As a special surprise and extra bonus for the fans, the first edition of Killing Ground will be out as a double album, with a special bonus CD: alongside with the brand-new material, the band re-recorded a dozen of their c... more »lassics, eight of which will be included as a freebie with the current Killing Ground material. So all those who have been waiting for the highlights of the early releases ? from the eponymous debut to Crusader ? to be reissued with a contemporary sound are about to be rewarded. ?We?ve mostly stayed with the original arrangements, only a few solos have changed slightly, and the songs have been re-recorded with state-of-the-art studio technology,? Byford explains. ?We?ve frequently been asked by fans, and now we?ve fulfilled their wish.? The studio production contains a total of thirteen classics and will be released at a later point as a separate album under the title of Heavy Metal Thunder. Every Saxon track centres on frontman Biff Byford. He lends content and melody to the tough arrangements, his inimitable voice always reigns over the instrumentation, keeping it together, spurring it on to top performances, adding expression and depth. His two guitarists are Paul Quinn and Doug Scaratt, two musicians who deliver their tough riffs and earthy solos with great skill and passion. ?The good thing about Paul and Doug is the fact that they seem to get better with every year,? praises Byford his two colleagues. ?They have always been fantastic guitarists, yet they?ve never rested on their laurels but continue to develop constantly. You could say without exaggerating that the current Saxon line-up is the best we?ve ever had.? This compliment naturally includes drummer Fritz Randow (ex-Victory, Sinner) and bassist Nibbs Carter, whose boisterous vitality seems to serve as the band?s ever-lasting fountain of youth.« less
As a special surprise and extra bonus for the fans, the first edition of Killing Ground will be out as a double album, with a special bonus CD: alongside with the brand-new material, the band re-recorded a dozen of their classics, eight of which will be included as a freebie with the current Killing Ground material. So all those who have been waiting for the highlights of the early releases ? from the eponymous debut to Crusader ? to be reissued with a contemporary sound are about to be rewarded. ?We?ve mostly stayed with the original arrangements, only a few solos have changed slightly, and the songs have been re-recorded with state-of-the-art studio technology,? Byford explains. ?We?ve frequently been asked by fans, and now we?ve fulfilled their wish.? The studio production contains a total of thirteen classics and will be released at a later point as a separate album under the title of Heavy Metal Thunder. Every Saxon track centres on frontman Biff Byford. He lends content and melody to the tough arrangements, his inimitable voice always reigns over the instrumentation, keeping it together, spurring it on to top performances, adding expression and depth. His two guitarists are Paul Quinn and Doug Scaratt, two musicians who deliver their tough riffs and earthy solos with great skill and passion. ?The good thing about Paul and Doug is the fact that they seem to get better with every year,? praises Byford his two colleagues. ?They have always been fantastic guitarists, yet they?ve never rested on their laurels but continue to develop constantly. You could say without exaggerating that the current Saxon line-up is the best we?ve ever had.? This compliment naturally includes drummer Fritz Randow (ex-Victory, Sinner) and bassist Nibbs Carter, whose boisterous vitality seems to serve as the band?s ever-lasting fountain of youth.
Daniel J. Wiedecker | San Diego, CA United States | 05/13/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Man, these guys can sure make music! Saxon is at their metalhead best when they stay away from restricting themselves to a singular musical concept, and this album does it with just good old fashioned hard rock. Saxon has been one of my all time favorite bands...I remember eagerly awaiting a special order vinyl version of "Wheels Of Steel" over 20 years ago. What a history these guys have had.One of Saxon's strong suits, and frankly it slays me why their popularity has have exploded in the US, is that they bring so much energy to their music, both recorded and live. Saxon is not power metal, but a majestic hybrid mixture of positive powerful hard rock and heavy metal. Their song writing and music have matured and evolved exponentially in the last 30 years to hard rock perfection; what heavy music should engender.Biff Byford has the quintassential "majestic" rock voice, and I swear it sounds as good here on Killing Ground as it did on the first album I bought, "Denim & Leather." What appeals to me on this album (in my advancing age along with Saxon) are the addition of some groove oriented rockers that move along at the 4/4 time pace, and simply burn an indelible image. The guitars on this album by Doug and Paul are not as much in your face as in younger days, and support the song structures very effectively. The grinding and pumping riffage, and soloing is still there, but appropriately and tastefully so. My favorite songs here are "Coming Home," "Hell Freezes Over," "You Don't Know What You've Got" and "Deeds of Glory." A special favorite, living in Southern California, is "Running For The Border," with numerous references to Mexico (these guys are from England, and rarely, if ever, make it west of the Mississippi....hilarious!).I know that time will eventually take these guys away, but they are just so good that I hope they NEVER retire! I wish they could get their asses to CA for a concert some day; they'd be surprised at the turnout!"
