SAXON - Inspirations
March 19, 2021, 3 years ago
(Silver Lining)
With their wheels of steel and heavy metal thunder, NWOBHM legends Saxon metalize eleven classic songs in fine traditional metal fashion. No, these are not reworked, reinterpretations. Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”, Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”, even third tune in, The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” is bright and upbeat with solid vocal harmonies, but still rocks. Black Sabbath’s “Evil Woman”, not one of the usual suspects often covered, is nice for something off the beaten path. From Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free”, to Thin Lizzy’s “The Rocker” and AC/DC’s ‘Problem Child’, these choices make for a fun party album. Biff’s voice works really well for each song and its complimenting melody. Sometimes cover songs just don’t work for either a band’s style or singer tone, but these work on all levels for Saxon.
Motörhead’s “Bomber” and “Speed King’ from Deep Purple get down and dirty mid-way through the tracklist. Also, interesting to hear Saxon take on the classic Toto hit “Hold The Line”, but I wasn’t surprised how well it turned out because they covered Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like The Wind” in 1988. Solid, enjoyable, and faithful to the original arrangements.
