SAXON – Killing Ground

To claim “Innocence Is No Excuse” my favorite Saxon album tells you perhaps more about my age than my brain and taste. This melodic masterpiece, which finally saw its release on CD thanks to French label Axe Killer, remains one of my all time classic CD’s. “Innocence…” was looked at as a sell-out from the British heavy metal giants, and maybe it was – at least I bought it. Almost two decades later, Saxon still holds the British flag high, and continues to release quality metal though the scene back home is infected with Kerrang!-praised bullshit. “Killing Ground” starts off with a fantastic title track and continues with a cover of King Crimson’s “Court Of The Crimson King”. “Hell FreezesOver”, which I am sure it didn’t yet, is another fine track that reminds of the mid-eighties, while “Dragon’s Lair” and “Deeds Of Glory” are more Saxon for the old school metal heads out there. Saxon has again made an album for the fans, maybe an album that will reach out to more Saxon fans than ever before. “Killing Ground” sums up an era of a fine band, which still has a lot to offer.