SAXON – Carpe Diem

Seize The Day

When the phrase “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” gets used, we are often referring to Iron Maiden, Samson, Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang and of course the mighty Saxon. It’s a testament to their devotion, and their love of music that Saxon are still going strong over 40 years later with one of the most stable lineups in the business. Saxon – Carpe Diem is studio album #23 from Peter “Biff” Byford and company, and it feels like the band just keeps getting better, and better with age, like the finest of wines. The Barnsely (UK) born band draw on a variety of ingredients from their career to forge what may be their most dynamic release in many a year.

Pure British Metal

Produced by Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Exodus, Accept and Priest guitarist) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering, Carpe Diem strikes the ear as one of the most essential British Metal statements of the last few years. Not lacking in pace or bite, the album ignites the joy in hardcore fans, and should attract a whole new legion to the Saxon fold. “It all starts with the riff,” says front man and co-founder Biff Byford, “if the riff speaks to me, then we’re on our way. It’s a very intense album, and that’s all down to the fact that the essence of a great Metal song is the riff that starts it, and this album has loads of them.”

The genesis of Carpe Diem’s fierce intensity lies in two extremely significant life events – “It’s been a difficult two years,” offers Biff with considerable understatement, “because I had the heart attack back in September 2019, so things went a bit pear-shaped for the band. And then Covid hit two or three months later, but luckily, we started writing and recording this album before Covid. We did the drums in Germany and we did the guitars in various places. I was doing a lot of writing while I was in the hospital bed, and we spent quite a long time writing and arranging the ideas that we all had. I do think it’s a very intense album, and maybe some of that intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything in the Covid period.”

Final Notes

With 10 tracks of heavy riffing guitars, powerful vocals and a thundering rhythm section that you’d expect from the giants of Metal, Carpe Diem is a triumph to start out 2022. One thing you can always count on with Saxon, and that’s that they always stay true to their sound, and to the music that brought them to where they are today. This album is no exception, and Metal heads young and old can all come together and find a lot to love on Saxon – Carpe Diem. This album is a definite must for headbangers of any age, and belongs in your Heavy Metal collection.

Lineup

Biff Byford – Vocals
Paul Quinn– Guitar
Nigel Glockler – Drums
Doug Scarratt– Guitar
Nibbs Carter – Bass

Carpe Diem – Tracklist

01. Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)
02. Age of Steam
03. The Pilmgrimage
04. Dambusters
05. Remember the Fallen
06. Super Nova
07. Lady In Gray
08. All for One
09. Black is the Night
10. Living On the Limit