Singer Biff Byford along with guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt from British heavy metal legends SAXON sat down with Darkman from BraveWords' partners Loud Guitars in Toronto this past Sunday.

Saxon have produced a series of alternative takes on classic favourites to herald a worthy new entry to the Saxonian Institute of Metal. There is always feral beauty in a raging beast... and with Unplugged And Strung Up, Saxon's selection of unique, fresh and adventurous interpretations of material previously heard only with raw heavy metal thunder, the point is triumphantly underscored.

Unplugged And Strung Up reveals layers and pieces previously dormant in many of the 14 classic Saxon songs chosen for this makeover, thanks to some ear-catching new arrangements and mixes. Recorded, mixed and mastered with Andy Sneap in Derbyshire, UK earlier this year, Biff Byford and co re-evaluated, re-worked and re-energized the towering likes of 'The Eagle Has Landed' and 'Crusader' by introducing orchestral dynamics to offer added dimension. 'Frozen Rainbow' from the band's 1979 debut, gets a stunning acoustic reprisal which transports it into a power ballad to be proud of, whilst 'Red Star Falling' soars and sweeps the emotions with it's orchestrally-arranged dovetail.

As if this reinvention wasn't enough, Saxon superfans and collectors can purchase a digipak version of the release which will include 2002's storming set of full-volume, pedal-to-the-metal re-recorded hits Heavy Metal Thunder. Featuring staple Saxon stormers such as 'Motorcycle Man', 'Strong Arm Of The Law' and 'Dallas 1PM' it is a quintessential part of any collection.

Unplugged And Strung Up tracklisting:

'Stallions Of The Highway' (remix)

'Crusader' (orchestral version)

'Battle Cry'

'The Eagle Has Landed' (orchestral version)

'Red Star Falling' (orchestral version)

'Broken Heroes' (orchestral version)

'Call To Arms' (orchestral version)

'Militia Guard'

'Forever Free' (re-recorded version)

'Just Let Me Rock' (re-recorded version)

'Frozen Rainbow' (acoustic version)

'Iron Wheels' (live acoustic version)

'Requiem' (acoustic version)

'Coming Home' (acoustic version)

Heavy Metal Thunder tracklisting:

'Heavy Metal Thunder'

'Strong Arm Of The Law'

'Power & The Glory'

'And The Bands Played On'

'Crusader'

'Dallas 1PM'

'Princess Of The Night'

'Wheels Of Steel'

'747 (Strangers In The Night)'

'Motorcycle Man'

'Never Surrender'

'Denim & Leather'

'Backs To The Wall'

The standard single CD of Unplugged And Strung Up will come in a jewel case, and a double-vinyl gatefold sleeve version of the release will also be available. The digipack will be a two-disc version of the release featuring the bonus disc Heavy Metal Thunder, and there will be a digital release of the same.

Further details to follow.