Continuing my way through the Saxon catalog with “Thunderbolt”, which was the bands twenty second studio album. The album charted in seventeen different countries including Japan for the first time in many years and had higher placement in both the UK and Germany than they had seen in decades. I saw them live on this tour opening for Judas Priest along with Black Star Riders.
“Olympus Rising” – Short intro track.
“Thunderbolt” – A heavy classic Saxon style upbeat opener.
About the Gods of Greek Mythology.
“The Secret of Flight” – A very cool song and heavier but still a good melody throughout. About the history of aviation.
“Nosferatu(The Vampire’s Waltz)” – Opens with a church organ sound and into a heavy almost a march. A creepy darker feel musically and Biff adds an extra bit with his sinister vocal. About the arrival of a vampire by ship to a small village and the terror that follows.
“They Played Rock N Roll” – A tribute to Lemmy and Motörhead. Straight ahead rock n roll early Saxon style with blazing solos in the middle.
“Predator” – Uptempo Metal with co-lead vocals from the singer of Amon Amarth. I’m not always crazy about Death Metal vocals but with it underneath Biff’s voice it works here and Nigel’s drumming is killer. About predators in the animal kingdom such as Lions, Tigers, Crocodiles and so on.
“Sons of Odin” – Very power metal like both musically and lyrically and really cool song. While Saxon definitely influenced bands like Hammerfall occasionally those bands were influential to Saxon on songs like this or maybe they are just being inspired by the “Crusader” era. Telling the tale of ancient warriors known as the Sons of Odin.
“Sniper” – Fast paced uptempo track that has a good riff and drumming. Talking about being a Sniper and doing your job without asking questions and being on your own.
“A Wizards Tale” – Heavy drums and a cool melody with some great solos. A fantasy based lyric that seems to focus on the history of Camelot.
“Speed Merchants” – A fast paced uptempo metal song full of guitars and drums. Heavy and fast from the opening note. A similar theme to several songs in the past celebrating the thrill of driving fast and auto racing in general.
“Roadies Song” – A more melodic closing song that’s not quite as heavy as the rest of the album but still rocks. Celebrating the bands roadies that keeps the show going each tour.
Recap: This one surprised me at how good it was and I guess I just didn’t remember loving it as much as I do now. It’s a much better sounding album and has more consistency than the previous album “Battering Ram”.
Favorite songs: Thunderbolt, The Secret of Flight, Nosferatu(The Vampire’s Waltz), Predator, Sniper, and Sons of Odin.
