I strongly believe that SAXON is an underestimated band; without any doubt they are one of the best live acts that you know before the show that you will get blasted. Their on-stage juvenility is something more than impressive making a lot of the 'big' bands to blush in shame for their 'professional' performances. The good things about these long-standing British NWOBHM monsters don't stop here; they have the 'tendency' to release powerful albums that meet the band's high standards without standing musically still by simply copying themselves like their fellow countrymen IRON MAIDEN.
So, Into the Labyrinth is the next addition to SAXON's enormous back catalogue that will definitely shock the metal scene with the straightforward and classic Heavy Metal that I believe is missing nowadays. The album is better than Inner Sanctum that in my opinion was lacking of the freshness that Into the Labyrinth comprises. Actually, this freshness has to do with the additional distortion in the guitar sound and the impressive vocals by my Byford. Biff is pushing hard his voice getting in high almost screaming pitches revealing a rather new perspective in SAXON's music. Take for example the fast and (why not?) evil Demon Sweeny Todd where the expressional vocals meets the solid guitar wall by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt with a Princess Of The Night vibe. The trademark SAXON recipe where melody meets speed and heaviness is there to make our heads bang with Valley Of The Kings or the Battalions Of Steel that is an excellent gig opener.
The whole album sounds like the perfect tribute to SAXON by SAXON; it feels like they got all their powerful elements added some new ones and recorded an album that is already in my personal 'album of the year' list. The addictive Live To Rock (what a classic title that is), the guitar driven Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete) with the hearty vibrato, or the in-your-face Hellcat with a killer solo are some of the stronger moments that I could pick out for the shake of this review because the entire albums kicks ass. The album closes with the nice surprise of Coming Home (Bottleneck Version) that hits the Blues with slide guitar and yes another impressive vocal performance.
So, get this one with your eyes closed and your ears ready for some classic SAXON music that will warm us up for their upcoming tour. Yes my friends, the Eagle is back and is preparing to land once again and spread Heavy Metal they way it was and the way it should be. Be ready for them!