Saxon's More Inspirations album is set for release on March 24 via Silver Lining Music. Following the release of Inspirations in 2021, More Inspirations is the second ‘deep dish’ serving of the influences which have fed the mighty Saxon’s immensely successful 40+ year career.
Saxon frontman, Biff Byford, is featured in a new interview with Greg Prato for AllMusic. He talks about the More Inspirations album, guitar riffs, touring, and more. Read an excerpt below.
AllMusic: Looking back at the New Wave of British Heavy Metal today, was there a healthy sense of competition between the bands, or was it unified?
Byford: "I think there's always competition in music. You're sort of fighting for your band to do well. It's the same at a festival situation where there are many bands on. Bands are always trying to be the best band on the festival, regardless of where they are on the bill – whether they're opening the festival or headlining the festival. Everybody wants to do well. So, I think there is a healthy competition there. But I think bands love each other, as well. They love each other's music – especially if it's in the same genre. So yeah, I think there was a healthy competition…but I think it's a friendly competition."
AllMusic: Do you agree that punk rock served as an inspiration for the movement?
Byford: "I think it did. From quite a few aspects. Fashion, definitely – from the leather jackets and chains and the studs. We adopted that early on – as did a lot of bands. I just think the attitude was, 'Just play the music.' I mean, some of it was very fashion-oriented, but some of the punk bands were really great – the Clash. But I think the movement was very short-lived. It was quite an aggressive music, and I think we took that side of it. But I think the Sex Pistols made a mark on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Very much like Nirvana did years later – made a mark on how bands played and how they were perceived to be. We stopped playing long, 15-minute jams and we started writing music that was five minutes, sometimes seven minutes. But the punk movement did that – it condensed everything into three or four minutes of craziness. And we quite liked that."
Read more at AllMusic.com.
Whether getting feral with The Animal’s “We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, letting loose a high-octane take on Alice Cooper’s “From The Inside”, or laying down a ferocious tribute to KISS’ “Detroit Rock City”, More Inspirations is a joyous trip into the sounds which galvanized the Barnsley boys and continue to get spun on home stereos and tour buses.
Produced by vocalist/co-founder Biff Byford, with Seb Byford helping record the music alongside mixing engineer Jacky Lehmann, More Inspirations also includes enthusiastic takes on Alice Cooper, Rainbow, ZZ Top and Cream, as well as a thunderous “Razamanaz” by Nazareth, a tasty take on The Who’s “Substitute”, and a thick groove take on Uriah Heep’s “Gypsy”. Whether this is your first dance with such classic songs, or you’ve come to see where Saxon were born, More Inspirations delivers the goods and then some.
Saxon’s More Inspirations will be available on 12” Black Vinyl, CD Digipak, digital formats and special D2C bundles; to pre-order head here.
Tracklisting:
"We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place"
"The Faith Healer"
"From the Inside"
"Chevrolet"
"Substitute"
"Gypsy"
"Man On the Silver Mountain"
"Detroit Rock City"
"Razamanaz"
"Tales of Brave Ulysses"
- Produced by Biff Byford
- Recorded by Seb Byford and Jacky Lehmann
- Mixed and Mastered by Jacky Lehmann, www.audiosound.de
- Mastered for vinyl at Abbey Studios, London
Following the success of the Seize The World Tour 2022, Saxon are back on the road this month for a string of European dates, with special guest’s German metal titans Rage.
Watch a video trailer for the tour below, and find tickets, and additional information here.
Saxon recently announced that guitarist Paul Quinn has decided to "step back from touring". A message from the band follows:
"After much soul searching our great friend and fellow warrior Paul Quinn has decided to step back from touring with Saxon. After many years on the road, with the subsequent stress and tiredness that accompany long tour schedules, Paul doesn't want his performance to suffer and let his fellow band mates and fans down. Paul will continue to record with the band and may play select special shows in the future. Saxon stand by Paul's decision and will keep you all informed regarding our next journey.
The current run of March shows in Europe will continue as is but the band will be cancelling their April dates in South America and the MOR Cruise to give time to re-group. These territories will be re-booked as soon as time permits. All summer festivals will continue as booked. Keep the faith!"
Saxon lineup:
Biff Byford - Vocals
Paul Quinn - Guitar
Nigel Glockler - Drums
Doug Scarratt - Guitar
Nibbs Carter - Bass
(Paul Quinn live photo by Rob Van Dalen)
