Saxon - Sacrifice- New CD released on 25 Feb 2013.



After more than 35 years and 13 million albums sold worldwide, Saxon are still relentless and passionate as they were back in the days of ‘Wheels of Steel’ and ‘Denim and Leather’. The influential heavy metal outfit has been an inspiration for the likes of Metallica and Megadeth and a front-runner for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sweeping the nation in the late 70s-early 80s.  New Studio album ‘Sacrifice’ out on 25th February , will be album number 20 in their stellar career, and fans are as excited as they were when Saxon first made their initial impact on the metal scene.
With a storming new stomp in their boots and a renewed, lithe swagger to their legendary sound, Saxon will release  “Sacrifice” through UDR Records. Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy successor   to their last album  “A Call To Arms”.  “Less tricks, more power!” roars frontman and founding father Biff Byford,  “my brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid to look back at the old classic  material  for inspiration.”

The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced by Byford with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering  by Jacky Lehmann. It fairly bristles with muscular metallic intent, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt’s guitar work the best it’s ever been, while Biff’s vocals sound fresher and livelier. The songwriting too harks back to a classic era in Saxon’s history, with the likes of ‘Warriors Of The Road’, ‘Wheels Of Terror’ and  ‘Stand Up And Fight’ evoking the  halcyon days  of yore with a contemporary  twist, the  classic  Saxon sound  absorbing  the  snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as Megadeth, as evidenced by the crunching title cut ‘Sacrifice’.

“It’s certainly been done from a more early ‘80s thrashier perspective,” explains   Biff,  “and it’s not just guitars bashing away willy-nilly, they’ve got a fresh drive, purpose and perspective.”

Besides the new material, Saxon will also be adding some unique recordings of revisited classics to certain formats of the release, also produced by Byford and mastered by Andy Sneap, including an orchestral version of Crusader and an acoustic version of Frozen Rainbow.

“From the songs to the production, I wanted to focus on the raw aspects which made us great In the first place,” concludes Biff, “And living in that rawness, combined with some great classic Saxon-songwriting, has in my opinion, made Saxon fresher than ever.

Formats
* standard jewel case CD 
  UDR 0152 CD
* limited edition deluxe digibook (including a bonus disc featuring the revisited classic tracks)
  UDR 0150 CD
* vinyl LP Picture Disc
  UDR 0153 LP
* direct to consumer (D2C) fan package available exclusively for online order from online retailers)
   UDR 0156 D2C
*  digital download plus one bonus song Luck of the Draw (exclusive to iTunes)
  UDR 0155
Track Listing
Procession
Sacrifice
Made in Belfast
Warriors of the Road
Guardians of the Tomb
Stand up and Fight
Walking the Steel
Night of the Wolf
Wheels of Terror
Standing in the Queue

Bonus Track: Luck of the Draw (on ITunes only)

Bonus Disc
Crusader (orchestral version)
Just Let Me Rock (Re-recorded version)
Requiem (Acoustic version)
Frozen Rainbow (Acoustic Version)
Forever Free (Re-recorded version)

Don't forget you can catch Saxon live on the road in April and May at the following venues.
18 April        Leamington    Spa Assembly 
19 April        Nottingham    Rock City
20 April        Newcastle      O2 Academy
21 April        Glasgow         O2 ABC
23 April        Manchester    HMV Ritz
24 April        Leeds             O2 Academy
26 April        Wolverhampton  Wulfrun Hall
27 April        London         O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
28 April        Bristol             O2 Academy
1 May           Dublin             Academy
3 May           Belfast            Mandela Hall
5 May           Oxford            O2 Academy
6 May           Falmouth       Princess Pavilion 
www.rockgig.co.uk will have a review of the Leeds show and hopefully one from one of the shows from down south as well.
NH

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