In 1994, BraveWords & Bloody Knuckles magazine was born and here we stand 30 years later celebrating the past 12 months of music on our anniversary! What an incredible ride it has been and it's far from over! And during the past three decades, we've literally seen/heard thousands of releases and this is the time of the season when we crown the finest! The BraveWords scribes have spoken, so join us each day this month as we count down to the BravePick of 2024!

Remember, everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! Stay tuned at the end of December for BraveWords' writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2024? and Metal Predictions For 2025. 

BravePicks 2024

22) SAXON - Hell, Fire And Damnation (Silver Lining)

 

The beginning of 2024 was sent a roar from the devil’s playground. British legends Saxon turned heads in 2023 with addition of Diamond Head’s Brian Tatler as touring guitarist with Paul Quinn stepping down. The Brits fired up the New Year with Hell, Fire, And Damnation, a sterling NWOBHM effort with Tatler and Doug Scarratt handling renewed lighting in the guitars.

The ageless Biff Byford leads the way with his recognizable British workmanlike grit as the heavy metal thunder still cracks with mountainous sound, energizing tracks, and glowing energy. Hell, Fire, And Damnation stakes its claim at #22.

Scribe Rich Catino scored the album an 8.0, concluding this is “Saxon as you want them.” An excerpt of his review:

If you have been, hopefully, listening to Saxon's albums post 2000s, more so 2010s (Call To Arms going forward), you already know the music on each album still retains those classic NWOBHM guitars and arrangements (“Call To Arms”, “Carpe Diem”), to harder hitting and aggressive (Sacrifice, Battering Ram, Thunderbolt title tracks) like the "Hell, Fire and Damnation" title track. Lyrically, all topics are explored, history, this time around Marie Antoinette (the melodic mid pace "Madame Guillotine"), Kublai Kahn, the Battle Of Hastings, and aliens "There's Something in Roswell" a tried-and-true ‘90s Saxon banger. 

Elsewhere, "Kluba Kahn And The Merchant Of Venice", "Fire And Steel" are fast barn burners for those who like the more aggressive side of the music and vocal delivery. "Pirates Of the Airways" verses brings me back to the Saxon mid ‘80s albums, while "1066" the late ‘90s and say, Unleash The Beast, maybe Metalhead. Fitting choice of riffing accents "Witches Of Salem", and "Super Charger" brings things home with a traditional Saxon gallop.

BravePicks 2024 Top 30

22) SAXON - Hell, Fire And Damnation (Silver Lining)
23) ULCERATE - Cutting The Throat Of God (Debemur Morti Productions)
24) POWERWOLF - Wake Up The Wicked (Napalm)
25) ENSIFERUM - Winter Storm (Metal Blade)
26) OPETH - The Last Will And Testament (Reigning Phoenix Music)
27) DARK TRANQUILLITY - Endtime Signals (Century Media)
28) MORGUL BLADE - Heavy Metal Wraiths (No Remorse)
29) THE DEAD DAISIES - Light 'Em Up (Independent)
30) MÖRK GRYNING - Fasornas Tid (Season Of Mist)