Dogs of War

Saxon’s pursuit of arena-like hard rock / heavy metal landed them in a limbo of unwaveringly decent heavy metal. It’s not superb since there’s always something holding them back from delivering another knockout album that’s good from start to finish. They pull off that ‘80s heavy metal sound like its nothing. On the other hand, trying to maintain my interest until the end of the album hasn’t been done prior to this since Innocence Is No Excuse. This album whoops ass until about the middle (which is when things get dull). What the hell? The title track provides a cool, trudging heavy metal riff alongside (vocally) quiet verses and loud choruses. It’s not as awesome as “Solid Ball Of Rock” or “Forever Free” opening up the previous albums, but starting this thing off right by at least being a memorable song works.

I listen from the beginning and get to the rocking and roaring “The Great White Buffalo”. A tad longer than the tracks before, this one’s got slithering leads and an epic tenor. It’s a track with darker harmonies despite not ditching that positive ‘80s gloss. Up to that point, Saxon’s throwing riffs and melodies that transition well and don’t deviate too much from what they normally do in the first place. It’s all hard rock and heavy metal with Byford’s high wails and squeaky tone singing with gut-power. Even songs which I’m not 100% into like “Hold On,” a track that sounds like a beefed up ‘80s Bryan Adams song (who I do like) formatted to Saxon, I still dig based on what it is. The first half of the album mixes things up with variation that doesn’t become detrimental to the fun factor. I enjoy listening to those songs since they stir something in me and nail the key parts with energy. “Burning Wheels” is the best – vigorous, Maiden-esque, and ballsy; another perfect Saxon song.

The drop comes at “Demolition Alley,” which meanders even though it doesn’t disregard the tried and true formula. I suppose it’s just the song as a composition which I dislike – the riffs, the hooks, etc. – it feels dry. The same can be said about “Walking Through Tokyo,” probably the slowest, albeit one of the heaviest (using that term a little loosely) songs on here. Don’t get me started on how awesome Japan is - this song doesn’t do it justice. It’s got an anthem feel, especially during that chorus, but it lacks substance. Just feels like a filler song with a corny part in its solo section and an implied purpose of reeling in fans during a live setting. “Give It All Away” is the worst with its throwaway chorus, tedious mid-paced riff, and thirst for emotion. The guitar leads are fervent by the middle and is kept up by the end, but this one’s tamer.

Saxon had this one in the bag but jacked it all up. They even topped it off right with “Yesterday’s Gone,” a song with crunchy riffs and motivation making up for the unexciting songs that came before. Add that the drumming’s solid, bass is blubbery, and the album benefits well from sounding pristine by ‘90s standards to show that this album’s pieces were fine. The end result needed tweaking (read: removing tracks) in order to be a better full-length. That’s just my opinion though, and I can’t speak on behalf of others. So hear this one to know what I’m talking about and hopefully there’ll be more for you to enjoy than what I heard.