy of Priest in their heyday with a generous helping of thrash to take it up another notch.
The title track is the high water mark, with lush keyboards that make the song breathe without wussing out. "Witchfinder General" will also induce concussions if you can find something hard enough to whap your skull against, or in the case of this middle-aged metal fuddy-duddy, throw your back out and put you in traction for trying to "jam" like you did 25 years ago. Oh well, with age comes experience, and with my guitarist background, I know great metal when I hear it, like this disc, and horrible, like Metallica's "St. Anger". It's refreshing to have lyrics that deal with intelligent subjects, rather than the usual crop of self-pity most American bands put out. Probably because they don't know enough to write about anything else.