Saxon - Into The Labyrinth [Album]

Steam Hammer

January 11, 2009, 09:43 PM

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There are three types of 'awesome'. There is the official, literal version, used to describe something which fills one with awe, such as an incredible vista or a powerful force. There is the American child version, whereby one, for example, receives a cool new toy for no other reason than one's parents are rich, and the accepted reply is 'awesome' (pronounced "arse-urm"). And then, there is the real version.

The real version is indescribable. There are no words to describe something that is truly awesome except the word 'awesome'. One of the best examples of this type of awesome is old-school metal. This is the kind of metal that can be enjoyed, not fought. The kind of metal where fat, bearded old bikers can go and sing falsetto and still feel like a man. The kind of metal that gave us Spinal Tap, the only non-existent band ever to epitomize a genre. This is Saxon territory.

And who could fail to love the band that wrote "Wheels Of Steel" ("She's got wheeeeeeeels....wheels of steel")? The band that began with the line up of such names as Steve 'Ponce' Dawson and Pete 'Frank' Gill. I mean, Jesus, the band's Wikipedia entry is a comedy goldmine:

Saxon recently did a 25th Anniversary of NWOBHM tour of Germany beginning in early March 2005. To celebrate the anniversary of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), the band played songs they recorded during the 1980s.

Come on, if you don't find anything immediately funny there then at least try to say "nwobhm" with a straight face. And another quote:

Saxon performed at the 2008 Download Festival on the third stage. Despite playing on the smallest of the three stages and only having a 40 minute set, Saxon managed to pull in the biggest crowd for the Gibson stage and had to take breaks inbetween songs as the crowds chanting their name were drowning out Biff's vocals.

In other words, Saxon's fans got so excited about seeing Saxon that Saxon couldn't play. If that isn't awesome, I don't know what is.

This is the reason why I haven't even mentioned Into The Labyrinth yet. To truly understand this album, you need to understand where it comes from and what it can do. You need to understand 'awesome'.

So, how awesome is Into The Labyrinth? Well, let me describe for you my body's natural reaction to Battalions Of Steel, the first song of ITL:

There's a minute-or-so long intro, quiet, reserved. A few synths creep up. A bit of ambiance. A church bell sounding. Some light guitar notes. Then, synthesized choral singing. A slight chuckle comes out at the anticipation of awesomeness. Then, one of the crudest organ sounds I have ever heard, and I can't help but laugh at the sheer epic-ness. A few moments later, Saxon spring into action with the heavy notes, my head begins to nod. And, suddenly, they break into the true song. My head bangs become more pronounced, and my fingers instinctively twitch into devil horns. The chorus. I want to sing along, but I don't know the words so I just open and shut my mouth as though I'm "singing" the national anthem before a football match.

And all of this happens without any nudging from my brain. That's how awesome Into The Labyrinth is.

But, coming back from the dizzying heights of headbanging euphoria, there is a drawback. The drawback is that heavy metal can't really be described as 'good' - not usually, anyway. It's just awesome. You can be heavy metal - and popular heavy metal, at that - but still miss the target musically. Saxon's attempt to address this is the "Bottleneck version" of Coming Home, a track previously featured on Killing Ground, Saxon's 2001 album. The original song is changed to a blues track, using slide guitars to good effect, and it actually does sound classy but for the occasional over-doing of the vocals. And, indeed, the vocals are one of the bonuses and drawbacks of this type of music. It is awesome, yes, but it's pretty terrible if you listen to it with anything other than a tolerant disposition.

I suppose, though, that anyone who is going to buy this album won't do it for the blues. They'll do it for the awesomeness, and there is plenty of that. Highlights include Slow Lane Blues, which provides a slow-paced guitar-pounding, followed by Crime of Passion, a Pantera-like power metal sledgehammer. Hellcat races along, Motorhead-style, and Valley Of The Kings thrashes through like a punk on the most intense sugar high, ever. But, apart from the previously mentioned Battalions of Steel and Coming Home, the other songs disappoint a little. Not too much, though. About the same, I'd say, as cooking a curry and realizing, just as you sit down, that you forgot to get any naan bread. You know the curry's just the same, but you feel like it's not as good as it can be.

Tracks:

1. Battalions Of Steel
2. Live To Rock
3. Demon Sweeney Todd
4. The Letter
5. Valley Of The Kings
6. Slow Lane Blues
7. Crime Of Passion
8. Premonition in D Minor
9. Voice
10. Protect Yourselves
11. Hellcat
12. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
13. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)

http://www.myspace.com/planetsaxon

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