Saxon – Carpe Diem

7/10

Purchasing a new Saxon album is still a bet as safe it has been for decades. The 2010’s may have been the weekest in the bands career this far, but to put out four straight 7/10 albums in one decade is still something few bands does nowadays. The shift to the 20’s was surprisingly confused, with first Biff Byford going solo and then last years pretty pointless cover album. But now we finally have a new genuine Saxon album for the first time in five years. It makes me wanna jump up and down with joy!

So are there any surprises to Carpe Diem? Nope, this sure sounds just like it should! Sure, Andy Sneaps hard’n’heavy soundscape is starting to feel a bit worn out by now, but he also manages to capture the bands vital and powerful energies. You could also wish for the band to get back to that extra punch that made some of the albums as late as the 00’s so incredibly strong, but I choose to focus on the good stuff.

As soon as the opening track Carpe Diem (Sieze the Day) rolls away, the band just demonstrates how you play solid heavy metal. After that, the album fires away one steady piece after another, wether it’s rough metal like Dambusters or an epic masterpiece like The Pilgrimage, which reminds me of the 2004 masterwork Lionheart. Like usual, it’s good all the way through, and I pick up a couple of new favourites along the way. When I return to this album in the future to come, I guess I will still find a solid album containing a couple of very fine pearls to put in the front of the bands vast catalouge. And my rate? Well, it’s of course another 7/10!

Artist: Saxon
Title: Carpe Diem
Label: Silver Lining
Date of release: 4/2 -22
Time: 44,14
Rating: 7/10
Standout track: The Pilgrimage