Into the Labyrinth (Saxon album)
| Into The Labyrinth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Cover art by Paul R. Gregory | ||||
| Studio album by Saxon | ||||
| Released | 9 January 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Twilight Hall, Krefeld, Germany, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 54:47 | |||
| Label | SPV/Steamhammer | |||
| Producer | Charlie Bauerfeind | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| IGN | (7.7/10)[2] |
| Jukebox:Metal | [3] |
| Record Collector | [4] |
Into the Labyrinth is the eighteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, which was released on 9 January 2009. The album was made in between Saxon tours in 2008 and written by the band in England and at Biff Byford's house in France. The first single "Live to Rock" was released on 17 October 2008. The album sold about 1,000 copies in the US in the week after its release.[5]
A proper physical fourteenth track is featured on the Japanese CD pressing, released on 3 February 2009. Prior to 3 February, the track was only sold as a compressed/lower bit rate download.[6]
The song "Coming Home" is originally from Saxon's Killing Ground album, in an electric version.
In November 2008, it was officially announced that the band would hold the 'Riff King' competition, where fans could play a solo for their single "Live to Rock".
Track listing
(All lyrics by Biff Byford; music by Biff Byford, Doug Scarratt, Paul Quinn, Nigel Glockler, Timothy Carter)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Battalions of Steel" | 6:34 |
| 2. | "Live to Rock" | 5:30 |
| 3. | "Demon Sweeney Todd" | 3:51 |
| 4. | "The Letter" | 0:42 |
| 5. | "Valley of the Kings" | 5:03 |
| 6. | "Slow Lane Blues" | 4:08 |
| 7. | "Crime of Passion" | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Premonition in D Minor" | 0:40 |
| 9. | "Voice" | 4:35 |
| 10. | "Protect Yourselves" | 3:56 |
| 11. | "Hellcat" | 3:54 |
| 12. | "Come Rock of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)" | 3:52 |
| 13. | "Coming Home" (Bottleneck Version) | 3:12 |
| 14. | "Live to Rock" (Single Version, Japan-only bonus track) | 4:46 |
Lyrical concept
- "Live to Rock" is about rock n' roll.
- "Demon Sweeney Todd" is about the protagonist of The String of Pearls (Generally known as Sweeney Todd)
- "Valley of the Kings" is about the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
- "Slow Lane Blues" is about being caught speeding.
- "Hellcat" is about the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter of World War II.
- "Voice" is about a sound made by air being pushed through a larynx.
Credits
- Biff Byford - Lead Vocals
- Paul Quinn - Lead Guitar
- Doug Scarratt - Rhythm Guitar
- Nibbs Carter - Bass
- Nigel Glockler - Drums
- Matthias Ulmer - Keyboards
References
- ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Saxon Into the Labyrinth". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
- ↑ Kaz, Jim. "Saxon - Into The Labyrinth". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
- ↑ Lye, Andy (2006). "Saxon – Into the Labyrinth". Jukebox:Metal.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30. External link in
|publisher=(help) - ↑ Geesin, Joe (January 2009). "Saxon - Into the Labyrinth". Record Collector (358). Retrieved 2015-02-03.
- ↑ "SAXON: New Album Artwork, Track Listing, Release Date Revealed - Mar. 14, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ↑ "Saxon homepage". Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-12.