As it is our tradition to announce our “Top Metal” each year, we, Metal Shock Finland’s staff, met up again and voted for our favourite albums of 2015. There is a list of the Top 5 Metal Albums which you can see below, however I should mention that we believe that almost all the metal albums which were released this year were great, except for a few disappointing ones. Check out our list and share yours with us. We wish you all a wonderful and metal new year!
1
IRON MAIDEN
Album: The Book of Souls
Record Label: Parlophone
Release Date: 4 September 2015
2
SAXON
Album: Battering Ram
Record Label: UDR Music
Release Date: 16 October 2015
3
HELLOWEEN
Album: My God Given Right
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: May 29 2015
4
Gus G.
Album: Brand New Revolution
Record Label: Century Media Records
Release Date: 24 July 2015
5
AMORPHIS
Album: Under The Red Cloud
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 4 September 2015
Nigel Glockler, drummer with British NWOBHM legends SAXON, has announced via his official Facebook page, that due to his move from the UK to the USA, he will have to miss the last two shows in Germany on the band’s current world tour. Nigel‘s last show this year is in Helsinki tonight (6th December). He stated:
“Good Morning from Helsinki!
As many of you are aware, the wife and I have been planning our move the USA for about a year – with things like a hospital stay and tours delaying this!
It was finally sorted and scheduled for this week – these dates cannot be changed so it means unfortunately I will not be at the rescheduled dates for Hamburg and Berlin. ( 9th & 11th December.)
My good friend Sven Dirkschneider of U.D.O. will be back behind HMS Glockler for me at these 2 gigs, but I will be back for the 2nd half of the tour when it picks back up in January.
Nige”
Sven Dirkschneider
SAXON continue their tour in 2016, starting in the UK on 24th January in Glasgow. For the full list of dates check here.
Following the terror attacks in Paris where at least 129 people were killed, including merchandise manager Nick Alexander, NWOBHM legends SAXON have announced a new t-shirt for sale on their official website. Nick had worked for SAXON amongst many other bands during his career and they have stated:
“Nick was a well respected merchandise manager who has worked with many bands worldwide, including Saxon, and will be missed by many friends and colleagues on the road.
All profits from the sale of this t-shirt will be donated to a charitable trust as instructed by Nick’s Family.”
The t-shirt is available to buy for £20.
SAXON are currently on their world tour, for the full list of dates check this location.
Legendary British heavy metal quintet SAXON‘ s 21st studio album “Battering Ram” has been released today, 16th October. The album boasts a clinically ‘heavy’ echo of their glorious NWOBHM sound. The band state:
“The wait has finally come to an end – ‘Battering Ram’ hits the stores and mailboxes (for those of you that pre-ordered) today! The release date for US and Canada is October 30th.
It’s been almost two years since the first ideas for the album came together and today we are more than proud to be able to present the final product to you. Influenced by the many years of touring, ‘Battering Ram’ is heavier than anything we’ve ever released!!
Enjoy fellow Saxons …. this is a great day for all of us \m/”
Haven’t got your personal copy yet? Go grab it at your local of choice or find it online here.
Saxon have never dealt in half-truths or incomplete missions.
With “Sacrifice” they filled your heads with heavy metal thunder, and now Saxon want nothing more than to crush them with their very own, hand-crafted, not-safe-for-children brand new album, “Battering Ram”. Not. A. Problem.
With Biff Byford singing as well as he ever has, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt making full use of the term ‘shredding’ with their guitars and the lock-steady rhythm of Nibbs Carter’s bass and Nigel Glockler’s drums, the future and the past crash together in an ear-scintillatingly engaging, raucous, melodic-yet-classically heavy ten songs collection which will instantly be hailed as a Saxon classic. The title track, with its delectable twin guitar assault heralding the album’s commencement, gives the listener an instant crack around the chops, whilst traditionalists will be delighted to hear such a perfect marriage of old, classic Saxon with the newer, fresher invective in such riff-fronted fare as “Destroyer” and “Stand Your Ground”, but there are still moments of space and exploration which fans will love.
“This one’s a natural progression from Sacrifice,” says Byford, “There’s a bit less rock’n’roll and a bit more ‘heavy’ on it. We wanted to keep focused on a style rather than moving around too much.”
Produced by Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Testament, Exodus Accept) at his Backstage Recording Studios in rural Derbyshire, Saxon were able to hone in and whittle down any excess, finding the sonic space and balance to let “Battering Ram”’s riffs and melodies get the necessary space to scream front and center, Sneap bringing a crispness to the sound which evokes memories of the early ‘80s without for one moment sounding dated. Biff Byford: “Yes, Andy has been in charge of everything with this album, I keep on overview of it all, but he’s done a great job and we’re both pleased with the results. We have a great partnership.”
Lyrically, “Battering Ram” covers a variety of social situations, like the screaming fans who rage at the gig barriers (“Battering Ram”) or engaging in some good old fashioned myth (“The Devil’s Footprint” – a 200 year old tale of people waking up in winter snowfall to see unexplained hoof prints which they followed, looking for an answer in vain). “When I’m writing lyrics I like to switch back and forth between complex things, reality and rock’n’roll,” says Byford, “I thought the whole folklore behind “The Devil’s Footprint” made it great material for a metal song, being that it’s both historic and mythical.
“With “Queen of Hearts” I wanted to write something around Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland, and it’s about the chess game that happens in the story. I wanted it to have prog-feeling in the way of its ambiance and mood. Then you have songs like “Destroyer” and “Hard and Fast” which are ‘80s inspired songs with that modern slant on it. I’m a big fan of Marvel comics, and I wanted to write a song around the character Destroyer, and with “Hard and Fast” it’s as the title suggests, about driving fast! I do like to tie the lyric into the song, so if it’s going to be a song about driving fast, well, it has to be a fast, hard song!”
There is also the album’s closing cut, haunting, gripping, melancholic tale of the First World War, “The Kingdom of The Cross”, where a poem unfurls the feelings and horrors which comprised this most brutal of global conflicts. “This year is the centenary of the end of the First World War. Nigel had a piece of music which he played on a synthesizer for a couple of years that I really liked. We had an actor (and singer), David Bower from the band Hell, read the poem and I sang the choruses. I didn’t want it to be typical Saxon, so it is just keyboards, bass, me and Dave.”
Wonderfully uncompromising, with “Battering Ram” Saxon have once again established their rightly-venerated credentials as Kings and vanguards of heavy metal music.
Neil Turbin (Deathriders, Ex Anthrax) for The Metal Voice caught up with Biff Byford from the legendary NWOBHM band SAXON in Los Angeles as they began their North American tour as special guests to MOTORHEAD. Biff Byford talks about, the bands early thrashing sound, the recording process of their 21st album “Battering Ram” which will be released on October 16 2015 on UDR music. As well as Biff Byford’s autobiography.
When asked about Saxon’s early metal thrashing sound
“Motorhead and ourselves were probably the thrasiest of the bands of the 80’s. Maiden were punk, and I think Running Free got quite a punk element to it . We were eager and excitable and that’s where the music came out.”
When asked about the recording process of the new album Battering Ram
“We are very selective with the songs we write, everyone has to be committed 100% and we try to make it sound as vibrant and fresh as possible that is the secret. We record very quickly we don’t mess around.”
On the mythological lyrics on the new track the Devils footprint
“It’s a legend in England, people woke up one morning in a village and hoof prints up the walls, across the field, across the river, it’s a interesting story, I had my eyes on that legend for quite a while.”
On asked if they will include much of the new album on their current set list opening for Motorhead
“No we won’t because we are going to come back to America and do a Battering Ram tour. We are playing the song Battering Ram, we’re playing Sacrifice cause that album is still out there, we mix it up. Every show with Saxon is totally different nothing really choreographed, everything is quiet spontaneous.”
When asked about his youth working in textile mills with his father
“My dad got his arm ripped off and in the same factory I worked in which was pretty brutal. If you don’t have anything tragic in your family life, somewhere, then you are very lucky person. It’s just life, what life throws you, never surrender, get back up, start again.”
Legendary British heavy metal quintet SAXON has announced their 21st studio album “Battering Ram” which is set to be released on October 16th and that it is now available for pre-order! The band has released also the Official Video for the title track. Read the band’s message below:
We are extremely happy to announce that our new studio album “Battering Ram” is being released on the 16th of October and that it is now available for pre-order!
The title track “Battering Ram” is also available as a digital single release and if you decide to pre-order the album on iTunes, you will automatically be able to download and stream it straight away. Great times!
We are officially premiering the video worldwide today [watch below]. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and we hope that you enjoy watching it!
Thank you all for your support \m/ Saxon
With Sacrifice they filled your heads with heavy metal thunder, and now SAXON want nothing more than to crush them with their very own, hand-crafted, not-safe-for-children brand new album, Battering Ram. Not. A. Problem.
With Biff Byford singing as well as he ever has, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt making full use of the term ‘shredding’ with their guitars and the lock-steady rhythm of Nibbs Carter’s bass and Nigel Glockler’s drums, the future and the past crash together in an ear-scintillatingly engaging, raucous, melodic-yet-classically heavy ten songs collection which will instantly be hailed as a Saxon classic. The title track, with its delectable twin guitar assault heralding the album’s commencement, gives the listener an instant crack around the chops, whilst traditionalists will be delighted to hear such a perfect marriage of old, classic Saxon with the newer, fresher invective in such riff-fronted fare as “Destroyer” and “Stand Your Ground”, but there are still moments of space and exploration which fans will love.
“This one’s a natural progression from Sacrifice,” says Byford, “There’s a bit less rock’n’roll and a bit more ‘heavy’ on it. We wanted to keep focused on a style rather than moving around too much.”
Produced by Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Testament, Exodus Accept) at his Backstage Recording Studios in rural Derbyshire, Saxon were able to hone in and whittle down any excess, finding the sonic space and balance to let Battering Ram’s riffs and melodies get the necessary space to scream front and center, Sneap bringing a crispness to the sound which evokes memories of the early ‘80s without for one moment sounding dated.
“Yes, Andy has been in charge of everything with this album, I keep on overview of it all, but he’s done a great job and we’re both pleased with the results. We have a great partnership.”
Lyrically, Battering Ram covers a variety of social situations, like the screaming fans who rage at the gig barriers (“Battering Ram”) or engaging in some good old fashioned myth (“The Devil’s Footprint” – a 200 year old tale of people waking up in winter snowfall to see unexplained hoof prints which they followed, looking for an answer in vain).
“When I’m writing lyrics I like to switch back and forth between complex things, reality and rock’n’roll,” says Byford, “I thought the whole folklore behind “The Devil’s Footprint” made it great material for a metal song, being that it’s both historic and mythical.
“With “Queen of Hearts” I wanted to write something around Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland, and it’s about the chess game that happens in the story. I wanted it to have prog-feeling in the way of its ambiance and mood. Then you have songs like “Destroyer” and “Hard and Fast” which are ‘80s inspired songs with that modern slant on it. I’m a big fan of Marvel comics, and I wanted to write a song around the character Destroyer, and with “Hard and Fast” it’s as the title suggests, about driving fast! I do like to tie the lyric into the song, so if it’s going to be a song about driving fast, well, it has to be a fast, hard song!”
There is also the album’s closing cut, haunting, gripping, melancholic tale of the First World War, “The Kingdom of The Cross”, where a poem unfurls the feelings and horrors which comprised this most brutal of global conflicts. “This year is the centenary of the end of the First World War. Nigel had a piece of music which he played on a synthesizer for a couple of years that I really liked. We had an actor (and singer), David Bower from the band Hell, read the poem and I sang the choruses. I didn’t want it to be typical Saxon, so it is just keyboards, bass, me and Dave.”
Wonderfully uncompromising, with Battering Ram Saxon have once again established their rightly-venerated credentials as Kings and vanguards of heavy metal music.
Track Listing:
Battering Ram
The Devil’s Footprint
Queen Of Hearts
Destroyer
Hard and Fast
Eye of The Storm
Stand Your Ground
Top Of The World
To The End
Kingdom Of The Cross
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
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Nigel Glockler, drummer with British NWOBHM legends SAXON, has announced via his official 
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