Saxon are back to their roots
Omar Farid | from Qatar | 05/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"saxon are one of the bands that really didn't diverisify into commercial aspect in this album, they kept playing true heavy metal. songs like rock is our life, killing ground, dragon's lair and deeds of glory express their roots glory back to crusader and power of glory. i can't get rid of thi album , i bought this album several months ago and i m still listening to it until now. Saxon doesn't even need a review because they don't let you down . rock is our life!!!"
An Underrated Gem
C. Fogus | Spokane, WA United States | 12/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this CD is rock solid from start to finish. Saxon's songwriting skills and instrumental talent shines in this 2001 release. KG is my favorite studio release since Solid Ball of Rock 10 years earlier. this is a great starting point for new fans and a must for any Saxon die-hard. check out Heavy Metal Thunder as well, an excellent set of classic Saxon songs re-recorded with the current lineup."
"Forged from purest metal"
mwreview | Northern California, USA | 05/05/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Killing Ground was first released in 2001 and I am struck by how solid it is. I am skeptical about post-1980s metal albums as the metal magic dissipated in the 1990s. Well, recently I've found that this was not the case for Saxon. Killing Ground (as well as Solid Ball of Rock and their latest masterpiece Lionheart) demonstrates that this band was still putting out quality albums well after their supposed heyday.
Killing Ground begins with a 1:36 intro with battlefield sounds and a slow, rich guitar instrumental. The title track opens with a heavy, Metallica-esque guitar riff. It is a power rocker with excellent vocals and unique guitar and bass work at the bridge. "Court of the Crimson King" offers a progressive sound. The 6:00 track sounds like something that, well, King Crimson would do. I can almost hear John Wetton singing this interesting epic. It is complex with a lot of depth. "Coming Home" is one of the more accessible numbers here. It is a little repetitive but catchy. I can't help but sing along to the chorus. The lyrics are about lonely life on the road. It has a classic rock sound. "Hell Freezes Over" is my favorite. The opening riff which continues through the verses really grabs the listener. It rocks! Nothing fancy here, just awesome guitar with addictive hooks. It is followed by the straight-ahead, driving metal track "Dragons Lair."
The second half of the CD is not as stellar as the first. "You Don't Know What You've Got" has a cliché for a chorus. OK, so does "Hell Freezes Over" but this track is not a stand-out. "Deeds of Glory" has that characteristic Saxon anthem-like sound with hero imagery. "Running for the Border" is another straight rock track but again, is unremarkable. My interest was sparked again by the 6:15 metal work of art "Shadows on the Wall." It is about the nuclear age from the Manhattan Project bomb testing in Los Alamos to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb from an American B-29 named Enola Gay on Hiroshima, Japan. Poignant line: "Where is the city, where are the people? There's only shadows on the wall." The line refers to the phenomenon that occurred when people and objects vaporized in the explosion left their shadows imprinted on walls. The line "Split the tiny atom, Your little boy" refers to the nickname of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima killing 100,000 instantly and dooming 100,00 more to death by injury or radiation poisoning. I always like it when history is used in metal as metal bands usually do such a good job honoring such events, and "Shadows" is no exception. It is a powerful track; slow and melodic at times and then an exploding metal track with distorted vocals followed by the anthem-like chorus. Killing Ground ends with the killer "Rock is Our Life" that is a characteristic Saxon rock rules anthem. Great guitar. Killing Ground is not as solid as some of Saxon's other releases as it tapers off a bit during the first part of the second half, but it is still an excellent album. The CD booklet offers lyrics and a couple of photos of the aging band (ugh! Maybe they should forgo the photos . . . just kidding). No matter their age, these guys can rock!! I highly recommend Killing Ground and even more highly recommend their latest release Lionheart."