Saxon – "Hell, Fire and Damnation"

When someone leaves the heavy metal machine on overnight

Being among the original distillers of pure heavy metal in the late '70s and having released one solid ball of rock of an album after the other since then, Saxon, as an institution, was simply born with a heart of steel. They have long been one of my favorite metal bands in the world, and they will always have my utmost adoration.

With this disclaimer outta the way, Saxon did set a high bar for themselves with 2022's masterful "Carpe Diem" album. And this one, being their first album integrating new guitarist Brian Tatler into the fold after last year's retirement of founding member Paul Quinn, sees the band cutting away as much fat as possible. Nothing wrong with that, necessarily. But sometimes people forget that the fat is what holds most of the flavor.

It's evident from the opening title track. Ever-majestic singer Biff Byford's age-defying vocals are the only instantly recognizable element. It's heavy metal, alright. Simple, heavy riffing; a wicked scream; a lively beat; a lot of open-E chugging, and a chorus that'll probably do its job on tour. So, it's nothing less than heavy metal – but it's not a lot more, either.

Much like with the latest, and probably final, long-player from Saxon's fine countrymen Magnum, I have to make it clear that "Hell, Fire and Damnation" is not a bad album. As we get midway, the near-thrashing "Fire and Steel" sets a different tone with a red-hot energy level, even more savage vocals, and drummer Nigel Glockler nearly causing a bit of irreparable damage to his kit.

If "Hell, Fire and Damnation" had been released around the turn of the '80s, it would've made history. And if I hadn't heard any of Saxon's albums since around the turn of the '90s, I'd be impressed that they're still going strong.

Also "Kubla Khan and the Merchant of Venice" is more uptempo, and "There's Something in Roswell" features a bit of eerie verse atmosphere and the album's most iron-solid riffing. And during "Pirates of the Airwaves", I'm even noticing the solo-chasing improve, as though Tatler and first guitarist Doug Scarrat are slowly finding each other as the album progresses.

However, I'm missing some more of those standout elements that made this album's predecessor just those coupla notches superior to the average high-end Saxon album. When I say there's a lot of open-E chugging here, it's because there's really a lot of open-E chugging here. During "1066" (title and lyrics referring to the battle of Hastings), it gets a bit too much. Apart from aforementioned standout tracks, the biggest element of variation that comes to mind is the waltz-feel in "Witches of Salem". And it doesn't quite cut it.

If "Hell, Fire and Damnation" had been released around the turn of the '80s, it would've made history. And if I hadn't heard any of Saxon's albums since around the turn of the '90s, I'd be impressed that they're still going strong. But neither is the case. And I know that this band can be much stronger.

Overall, Saxon's 24th studio LP kinda fills a function similar to 2011's "Call to Arms" after following 2009's superior "Into the Labyrinth": A worthy attempt that any decent metalhead would prefer ahead of any of this century's weak, polished poser-core, but only aligning with its predecessor's lower bar of quality, and ultimately not entering the band's rank of essential albums. Which, to be fair, is also a high standard, even in this century.

Rating: 4 out of 6

Genre: Heavy metal
Release date: 19/1/2024
Label: Silver Lining Music
Producer: Andy Sneap + Biff Byford