Album: SAXON – Call to Arms
Written By: Wes Haskins
Original Release Date: June 3, 2011
Original Label: UDR Music
Continuing my way through the Saxon catalogue with Call to Arms, which was the band’s nineteenth studio album. A throwback to the early albums of 1979 to 1982, with a couple of songs that were a little outside of that style. The album charted in several countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland and overall had great reviews at the time.
TRACK BY TRACK:
“Hammer of the Gods” – Upbeat opener with the classic early 80s Saxon sound. About the Vikings attacking the shoreline of England.
“Back in 79” – a more mid-tempo blues-based riff and beat. Great chorus and feels like it could easily be on the first few albums. About the beginning of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. An anthem for the history of the band and a golden era of metal history.
“Surviving Against the Odds” – straightforward classic hard rock. Seems to be about a relationship that’s stayed together through tough times and showing perseverance through that.
“Mists of Avalon” – melodic and epic. A little different but still great. Just a really cool theme and melody. Tells the story of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake.
“Call to Arms” – slower and almost ballad-like at first but still big and anthemic with a great solo in the middle. About soldiers fighting in war away from their loved ones.
“Chasing the Bullet” – Gritty heavy riff and very classic Saxon sounding. It seems to be talking about working in the rat race and working all day and being burned out.
“Afterburner” – Straight-ahead, fast-paced metal right out of the early 80s. Lyrically about fighter jets and modern-day warfare.
“When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory Soundtrack)” – More epic and darker and was later part of the Scintilla supergroup project with Andy Sneap and was in the 2014 movie Scintilla. Some cool melodies and lyrics. Lyrically about the end of the world coming and musically it’s definitely inspired by Deep Purple’s Perfect Strangers.
“No Rest for the Wicked” – Heavier and darker than most of the album and a really good song. Lyrically about the inevitable and consequences of actions. The second of two songs that was later part of the Scintilla project with Andy Sneap in 2014.
“Ballad of the Working Man” – very old school Saxon again. A good groove and rock ‘n’ roll song. An ode to the average everyday workers in the world, specifically those in factories and blue-collar workers.
“Call to Arms (Orchestral Version)” – A different version of the title track. I’d never want Saxon to do a full Orchestral album, but this is a cool version.
RECAP:
A definite throwback album that seems like they purposely created an album that would fit right into the early days of the band. A pretty great album. At the time, I wasn’t as convinced, but after a handful of spins I came to appreciate it more and more over the years.
FAVOURITE SONGS:
“Mists of Avalon“, “No Rest for the Wicked“, “Call to Arms“, “When Doomsday Comes“, “Back in 79“, “Afterburner“, and “Hammer of the Gods“, but I liked every song.
Read more of Wes Haskins‘ Saxon reviews here as he surges through the entire discography: Author – Wes Haskins
