Saxon Power & The Glory

Personnel: Biff Byford (vocals); Graham Oliver, Paul Quinn (guitar); Steve Dawson (bass guitar); Nigel Glockler (drums).
Recording information: Axis Sound Studios, Atlanta.
After enjoying their first brief hiatus from the endless tour/record/tour/record grind, the members of Saxon -- including then-new drummer Nigel Glockler -- reconvened in late 1982 to begin working on their fifth studio album, Power & the Glory. Notably, the bums from Barnsley were give the luxury of recording in America this time by their French indie label, Carrere, but all they got out of Atlanta, Georgia's Axis Sound Studio and first-time producer Jeff Glixman was an album that sounds as though it was recorded in a tin can, albeit a very, very large tin can. Whereas the group's signature earlier albums, Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather, had all sounded big, in-your-face, and gritty, Power & the Glory was awash with reverb that vanished into the ether just as soon as the cacophonous echoing subsided. The material itself was also at fault, however, and despite a few sparks generated by "Redline," "Warrior," and the proto-thrashing "This Town Rocks," only the anthemic title track ultimately showed enough staying power (and, errr, glory) to earn a frequent slot in Saxon's live repertoire. Beyond that, fans were given a couple of fillers ("Watching the Sky," "Midas Touch"), a merely decent quasi-ballad in "Nightmare," and a synth-enhanced prog-style epic named "The Eagle Has Landed" (named after their then-recent live album), which was, well, interesting. Finally, Power & the Glory's lyrics also marked a slight shift toward "dungeons and dragons" themes (in emulation of the then-recently U.S.-breaking Iron Maiden, perhaps?) that would continue into Saxon's next uneven opus, Crusader, to the ambivalence of their fans. But, this being heavy metal, lyrics are rarely deemed as important as the music, and it was in this regard that Power & the Glory essentially falls short of expectations. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop