Rating: 
Summary: The Eagle Has Landed
Review:
Great stocking stuffer for true metal connoseurs.
Once again this band of survivors delivers the goods. And this time the package is just as good as the contents.
br> The memoir book design is fantastic, and the Wacken Open Air concert is out of this world.
Motorcycle Man, Wheels of Steel, The Power and the Glory, and The Eagle Has Landed have always been the stuff of metal legend. But the band cranks it up a notch.
Biff Byford is even more down to earth now than when the band was younger. No B.S. here, just excellent tight and extremely faithful renditions of pure Saxon.
Disc 2, aside from the promotional video compilation, has some cool views of what it's like to be a traveling rocker in the 21st Century with some home videos by the band and road crew of more intimate venue performances, even those where the crowd was very sparse. Very nice honest touch, including some road crew footage of the Saxon performance before the Judas Priest Brixton Academy concert that was filmed for "Judas Priest Live in London."
Rating: 
Summary: Nicely Packaged Saxon Chronicles - But Poorly Recorded!
Review: After watching this latest 2-dvd compilation of The Saxon Chronicles, I was disappointed in the sound quality of the concerts, namely the W:O:A Concert 2001 (on disc 1) which runs 97 minutes. The problem is that the guitars overpower vocalist Biff Byford. His vocals are almost echoed as if one were sitting in the last row seats. The band is energetic enough and runs through their usual classics such as "Motorcycle Man", "Denim & Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Crusader" as well as newer songs such as "Solid Ball Of Rock", "Dogs Of War", "Cut Out The Disease", and "Metal Head" to name a few. I'd have liked to have had a few more songs from Saxon's "Unleash The Beast" and "Solid Ball Of Rock" cd's but I guess you can't have it all. The bonus disc includes behind the scenes stuff as well as three songs ("747 (Strangers In The Night)", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel") from the Esbjerb Festival all of which are of poor sound (mono) and picture quality. There's also eight videos from early Saxon songs such as "Suzie Hold On" to their latest "Killing Ground". Note: The early videos are transferred from video tapes and are of inferior quality. There are also other tidbits such as t.v. appearances, interviews, etc.. The packaging of this 2-dvd set is of the highest quality with both discs housed in a booklike container that includes a 25 page booklet of the band and colorful pictures as well. Unfortunately, it all looks better than it really is. I couldn't possibly give The Saxon Chronicles more than a three star rating.
Rating:
Summary: 1st Experience in 1982..a Triple Bill Tour..!
Review: As with most all reviews..SAXON!, TOUR THE STATES..PLEASE! Not enough thru the yrs. In 1982, at the height of "stadium rock", triple bill tours. My 1st experience w/Saxon, was the CRUSADER Tour in 1982... The triple bill was..CHEAP TRICK, ALDO NOVA & SAXON. AWESOME! After that year, they managed to make it here in Oklahoma on a regular basis for several yrs. Also-a nation-wide concert broadcast from Norman, OK on the King Biscuit Flour Hour.. AWESOME! Bring back the big rock, stadium-triple bill shows of the past and dump this garbage happening in music today. 'Nuf said.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, now can we have some more please
Review: Finally this dvd is available to the US market - about time. It's a great package, the only complaint I have is that there could be MORE. There are a bunch of songs that are not included but what there is, is good stuff. This 2 disc set is good for US fans who dont have many chances to see the band live. One other thing, All the live footage is of fairly recent shows - with the newer band members (who are excellent by the way) - would have been nice to include some of the stuff from back in the days of the original band - but there may be some legal problems there. Altogether I am very happy with this set - now just need to road trip to some Saxon shows this year, San Antonio, Germany, hmmmm
Rating:
Summary: The Eagle Flies Again
Review: I couldn't wait to get my hands on this 2 DVD package from one of my all time favorite bands, and again Saxon has not disappointed.
