Customer Reviews

The Inner Sanctum

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's funny, but Saxon, despite being active for the better part of the last three decades seems to really have hit their stride in recent years. The band's glory days may be long behind them, and their lineup shattered, but with their last few albums (2001's Killing Ground, 2004's Lionheart, and now 2007's the Inner Sanctum), Saxon has reached a musical peak not seen since their benchmark New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) albums.

It's refreshing to see a veteran band that isn't content to rest on their laurels and deliver the same stale albums over and over again. Saxon is rocking with all the energy of a much younger band, and that energy is the driving force behind albums like the Inner Sanctum. This is a tight, professional album that recalls both the seminal NWOBHM movement as well as today's more refined power metal sound. Driving anthems like "Need for Speed" and "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" would not have been out of place on Wheels of Steel or Denim and Leather, and epic tracks "Red Star Falling" and "Attila the Hun" are worthy of NWOBHM peers Iron Maiden.

Anyone who may have written Saxon off in the 90's would do well to pay attention to what the band has been up to recently. Call it a metal revival, or maybe just the band's second wind. Whatever it is, the result is a string of fantastic metal albums that no classic metal fan should be without.

NOTE: There are a couple of different versions of the Inner Sanctum. The European version features a radio edit of the song "If I Was You" as a bonus track, while the US version comes with a bonus DVD that features outtakes, live material and other behind the scenes footage. Given its lower price tag, the US version is probably the way to go.

It's true. This album is awesome. Saxon was a great band in the 70's/80's during the NWOBHM movement and then they started to dissappear because the studios were forcing them to do the type of music they didn't want to. Honestly, they just got bad management and marketing which is a true shame because they really are a talented group. Probably one of the best metal bands ever but they'll never get the light of day. Yes, they'll always be remembered for 747 "Strangers of the Night" but for the most part, they won't be remembered for stuff later on like this album which is sooooooooo much darker than their earlier stuff but they like Judas Priest can pull it off. I loved Lionheart and when people were saying that this was better, I didn't believe them. But you know what, they're right. It is. This is the type of music that I want to hear but unfortunately, the industry is dying by genetically altered bands who are robots to their record companies. ALL HAIL SAXON FOR NOT SELLING OUT IN THIS DAY IN AGE!!!!

Saxon's newest album is a nice dose of straight ahead, no foolin' around, nothing overly fancy, no B.S. heavy metal. Some may translate it to boring, bland, and been done before. But in a metal scene that finds so many of it's bands trying to get more epic, more progressive, more, more, more, an album like this is refreshing. While I like bands like Blind Guardian, Symphony X and Rhapsody, sometimes I just get in that mood where I want to say, "just shut up and rock!" Ya know? Those who have enjoyed much of Saxon's music for the last ten years or so should really enjoy this one. Or of course if you enjoy their classic period, but through modern recording technology, this one sounds quite a bit heavier, and there's nothing wrong with that, is there? Saxon do seem to be getting heavier over the years, and Inner Sanctum has some of the heaviest stuff they've done to date. Even at 56 or so, Biff sounds strong as a horse. Hell, he may sound better now than he ever did! The dvd on this edition is a rockin' bit of fun, and shows Saxon on their previous tour(where they played strictly 80s tunes and charged 80s prices for their shows and tshirts! How many bands would do something like that, eh?). The band come across as a fun, humorous and ego-less bunch of guys who truly love what they do. I tell ya, it's such a damn shame that these guys can be so unappreciated in the U.S. while jackasses like Korn pack the concert halls. Anyhow, Saxon show no signs of slowing down or going down the crapper, and judging by this new cd, they have lead in those pencils. I hope they don't call it quits any time soon.

Back in the mid-80s, Saxon, along with Iron Maiden and Def Leppard was supposed to become one of the biggest bands of the NWOBHM movement, and while Iron Maiden and Def Leppard achieved fame and fortune by going in completely opposite routes, Saxon chose to pander to the hair metal crowd and alienated most of their former fans along the way. Surprisingly the band turned their sound around and has been quietly releasing consistently great Metal albums since their return to form album "Unleash the Beast" in 1997.. that's 10 years.
Most new Metal bands don't last that long!
Their new album, Inner Sanctum pretty much follows the same style and sound of their previous four CDs, without any signs of watering down their heavy sound, slowing down or altering their to fit in with the new metalcore crowd.

Saxon sticks to the type of music they practically invented in the early 80s: Pure, Classic NWHOB Heavy Metal.

With the exception of the album opener, "State of Grace" the rest of songs in this album can't really be considered modern Saxon classics like "Travellers in Time" from Metalhead or "The Thin Red Line" from Unleash the Beast, but, nevertheless, the songwriting on this CD is far better than most of what passes as metal music these days and it is consistent enough to make this album an enjoyable release that will please any Saxon fan.

I own every Saxon release ever. Even the rare imports on vinyl and this new cd THE INNER SANCTUM is the very best SAXON cd ever released in some time. It has everything from old Saxon sound to the 90's Saxon sound to the latest Saxon sound all rolled up into one. This cd is a must buy for any true metal fan. SAXON DESERVES ITS DUE. They have put out some great music over the last 35 years and the fact theyre still at it is a testimony to their great music ability on making great hard rock records

If your a fan of Saxon add this to your cd collection. It's a cd/dvd combo. The clarity of the dvd is amazing. It's just like you are front row at the show. Under rated band to say the least. They rock hard for sure. Saxon is like Motorhead to me. I don't think either band has a bad album !!

This is one of the best albums Saxon has ever released. Lionheart was a solid album, their best album in years, but The Inner Sanctum takes it to a whole new level. The music and the production are incredible! There is not one bad track on it. It is a shame that Saxon never achieved the global success of their counterparts, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard. Saxon started off great, but going into the the mid 80's, they tried to curb their sound into more comercial appeal and that was a mistake. Because of that, it seems that most people wrote the band off and never gave them another chance. Going into the 90's and then the new decade, Saxon have been releasing top level albums. I would place Saxon multi-levels above most of the drivel that current American heavy metal bands are making, which is just screaming and noise. Here is a band that has been around for almost thirty years and hardly anyone knows about. It is a real shame because in a perfect world, these guys would be huge!! All the good music is in Europe, especially Germany. If you like this album and group, check out some other bands like Helloween, Primal Fear, Iron Savior, Gamma Ray and Hammerfall among others. You will not be disappointed.

Saxon just continues to kick butt, no thrash, no speed metal, just in your face heavy metal again and again and again. Saxon is without a doubt my favorite true metal band of all time. Inner Sanctum I love it go get it!

4+ Stars. It's Saxon, nough said. Now buy it. "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" is an AWESOME track 5 stars. A great rocking CD. All track at least 4 stars.

This is another great effort from the boys in Saxon. They continue to make killer music even today. If you are a fan of theirs, you need to get this. It is as good as anything they have put out since Unleash the Beast in '97. Wish they would tour in the U.S.