Destiny

The eschaton of Saxon's commercial phase has an amusing irony to its title. After squandering much of the 80's gripping onto the coattails of Def Leppard and Dokken, this was indeed looking like the band's Destiny: a gaudy array of cubic zirconia arena anthems, akin to the very same synth-rock abominations that sent Tygers of Pan Tang and Tokyo Blade to an early grave. So unless your name is Iron Maiden or Cloven Hoof, keyboards are the equivalent of Tutankhamun's curse. Tutannwobhm? Eh, that's too much of a stretch.

'We Are Strong' epitomizes the entire album; sugary mid-tempo swaying, decorated with comically overwrought synth explosions and gospel choirs. 'Song for Emma' and 'I Can't Wait Anymore' are far more egregious than mere commercial contrivance. They make Scorpions' Savage Amusement sound like Defeated Sanity. I would say the worst tracks here are every bit as painful as Raven's The Pack is Back, boasting a similar mechanized predictability that's frankly mind-numbing to sit through. The most unforgivable aspect is the stolid, autopilot approach to drumming, especially during the slower tracks that could have benefited from some artistry.

Compounded by ostentatious backing choirs that just flatout do not belong in music in general, and metal in particular, Destiny ends up sounding awkward... most of the time. There are, however, a surprising amount of exceptions to this. The main riff that bolsters 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is pretty astonishing given its context, akin to something Savatage or Heavens Gate would have written in their prime. Likewise, 'Red Alert' is a visceral and potent barnstormer similar to Racer X's Street Lethal, and details the band's real-life experience with the Chernobyl disaster. Finally, 'Jericho Siren' is another standout, coming across as a confident, bubblegum-flavored version of Maiden's 'Aces High'.

Sadly, the unignorable amount of cheesy-as-hell choruses and languishing riffs claim their dominance elsewhere, resulting in Destiny being considered "the bad Saxon album" by most fans. I don't think it quite deserves its effigy status, and I maintain more thought was put into this album than Crusader. But that debate isn't really worth having. The cracks were starting to show in Saxon's lineup, and their record label would drop them faster than panties on prom night after their middling mainstream success. This is, in fact, the exact point where most NWOBHM acts would hang up their coats and call it quits, but there's a reason why I'm such a big Saxon fan. And it's not because of Destiny.