CD Review: Saxon “Let Me Feel Your Power”

“Let Me Feel Your Power”
Saxon
UDR Music
1 DVD+2CD’s

Our score: CD 4 out of 5   

                   DVD: 3.5 out of 5

British heavy metal legends Saxon have just released their 10th live album titled “Let Me Feel Your Power”. The two CD and one DVD/Blu-ray is being released via UDR Music and features 16 tracks that were recorded in Munich and Brighton in November of 2015. The release also contains bonus footage from the bands September 2015 show in Chicago. “Let Me Feel Your Power” is available in a variety of formats including a deluxe vinyl version which also includes the Blu-Ray and 2 CD’s and is limited to 1500 copies.

The latest live offering from Saxon is a solid testament to the staying power of one of the originators of the NWOBHM movement. Vocalist Biff Byford and company sound great through all 30 tracks making this an enjoyable listen and one of the better live releases I have heard recently. The video portion (which coincides with the audio portion) of the package is equally good as it features a variety of crystal clear camera angles with top notch sound. Songs like “Motorcycle Man”, “Power and Glory” and “Queen of Hearts” rip through your speakers with surprising clarity which allows you to hear every instrument with ease, often a rarity with live recordings even with today’s modern technology.

With a track listing that is a mixture of both new and old Saxon “Let Me Feel Your Power” has something for just about every era of Saxon fan out there. Combine that with top notch audio and video and you have a really enjoyable release. Though there are a few songs which you get duplicate versions of and a lack of any real bonus or behind the scenes footage of the band (which would have been cool) these small short comings weren’t enough for me to not highly recommend this release as it’s a great heavy metal listen.

Audio Track Listing:
 Disc 1
1. Battering Ram
2. Motorcycle Man
3. Sacrifice
4. Destroyer
5. Power and the Glory
6. 20,000 FT
7. The Devil’s Footprint
8. Heavy Metal Thunder
9. Queen of Hearts
10. Princess of the Night
11. Wheels of Steel
12. Denim and Leather
13. Crusader
14. Eye of the Storm
15. Battalions of Steel
16. Requiem

Disc 2
1. Motorcycle Man
2. This Town Rocks
3. Sacrifice
4. Power and the Glory
5. Solid Ball of Rock
6. Dallas 1 pm
7. Heavy Metal Thunder
8. Rock the Nations
9. The Eagle Has Landed
10. Wheels of Steel
11. Backs to the Wall
12. Just Let Me Rock
13. Strong Arm of the Law
14. 747 (Strangers in the Night)
15. Princess of the Night
16. Denim and Leather

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Filed Under: CD Reviews, Music Tagged With: cd, feel, power, review, saxon

CD Review: Saxon “Unplugged and Strung Up”

Saxon
“Unplugged and Strung Up”
UDR Music
Producer: Saxon/Andy Sneap
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

British heavy metal legends Saxon are back with a new album containing reworked versions of some of the group’s most popular tracks which span the groups 30+ year career. “Unplugged and Strung Up” is being released via UDR Music and features 14 reworked Saxon staples produced by the band and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.

Lush instrumentation and arrangements are what you will find on “Unplugged and Strung Up” the latest release from the legendary metal group Saxon. The group which formed in the UK during the mid-1970’s has gone through somewhat of a reinvention lately and this offering of 10 reworked classics does a great job of fueling that rekindled fire. The group does a great job mixing up arrangements which give listeners a variety of musical styling’s. Everything from immense orchestral pieces to remixed originals and even a couple stripped down acoustic numbers are included on this album giving the listener a lot to digest. I really enjoyed the track “Call to Arms” which was a perfect blend of melodic vintage metal and rich orchestration. The acoustic rendition of “Frozen Rainbow” was another song that really stood out. Vocalist Biff Byford shows that he is capable of much more than sheering metal vocals as his voice on this track and the 3 accompanying acoustic tracks sits beautifully in the mix.

Longtime Saxon fans will definitely appreciate this reworking of material as will those who are still new to the group. However for the newer listeners I highly recommend checking out the original recordings first and then circle back to “Unplugged and Strung Up”. For those hardcore Saxon-ights wanting a little bit more metal in their musical diet this release is also available in a special digipack version that includes the re-recorded version of the bands 2002 album “Heavy Metal Thunder” which features tracks like “Motorcycle Man” and “Dallas 1pm”.

Track Listing:
1.) Stallions Of The Highway (Remix)
2.) Crusader (Orchestrated Version)
3.) Battle Cry
4.) The Eagle Has Landed (Orchestrated Version)
5.) Red Star Falling (Orchestrated Version)
6.) Broken Heroes (Orchestrated Version)
7.) Call To Arms (Orchestrated Version)
8.) Militia Guard
9.) Forever Free (Re-recorded Version)
10.) Just Let Me Rock (Re-recorded Version)
11.) Frozen Rainbow (Acoustic Version)
12.) Iron Wheels (Live Acoustic Version)
13.) Requiem (Acoustic Version)
14.) Coming Home (Acoustic Version)

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, review, saxon, strung, unplugged
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