When internationally-renowned actor Brian Blessed OBE delivers a proclamation for opening track, “The Prophecy”, expectations are automatically high. Have no fear and make no mistake, Saxon meet and exceed them on their 24th studio album Hell, Fire And Damnation, creating a superlative British Heavy Metal classic which strides the perfect line between confident, current power, and gloriously irreverent flexing of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal muscle which Saxon co-created.
There is supreme confidence in every performance. Biff Byford delivers his richest vocals in years, Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter on drums and bass respectively lay down the rhythmic law with thunderous power, and the guitars of Doug Scarratt and Brian Tatler are fresh and fiery, a perfect complement to each other, and carrying an overall energy and fury which will have fans salivating. Lyrically, Byford enjoys investigating all areas of both history and mystery, with Marie Antoinette, Kubla Khan, the Battle of Hastings, the Salem witch trials and the fight between good and evil on the title track all in the mix. Musically, Saxon bring it all to the table. There's a furious tribute to actual heavy metal in the denim & leather coated super-sprint “Fire And Steel”, a wonderful nod to the NWOBHM's birth in the electric mid-pace “Pirates Of The Airwaves”, but maybe the true treasure amidst the jewels is “There's Something In Roswell”, with the sort of expansive groove and embrace which deserves arenas. Add to this excellent production by Biff and Andy Sneap (Sneap also mixed and mastered Hell, Fire And Damnation) and you have Saxon's most definitive statement in years.