Metalhead

Saxon really poured their heart and soul into Unleash the Beast, but alas, they chose to do so in a time exceedingly difficult to discover and appreciate quality metal, dooming its name to "Hidden Gem" subforums for all eternity. See also, Human Remains and Mythical & Magical. To make matters worse, all of the effort that went into simply surviving as a traditional metal band through the 90's was really taking its toll on the band. Metalhead saw a lineup, label, and producer change, leaving one to wonder if Saxon could harness the tremendous power required to craft an even greater follow-up to their 1997 triumph Unleash the Beast. Well friends, the answer is very simple.

...No they couldn't. Although functionally similar to their previous barrage, Metalhead is marred by a few unignorable issues that make it a touch grating at times. A brickwalled production comes from the typically-talented Charlie Bauerfeind, and although guitar tone captures an imperious juiciness similar to Rage's Soundchaser, it comes off as a bit much. I recognize the irony of complaining about the production of an album called Metalhead, but this issue is badly compounded by an oversimplified approach to songwriting as well. Riffs, however hulking, come across as very shallow and amateurish when played so undynamically.

'Piss Off' and 'Prisoner' are the two biggest culprits, sounding very similar to Savatage's Poets and Madmen, or even Accept's Predator. It's the sound of an old-fashioned band attempting to abide by modern sensibilities, and as you know, that sound is highly distinguishable and rarely dignified. Metalhead, as a result, can seem very repetitive and frankly a bit tryhard-y at times, I hate to say.

There are plenty of exceptions though. Technical skill and raw power make the "You son of a BITCH" handshake in brilliant tracks like 'All Guns Blazing', a firestorm of breakneck drum fills and rugged power metal riffing, reminding me a lot of Motörhead's 'Trigger'. The ambitious and moody epic 'Sea of Life' is another highlight worth mentioning, and then there's my personal favorite composition, 'Conquistador'. This track boasts everything from savage rolling drumlines reminiscent of Saxon's own classic 'Battlecry', stentorian bellows from Biff, and a pleasingly melodic solo that sounds like something Satan may have written. The band, Satan. Although I'm sure Our Dark Lord could probably write some sick guitar solos, too.

I'd call Metalhead an underappreciated slice of 90's traditional metal, in many ways similar to Udo's appropriately-titled Solid. Sure, it's got quite a bit of chugging simplicity to it, but at least it hasn't completely lapsed back into whatever-the-hell country metal Dogs of War was attempting. So it's two steps forward and two steps back. Not exactly progress, but at least Saxon is getting some exercise.

Saxon are a band that I overlooked for quite some time. I first listened to some of the band's 80's material about a decade ago and felt that the albums were too dated and "rock 'n roll" for me. I love plenty of 70's rock, but the rock-style songs were not good enough and the metal songs were hurt by the production that was a product of its time. Due to this experience, I wrote the band off because I had no desire to explore anything further.

A few years later, I stumbled across a number of late 90's and 2000's Saxon albums in the clearance section of a local music store and decided to make a blind purchase of all of them, despite not hearing any of their material written after the late 80's. Boy am I glad that I did! While their 80's material had rock 'n roll and pop metal songs mixed in with the speed and power metal moments, Metalhead is 100% pure heavy metal! From the opening chords of the title track to the end of "Sea of Life", they showed that despite their longevity (The band had been performing as Saxon since the late 70's), they were able to write quality material that rivals and often surpasses anything put out by their younger contemporaries at the time. Most of the songs (with the exception of "All Guns Blazing") range from mid-paced to slow, so don't expect anything like the speed metal that they flirted with at times, like the song "Wheels of Steel." However, it is not really a detriment to the album, because there is enough variety to keep the flow of the album diversified.

The guitar riffs and solos are of high quality throughout the album, but what really makes Metalhead great is the quality of the songwriting itself. The songs are heavy, yet melodic at the same time. The songs have memorable choruses with strong hooks. As a result, Metalhead is a rare album that can be enjoyed by a veteran metalhead (no pun intended) such as myself while simultaneously serving as an appropriate entry-level album for someone who is just getting into the genre. The production is clear, but muscular, which helps when the quality slips a bit during a few moments in the second half. However, the album ends of a high note with the epic "Sea of Life," which is one of the strongest songs on the album.

While I often try to pigeonhole music that I listen to and review into very specific genres, Saxon's Metalhead is a great example of an album that should be classified as "heavy metal" with no further subgenres needed. Its strength lies in its consistency. Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing, but Metalhead is varied enough that it is worth listening to from start to finish.

