Album Review: Saxon - Carpe Diem

You have to be dedicated to be putting out your 23rd record, or to still be at it after nearly fifty years. Rocking takes a toll on the body, and writing songs takes a toll on the mind. It's not easy to keep plugging away, to keep being creative, year after year and decade after decade. Saxon have been doing just that, and doing it as one of the most underappreciated bands in heavy metal. They have always been repsected, but have never achieved the same level of success as many of their peers. They may well outlast a lot of them, as they have less drama in their ranks than some... *cough*Judas Priest*cough*.

Coming out of the gates, the band is trying to do exactly what the album's title suggests. There isn't time to waste, and they get right to rocking. There's a driving riff, Biff Byford's ageless voice, and a solid solo too. It's all the pieces that make classic heavy metal work, as long as you're not asking for a lot of melodic factor. The hook of the song is a simple chant of the title, and it's the sort of thing that worked in the 80s, but I don't think is enough anymore. Or if it's going to, it needs to sound bigger.

The same is true of "Age Of Steam", where the grinding gears of the song build to a chorus that doesn't have nearly the power necessary. It sounds a bit like a steam engine trying to compete against modern technology. The song is written in the old-fashioned way, and while the band themselves sound younger than their years, they can't transfer that energy into a song that is struggling to get up to speed. It satisfies the basics, and if you're happy with music that delivers just that, then by all means disregard what I'm saying.

I happen to be looking for a bit more spark, something in the songwriting that grips me, or moves me, and that's lacking through this album. I like the mood "The Pilgrimage" sets, where the guitars sound a bit like an old AC/DC ballad, but it doesn't really go anywhere. It's another case where the song starts strong, and then the chorus comes and it's a flat recitation of the title. Biff isn't giving it his all singing the words, and the writing in those parts sounds even weaker. What is supposed to be the best part of the songs is instead where they falter the most.

Saxon is a classic band, and this album lives in the sweet spot of the classics. If that's what you grew up listening to, and you're fine with that old style of metal, you're going to find a lot to enjoy in what they're doing now. Myself, I came around well after that period, and I prefer a sound (even in metal) with a lot more hook and melody to it. Saxon doesn't deliver on that front, so I'm not won over the way I'm sure many other critics will be. It's a difference in taste, and I can't sit here and tell you something I don't believe.

So that's what there is to say about "Carpe Diem". Saxon is going to appeal to their fans, and to fans of the old days of heavy metal. If that's you, by all means give the album a chance. If you're looking for something that can speak to you beyond metal cliches, this won't be for you. I'm in the middle, where I can see the quality, but it's in a different lane than I am traveling.