THE BEAST

You might not have heard the name 'Saxon' for a while, but don't make the mistake of thinking that the members of the legendary British metal band have packed up their instruments and called it a career. It's been a rocky couple of years for Biff Byford and his bandmates, but they're still alive and kicking and continuing a career that began in Barnsley in 1977. Far from contemplating the end of their time on stage, they're considering the future - and they have quite a lot of exciting news to share. 

First and foremost, as the title of this article implies, the band has joined the recent metal trend of making its music available to online slots players. Years ago, t-shirts and posters were about all the merchandise that heavy metal bands offered to fans. The world of the 21 st century is quite different. The types of games we used to play in the corners of dusty bars and pubs are now available on the internet at online slots websites, and heavy metal bands often provide the soundtracks. Legends like Alice Cooper and Guns n' Roses already have their own free pokies online  and someone involved in Saxon must have taken notice of their success. This August, an official 'Saxon' online slots game featuring the band's songs and likenesses will be released by the company Play'n Go, and that's just a precursor for what sounds like greater things to come. 

For quite a while now, those of us who still follow the fortunes of the band have been wondering when they might release a follow up to their lightly-regarded 2018 album 'Thunderbolt.' Based on an interview Byford gave a few months ago, it sounds like 2021 might be their year. All of the instrumental parts of the new album have already been recorded, and the band is now waiting on Byford to provide the finishing touches with the vocals. At the time he gave his most recent interview, it sounded like the famous frontman might be some way from being able to do that - he'd had the chance to listen to all the music, but he hadn't yet had the opportunity to write any lyrics! He's had a little while since then, though, so it's probably safe to assume that he's at least started the all-important task even if he's not been able to finish it. 

Nobody should begrudge Byford taking his time to get the words right, or to commit his voice to record. In fact, we should all be grateful that he's still with us at all. 2019 was a terrifying and challenging year for Biff and his family after he was forced to undergo a triple heart bypass procedure in September. The procedure was unplanned, and Byford wasn't even aware that he was ill until he felt out of breath on a bicycle ride, and later complained of feeling unwell while rehearsing for a concert with the rest of Saxon. A doctor was called, the doctor referred him straight to the hospital, and before anybody had a chance to take stock of the situation, Byford was under the surgeon's knife. Fortunately for the band's many fans, he's been able to make a full recovery, and now considers himself to be 'back at work.'

Being back at work is obviously difficult in the current climate, with almost every venue in the world closed down for at least the next few weeks. Saxon had sold-out gigs in their calendar in England, but they've been forced to put those on hold until new dates can be found. That's been a particular source of frustration, as some of those dates are now being rescheduled for a second time after they were postponed after Byford's surgery last year. Nevertheless, they remain committed to making all of their originally-agreed appearances at some point - and that's not all. Aside from the brand new online slots game and the brand new album that's on the horizon, Byford has hinted that there's something else big coming in 2021 - he's just not at liberty to say exactly what that might be yet. 

In the same interview in which he confirmed he still needed to put the final touches to the new album, Byford spoke cryptically of being offered 'something special' for 2021 that would involve heading out 'with some other bands,' and that fans should keep their eyes peeled for it. Metal fans are a resourceful bunch, and they've cast their eyes toward the 2021 calendar in an attempt to work out what that 'something special' might be. Some of them believe that they might have found the answer. Next year, professional wrestler and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho is running his third ‘Rock and Wrestling Rager’ cruise at sea. The two previous cruises have been hugely popular, combining pro-wrestling action with some of the biggest and best names in rock and heavy metal. Jericho is known to be a Saxon fan, and Fozzy has played with Saxon in the past. It doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to guess that the third cruise is the ‘special’ opportunity that Byford is talking about. Presuming that those internet detectives are correct, that sounds like an even bigger reason to ensure that you don’t miss out on the cruise the next time it rolls around. 

It's possible that the fans are wrong, but if they are, that only raises more intriguing possibilities. What type of project might Saxon be working on that involves heading out with other bands? If they have a new album to release, they'll presumably already have their own tour planned, so this would have to be a totally different event or series of events. As frustrating as it is, we won't find out the answer to the question for a while. Right now, though, there's clearly more happening in the world of Saxon than there has been for quite some time, and that's a wonderful thing. It's been a quiet year or two, but there's life in the old dogs yet. Saxon is very nearly back, and they're ready to show us all that they're as good now as they ever were!