SAXON

Time is a cruel and merciless thing. Once upon a time, you could have started this review with: "Well, this band needs no introduction..." And it would have been true. But ten years have passed, and today the name of the NWOBHM veterans SAXON has been largely forgotten. Time has prescribed different vitamins to the younger generation: supersonic speeds, massive production, flashy expensive videos. Thus, "Lionheart" serves as a kind of bridge from past to future for SAXON, proof that as a creative entity, this British quintet can put many younger bands to shame. Credit where it's due — they pulled it off. As many have noted, SAXON donned new armor, leaving English heavy metal behind and plunging into German-style power metal. Unfortunately, the promo sampler allows only a very sparse assessment of the new full-length's potential — someone so poorly chopped the songs into one-minute samples that often a verse barely has time to begin, let alone reach the chorus. Even so, the sound, the melodies (both guitar and keyboard), and Biff Byford's piercing vocals are all in place. And while the old guard may lag behind the swift youngsters in speed, the primal energy of their music is a stronghold they have never surrendered. Given these circumstances, it's hard for me to single out a best or worst track, but "Witchfinder General," in my opinion, opens with more punch than the rest.