The first advantage of the here presented full-length is its title. No question, I have a lot of positive associations with the term "Metalhead". To be honest, I like this word more than "veteran", although this term labels the higher tier for the users of this website. For me as a German, "veteran" is closely connected with terms such as "internecine war", "Stalingrad" and "unconditional surrender". But that's another story and it goes without saying that I accept the rules of the Metal-Archives. Coming back to Saxon's album, it offers eleven tracks which cover a broad spectrum in terms of quality. Bands that still stick to the rules of traditional heavy metal must always master a specific challenge. Due to the narrow limits of genuine metal, the musicians are forced to write very good riffs. They are essential in order to make you forget the fact that each and every corner of the established genre has been already explored. Saxon are aware of this situation and the five mature men draw the correct conclusions.

The opening riff of the title track hits the listener like a ten ton hammer. The ironclad piece glitters with a mysterious chorus and its slightly eerie verses. Biff's voice appears slightly overproduced, but that is no problem at all. The title track - as well as the following "Travellers in Time", which is also emanating a secretive aura - follows a stomping approach instead of setting the focus on velocity. But fortunately, the band is too clever to ignore the fascination of speed completely. "All Guns Blazing", the third highlight, is exactly characterised by its up-tempo rhythm. The band combines aggression and catchiness in a smooth and effective manner. Due to the fact that its riff does not lack of refinement, the song enriches the endless catalogue of Saxon songs in a remarkable way.

Generally spoken, Saxon stay true to themselves. The compositions reflect the sincere spirit of the band. They do not suffer from external influences and this is both a curse and a blessing. Saxon are immune against experiments and nobody needs a new commercial adjustment. In this context, some of their albums of the eighties can still be seen as a warning. (Yes, even the eighties had its gruesome moments.) But the band also stews in its own juice and vapid numbers like "Song of Evil" with its shrill chorus or the adequately titled "Piss Off" illustrate this dilemma. Anyway, there are not many groups that deliver killer tracks exclusively. Under the bottom line, this situation does not require a modification as long as Saxon are able to compose strong songs within the range of conventional metal. Their unerring instinct for unstoppable melodic hooks is helpful in this regard. But the band is also able to shift into a higher degree. The relatively venomous "Watching You" makes this obvious. After having balanced the benefits against disadvantages, this properly implemented album cannot fully convince, but its pros clearly gain the upper hand.

Okay, let’s get a few things straight here from the band's past career; Wheels Of Steel was a groundbreaking heavy metal album that was full of fast riffs and a hard attitude, with a formula that was perfected with their follow up album of the same year, Strong Arm Of The Law. With two classics and three albums already, the band showed no signs of slowing down. 1981’s Denim And Leather is probably the most METAL album ever released, lyrically speaking. It’s is very hard hitting indeed. Power And The Glory did manage to top it though, coming off as a Metal masterpiece in my opinion. It wasn’t until 1997’s Unleash The Beast album, that Saxon even came close to the quality and Metalness of Power And The Glory, although this time around, the band was harder and heavier than ever! Think they couldn’t have possibly topped that? Well you’re wrong! Unleash The Beast was only a taste of what the band would now become....

1999’s Metalhead album is Saxon at their heaviest, darkest, fastest and hardest! This entire album is cloaked in dark atmosphere, with riffs that are heavier than an anvil being thrown off the grand canyon. This totally makes up for the living abortions that were Destiny and Rock The Nations, or even Innocence Is No Excuse for that matter. This also blows Unleash The Beast out of the fucking water and towers over any track that appeared on Power And The Glory, except for the title track and Warrior, of course. The only reason that this album is less impressive than the early 80s releases is because the early albums were clearly ahead of their time. This one, on the other hand, sounds almost as if it came out of the 80s itself, released in 1999, but hey, at least Saxon is back to their Heavy Metal roots, still kicking ass and going strong. I’ve often heard this album compared to modern German Power Metal bands like Pegazus, Iron Savior, Metallium, Primal Fear and bands like that, yet I don’t see why! This sounds nothing like those bands since it’s obviously heavier, much darker, and a lot less upbeat. It also doesn’t focus on constant double bassing and shitty usage of triggers on the drums to achieve speed, much like these German Power Metal bands do nowadays. So if you think that this is anything remotely close to that modern, generic, German Power Metal, then fuck you!

1. Intro - MUCH less impressive than any of the intros that the band previously did, but it’s good none the less. It has this sort of “futuristic” atmosphere to it, leading us right into the title track…

2. Metalhead - Wow, is this HEAVY or what?! Yes, this is HEAVY in all caps!!! I’ve never even heard Doom Metal that was this heavy! This song is reeking with dark atmosphere, and once again, Biff provides his low sung vocals for added mood, helping with the darkness of the song. In the background, you can sometimes hear a demonic voice growling “METAL! HEAD!”, which once again, helps bring to the dark vibe to the listener and only makes this song sound heavier. Overall, it isn’t very fast, but so what? This rules, plain and simple!

