Biff Byford, frontman from legendary NWOBHM band SAXON, will guest on WJCU's Metal On Metal radio program tonight (Friday, September 30th) at 8:00 PM (EST). Byford will discuss the band's North American tour and latest Call To Arms album.

Metal On Metal can be heard live at 88.7 FM in the Cleveland, Ohio area or streamed worldwide via the Internet at this location.

"The New Wave of British Heavy Metal era were my best years of being a heavy metal fan", says Metal On Metal show host Bill Peters. "Those were some very exciting years. The underground metal scene was exploding. I collected all of the albums, singles and demos from that time period. Saxon were always one of my favorite bands. I bought their first album as an import in 1979 on the Carrere label and have been a diehard fan ever since.

"The first time I saw Saxon live was on their first U.S. tour supporting the Denim And Leather album back in 1981. They headlined a show at the Cleveland Agora. There were only a hundred or so people in attendance. I remember the band being one of the loudest I had ever heard at the venue. I haven't missed a Saxon Cleveland show since. Their tour is unfortunately bypassing Cleveland this year so I will have to make a road trip to Detroit to see them.

"I've seen Saxon perform at several of the major German heavy metal festivals as well and they always steal the show. They have an arsenal of classic songs we've all heard a hundred times before, but never grow tired of, you just can't deny. When they pull those songs out to close their set, it's game over!"

One of the leading bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, Saxon has hit the US shores hard once more.

On September 27th, Saxon released their 19th studio album overall, Call To Arms (via UDR Music/EMI), and starting the following day, launched a Stateside tour. And as evidenced by such ass-kickers as 'Hammer Of The Gods' and 'Call To Arms', the group hasn't lost their grip on composing hard-hitting yet anthemic heavy metal with their latest offering. The 11-track album was co-produced by Byford and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS, DIO DISCIPLES).

"This is probably the best album we've written and recorded in the last 20 years," stated Byford unapologetically. "I know a lot of bands say that, but Call To Arms really does feel like that to me. It's the perfect embrace of our past with a great modern edge."

It's been 35 years since Saxon was originally up and running, and the group can still easily hold their own with the headbanging competition.

“It’s important to keep one foot in the past and one foot very much in the present,” says Byford. “At some points in your life, whether you’re younger or older, you do have these wonderful periods of ‘state of graceness’ where everyone likes everything you write. But you can’t keep being your own tribute band, you have to try and write great new songs, and you have to try to appeal to a younger audience. SAXON has been successfully doing that for the last decade, and the result is we still have our old fan base but we also have a whole new, younger one too.”

Saxon North American tour dates:

September

30 - Avalon, Santa Clara, CA

October

1 - Last Day Saloon, Santa Rosa, CA
2 - Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana, CA
3 - The Crown, Las Vegas, NV
4 - Club Red, Tempe, AZ
6 - Stereo Live, Houston, TX
7 - Sunken Gardens, San Antonio, TX
8 - The Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL
9 - Blondie's, Detroit, MI
10 - Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, QC
11 - Phoenix, Toronto, ON
13 - B.B. Kings, New York, NY
14 - Jaxx, Springfield, VA
15 - Bourbon Street, Baltimore, MD