Having never had an opportunity to see Saxon live (and unlikely to get one), the highlight for me is the live Wacken 2001 concert on disc 1. Here the band show why they are still champions of metal. They deliver an in your face straight out rocking show of classic metal, including tracks from their latest album at the time "Metalhead" and many Saxon classics from their past. These guys are no spring chickens any more and so besides Nibbs Carter on bass they don't get around the stage that much. However there is plenty of headbanging, flashing lights, and other effects which result in a good visual experience, the highlight of which is undoubtedly the huge Eagle that descends from above the stage. It must have enough lights on it to light up the whole city! Original member Paul Quinn does not miss a note on guitar, and together with Doug Scarrat (who looks right at home like he's always been a part of the band) they pump out that classic Saxon guitar driven rock-metal sound. Fritz Randow (despite his belly) is excellent on drums, and delivers one of the best drum solos during Conquistador that I have seen. Although Paul Quinn is the guitar sound of Saxon, the man who drives the band is undoubtedly Biff Byford. His vocals are delivered with the aggressiveness of recent years and he sounds as good as ever. Although the crowd seem a bit laid back at the beginning of the show Byford works them well and it doesn't take long for them to get right into the show. He still shows us his humorous wit now and then, and pumps up the crowd so that he has them eating out of his hand. All the songs in the live performance sound good, with the older ones still sounding fresh. (I tried to write my favorites here but found I had listed half the set list!) The 13 minute interview with Byford on disc one is interesting, and this along with the whole of disc two is really bonus material for the Saxon fans. The tour-home video is amusing in that it shows the band stuffing about in Spinal Tap type fashion, but it also has great live performances of 747, Princess Of The Night & Wheels Of Steel. The video clips are also quite funny, just as the early clips of Judas Priest are on their DVD Electric eye. They show the band wearing those classic metal clothes of the '80's which now seem ridiculous (but we all love to see). The behind the scenes film of the making of the video for Unleash The Beast is also quite humorous, as are the Saxon Tv appearances/interviews. In general this is a fantastic DVD package containing a terrific live show and lots of bonus material for the fans in a wonderful book-type box which has lots of photos and reading material.
It is a must for all Saxon fans. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Pull your head back, hold your hands high, shake your body!
Review: I was fortunate enough to catch Saxon's U.S. Unleash the Beast tour in March 1998. It was seven hours' round-trip in the car, but absolutely worth it. Saxon was never nearly as big in the United States as they were in Great Britain. You'll get 30 seconds into the 2001 W:O:A concert and wonder why. No one does straight-ahead heavy metal better than these guys. Plenty beyond the concert to delve into, as well--videos, interviews, a well-done booklet, and even some home movies. This is a true fan's package, marvelously and lovingly done. My highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: Pull your head back, hold your hands high, shake your body!
Review: I was fortunate enough to catch Saxon's U.S. Unleash the Beast tour in March 1998. It was seven hours' round-trip in the car, but absolutely worth it. Saxon was never nearly as big in the United States as they were in Great Britain. You'll get 30 seconds into the 2001 W:O:A concert and wonder why. No one does straight-ahead heavy metal better than these guys. Plenty beyond the concert to delve into, as well--videos, interviews, a well-done booklet, and even some home movies. This is a true fan's package, marvelously and lovingly done. My highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: Definately worth the wait
Review: I've been waiting for a Saxon set with some of the newer songs for years now, and I am thankful to finally have it. The set list is a couple songs short, but still impressive none the less. Bottom line is Saxon deserves to be held in the same respect as PRIEST, AC/DC, MAIDEN, OZZY, as well as the other power house hard rock/metal bands that are much more popular. It's a shame these guys haven't received the same following. I definately look forward to any new Saxon material, they rock like it should be rocked! With all that said. Biff sounds great, he's still breaking Mic's with his voice. Guitars, Quinn and Scarratt are on point, their sound is perfect, chops are huge, riffs thunderous. Nibbs on bass, he's all over the place and doesn't miss a thing. Fritz Randow on the drums, you gotta be kidding me, where did this guy come from? Very Heavy, Very impressive! Buy it now and enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Saxon still cranks
Review: If you are a true Saxon fan, you will love this DVD! It's a better concert/recording than the Saxon-Classic Rock Legends DVD, although that's pretty good also. The release date in the US was delayed several times, which is why it has taken so long to ship. While I like Biff's vocals, I wouldn't consider him the greatest singer around, so the guitars dominating the sound improves the sound quality, in my opinion. The reason they chose the Wacken festival to record over the regular tour was because they had a bigger stage show production. The bonus disc is OK, but it's just that, a bonus. I'm a believer that everything has the possibility to be better, but I'll happily take this over not having anything new.
Rating:
Summary: underrated and overachieved
Review: like the hard and heavy metal band Accept, Saxon has been relatively ignored in the US. 2001's Killing Ground was the best recording by Saxon in many years, and one would think that the DVD release would showcase the band on that tour. unfortunately it does not, even though it was recorded in that same year. the set list is a bit on the short side for disc one. 97 minutes total, around 14 or 15 songs. this band has a playlist that could easily fill a 3 hour single DVD and then some. 97 minutes was a bit disappointing to this long time fan and many great songs were not included. not that the band doesn't kick major a-- during that short set. Saxon arguably sounds better now that they did 20+ years ago. the true test of any band is how they perform live, and Saxon definitely delivers on Disc 1(i haven't checked out the music video footage on the bonus Disc 2 yet). this DVD 2 disc set is a must have for Saxon completists like myself. new fans may opt to check out Killing Ground and Heavy Metal Thunder (their last two outstanding studio releases). i'm not disappointed with this set or the performance, it just seems an hour too short and for $30+ Saxon enthusiasts would expect to see and hear more concert footage which includes songs from Killing Ground.
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