3. Are We Travelers In Time - This one is much in the same tone as Metalhead, complete with riffs are HEAVY as hell, dark, low, melodic vocals and mid paced speed that is quite easy to headbang to. Once again, the atmosphere is very dark and mystical, and is not very easy to listen to if you’re looking for upbeat Metal. By the way, I think both of these tracks are about life in outer space. I know for sure Metalhead is, but I’m not so sure about this one. Must be, just look at the title.

4. Conquistador - These opening acoustics are really cool. It sounds like music from out of ancient Spain, which of course, is when this track lyrically takes place. Looking for speed? Well then this song should please you. Don’t mistake this for being upbeat though, because it does still have that dark vibe to it, it’s just much faster than the previous two songs and much more melodic. Biff displays incredible vocal range here, making his voice catchy as fuck while still singing in a low tone, occasionally hitting a high note when the time is right. The acoustics are also used during the chorus, which in my opinion, was a great idea to do. They really add to its catchiness, and let me tell you…I don’t think Saxon has ever done a better chorus! Seriously, this song absolutely SLAYS from start to finish! And you know what? This is probably my favorite Saxon tune. Or one of them for sure.

5. What Goes Around - Once again, we’re back to the mid paced heavy stuff, and these riffs truly CRUSH! Okay, so this isn’t as heavy as the album’s title track or Travelers In Time, but occasionally, you’ll hear this riff that’s like…”Damn! That’s pretty heavy!”. I guess it’s a little less impressive overall than the previous three songs, but is sure as hell is not a filler song. Also, Biff sings in his usual, normal ranged tone this time around.

6. Song Of Evil - So, this is the song of evil, eh? It sure as hell sounds like it too!! Biff’s voice doesn’t sound dark, it just sounds plain out angry mean as hell! And these riffs…whoa! HEAVY! It’s safe to say that the overall atmosphere heard here is darker than anything on the rest of this album, meaning that it’s also safe to say that it truly deserves to be called the ‘Song Of Evil’. These lyrics rule too: “The smell of death surrounds you, your souls will burn in Hell. The final retribution when Satan rings the bell”. Yes, this rules! Plain and simple!

7. All Guns Blazing - No, this isn’t a Judas Priest cover, but it sure as hell gives the Priest track some serious competition with intensity and speed. To call this song Speed Metal is probably one of the biggest understatements I’ve ever heard in my entire life! And no, that is not an exaggeration. Biff’s vocals are top notch here, flowing very well with the music while maintaining great range, both during the verses and the chorus. And these riffs…damn! There are a lot of them and every single one of them slays the other before! That double bass break out towards the end of the song sounds badass as well.

8. Prisoner - This one’s very similar to What Goes Around, except for the fact that the vocals are a little darker. There are also better riffs to be heard, but the highlight is definitely the chorus. It’s catchy, and is also one of those songs that is likely to stay nailed into the back of your skull for a very long time.

9. Piss Off - Hah, I was just waiting for Saxon to make a song title like this. The riffs in this song contain the most groove to them out of all the tracks on the album. Still, that doesn’t mean that they’re any less heavy than any of the other songs on here. Byford’s vocals are also a bit more upfront and don’t possess that dark vibe to them anymore, although there is some attitude to be heard within his voice as well. I mean, what else would you except with a song that’s entitled ‘Piss Off’?

10. Watching You - For some reason, this one sounds likes something off Unleash The Beast due to the riffs and vocals. They’re not as heavy and/or dark as on the rest of the material off this album, yet this track manages to kick just as much ass as any track here. I guess with a song title like ‘Watching You’, one would probably except a song that sounded a little darker or a little more eerie, but hey, I have no problem with this one. I love the hell out of Unleash The Beast, so this song is truly a good one either way.

11. Sea Of Life - Ah yes, it’s now time for some experimentation from the band. Does that mean it’s bad? NO! It’s much more epic than the band’s usual material and spans over 8 minutes long. It is also entirely mid paced, very heavy in some parts and acoustic/melodic in some of the other parts. These two elements work very well together. The highlight here though are the vocals without a doubt. Biff sings with such fantastic range, knowing just when to hit those notes that make this song do damn catchy and appealing. Overall, a very epic number that serves as a perfect closing track for the album.


Saxon has always been a band that's contantly changing, yet still manges to stay true to their identity (with the exception of their shitty late 80s albums). This album is no exception. It isn't the classic Saxon that we all know, but that also isn't a bad thing either. Look at it this way; Metalhead is to Denim And Leather what Judas Priest's Painkiller is to British Steel. Then again, this is quite heavier than Painkiller and dreadfully dark as well. I guess you can call this Power Metal, because it sure has a lot of power behind it! A LOT! But don't mix up that term with what's referred to today as Power Metal, because this album sounds NOTHING like those bands! This is darker, far more original and overall heavier.

Note: That's also why I don't know what the hell the reviewer below was thinking when he said that this sounded like german power metal. Because it doesn't!