Saxon
Battering Ram

Unstoppable. This is the adjective that comes to mind every time I listen to one of Saxon's latest albums. It's crazy to think how this band, active since 1979 and now nearing 50 years of activity, is still comfortably touring the world, playing and spreading their music to all living beings. It also amuses me how some bands don't do world tours because they're "too tiring," while these gentlemen, who have reached an unenviable age, continue to play, day after day, giving me the impression that if Saxon were deprived of the opportunity to tour, it would be their death. Unstoppable, I was saying. For the past twenty years, Byford's group and company haven't missed a beat. Having overcome the crisis in the mid-80s with the release of albums leaning towards AOR and more melodic like "Innocence Is No Excuse" (1985) and "Destiny" (1988), the British band seemed to have gotten back on track with the release of "Dogs Of War" (1995), and with the subsequent release of the fantastic "Unleash The Beast" (1997), it was as if a second youth had begun for Saxon. One of the main reasons, in my opinion, that helped Saxon regain and even increase the fame they had lost was the fact that the group's sound was no longer limited to the Hard 'N Heavy of their beginnings; instead, they had decidedly hardened their style, approaching classic Heavy Metal, a hardening that allowed the band not to disappear into anonymity.

By 2015, and after more than 40 years of career, it would be foolish and entirely senseless to ask a band like Saxon for a masterpiece like "Wheels Of Steel" (1980). What this band offers us, now precisely every two years, is an album of classic heavy metal, without frills, without overly elaborate songs, that fully reflects the soul of the group and what the listener wants to hear. After their previous "Sacrifice" (2013), in 2015 "Battering Ram" was released, yet another effort added to the already vast discography, and it doesn't change the game at all.

The overwhelming advance of the title track is truly amazing, with guitars in great shape and the voice of old Biff, who at the ripe age of 65 still shows us an exceptional performance. Like a fine wine, the older he gets, the better he becomes, I dare say. The album continues without great surprises, with excellent tracks that will surely have an impact live, like the devastating "Stand Your Ground" and "Hard And Fast," while "Queen Of Hearts," characterized by a well-cadenced rhythm but becomes boring after a few listens, and "To The End," a good song but definitely penalized by its excessive length, do not fully convince. Very interesting is "Kingdom Of The Cross," in which Nibbs Carter's bass carries the entire song, also supported by Byford's voice alternating narrative parts with other well-sung low and warm tones that manage to achieve a particularly dark effect, truly a great piece.

So what to say about this "Battering Ram"? Another well-placed hit by the British group, which unlike other bands of the genre, does not venture into symphonic works or overly long songs, but remains faithful to its identity, showing that even after surpassing 45 years of career, there is no point in stopping production and continuing to do concerts, reminiscing about the "good old days." Damn, Biff could be my grandfather and instead, he's still on stage like a lion, with his attitude and tenacity that don't show any signs of stopping for even a minute. Hats off.