Sacrifice

Some albums are free from major flaws. Nevertheless, they have a serious problem. If there are two or three songs that overtop the remaining pieces in a very significant manner, I am always tempted to reduce these ambivalent outputs to their essential tracks. And it is particularly problematic if there is only one song that shows the full song-writing skills of the band. "Sacrifice" is among these albums and its "problem" is called "Made in Belfast". This brilliant piece leaves the rest of the solid full-length in the dust.

But before I dissect the highlight of the album, I want to give an overall impression. "Sacrifice" features the usual stuff of Saxon. Crusty mid-tempo tunes are based on straight verses and more or less catchy choruses. Biff 's vocals give no reason for complaint and the other four musicians also play their role in a technically flawless manner. But it cannot be ignored that the solidly designed tunes lack of outstanding lines. I miss two or three choruses which get stuck in my head easily. "Night of the Wolf" almost meets my expectations, but I always have the feeling that the band does not use its full potential. As a counter example to the aforementioned song, I would like to mention "Warriors of the Road". It is an actually good up-tempo number, but the band is running out of ideas during the boring chorus. Too bad that the chorus of "Walking the Steel" also lacks of a convincing idea, because the rest of the song leaves a positive impression. These minor flaws are more or less concealed by the sharp, powerful and clean production, but it goes without saying that the compositional shortcomings cannot be fully compensated by the technical opportunities of a sound studio.

"Made in Belfast" lends the album the necessary brightness. Its fragile guitars at the beginning make room for extremely coherent melody lines that offer the proper amount of heaviness. They lead to an overwhelming chorus. Based on excellent riffs, the chorus crowns a song which describes the work in a shipyard. A metallic hammering and of course the lyrics express the pride of the working class in a very suitable manner. Biff takes us to the docks and great pictures of sweaty workers and wonderful ships emerge before the inner eye. Simply said, everything fits.

Grumbler might say that "Sacrifice" just offers more of the same. I understand their point of view, but I would like to express it more positively. In terms of music, "Sacrifice" is another honest and homogeneous album of Saxon. Furthermore, I do not care that the majority of the lyrics does not deliver anything new. It seems as if the old guys are still fans of their music and I cannot see any signs of weariness or apathy. Quite the opposite, everybody performs with dedication and the band finds the right balance between harshness ("Wheels of Terror") and harmony ("Stand Up and Fight"). Nevertheless, something is missing. The lack of a greater number of divine moments prevents a higher rating.