2022’S CARPE DIEM saw Saxon breach the UK album chart Top 20 for the first time since 1984’s Crusader, but it didn’t mark a huge resurgence. They’ve had the odd dip, of course, but Saxon never went away and, over the course of an impressive 23-album back catalogue, they’ve retained a remarkable consistency. They have their own place in metal history, an established fanbase and an instantly recognisable sound. On album 24 they’re not likely to be presenting anything jaw-droppingly different, so the main question Hell, Fire And Damnation has to answer is whether it succeeds on the band’s own terms.
The answer is a resounding yes. Over the years, Saxon have dabbled in grandiose power metal and close-tospeed-metal bangers. The core remains the same mid-paced fists-in-the-air anthems they’ve been forging since their NWOBHMbut does get automatic
