Heavy Metal, and by that I mean REAL Heavy Metal, is about as rare these days as steak tartare. Good Heavy Metal, even more so. But leave it to metal mainstays Saxon to deliver something that is exactly what the genre is known for; after all, Saxon is on their twenty-eighth year of making music to headbang to. The Inner Sanctum shows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Saxon still has that proverbial “itâ€, though whether or not you’re looking for this sort of it really depends on, well, you.
The Inner Sanctum is balls-to-the-wall, unapologetic Heavy Metal in the most basic sense of the genre. Vocalist Biff Byford (one of two “original†members of the band at this point) is the epitome of the Heavy Metal vocalist, and his range and ability to properly project are quite good. Your archetypical strong guitar and bass work (due in part to Paul Quinn, the other original member) and heavy drums compliment the sound phenomenally, and you can easily see blasting this in the convertible alongside your worn copies of Helloween and Vinnie Vincent Invasion. With songs like “I’ve Got to Rock (to Stay Alive)†and “State of Graceâ€, any metalheads out there really should own this when it hits shelves.
Unfortunately, therein lies the rub: if you’re not a metalhead, you’re going to have absolutely no use for this. The Inner Sanctum is pure, absolute Heavy Metal, and does absolutely NOTHING to make itself dramatically special or unique from its contemporaries. If you burned out on metal years ago, or never liked it, The Inner Sanctum is not going to do anything for you in the least.
The Inner Sanctum is, for lack of a better term, a stereotype. If you love metal, you’ll love it. Saxon is a talented band, and this effort is absolutely a wonderfully produced, strong sounding musical effort. But if you hate metal, or you’re worn out on it, The Inner Sanctum is everything you hate about the genre turned up to eleven, with nothing to distinguish it from anything else. As stereotypes go, The Inner Sanctum is a good one, and it’s everything you’d expect it to be, for better or worse.
Website: Saxon
