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intothewellsabyss
Nov 14, 20223 min read

Saxon - Metalhead

FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…


23 years ago yesterday, Saxon released their darkest, and quite possibly, their heaviest album to date! What are your thoughts on this release? It’s in my top three Saxon releases, along with Dogs of War (1995) and Unleash the Beast (1997). — E.N. Wells



On November 13, 1999, Saxon released their fourteenth studio album “Metalhead” via SPV/Steamhammer.



Background:

The album was praised in Germany where Saxon had begun to play the Wacken Open Air Festival, where they later became a regular fixture. Saxon also headlined the first Bloodstock Festival in the UK. In 2001, they again headlined the Wacken Open Air Festival and recorded the live DVD Saxon Chronicles.



In an interview with Yiannis (John) Stefanis of Metalnation (now Metal2k.org), Biff talked about the album, it’s dark atmosphere, and what inspired its creation;

“Metalhead was an album that was before its time but it is an album that is very much liked by Rock bands, but I believe that we were quite right in creating it as it brought us gracefully into the next millennium.
I remember wanting to write a dark album just because we fu*king wanted to and simply because we could – it’s as simple as that really! I mean, why should everybody else write albums like that and not us? I think we made a great job even on melodic moments on the album like Conquistador – a song which I believe would have fitted excellently in an album like Denim And Leather (1981). It has a great melody and a great riff and the guys blended the Mexican/Spanish influence into a Rock/Metal song which is a very hard thing to do. - Biff Byford

Critical Reception:

In his review for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia wrote;

“Trends may come and trends may go, but New Wave of British Heavy Metal pioneers Saxon carry on carrying on (as Spinal Tap would put it), year after year, label after label, lineup after lineup, through thick and thin, no matter the cost. And credit their persistence, because by the mid-'90s the long suffering quintet had begun to overcome an incredibly long streak of bad business decisions and misguided artistic directions to forge a respectable comeback -- primarily in Europe. Released in 1999, Metalhead arrived squarely in the midst of this modest comeback, and its title clearly references the earnest, pop-averse, patently obvious heavy metal hallmarks that allowed Saxon to make this recovery, once they embraced it once again. Led by the instantly recognizable voice of frontman Biff Byford, the quintet (recently revamped with new German drummer Fritz Randow) rips into action with the bombastic title track, then rolls into one of its best all-around songs of the decade in the regal Are We Travellers in Time. Ensuing thrash-outs Conquistador and All Guns Blazing prove surprisingly convincing, and despite losing some focus on the intermediate tracks, Metalhead finishes strong with the epic sweep of Sea of Life. Mind you, none of it is groundbreaking stuff, at the end of the day, and while there's little hope it will lure younger fans to Saxon's cause, at least the old Metal warriors appear to be having fun again, rather than trying to be something they're not. This is music to the ears of their veteran followers, who remember what horrors came before.”

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



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