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Have
you ever seen a heavy metal band getting so far lost in a haze of
duelling guitars and drum solos that you say to yourself "How Spinal
Tap"?
The
exaggerated posturing, the amps cranked up to 11, screamed vocals,
a hint of homoerotic contact; we've all seen a band like this before.
The
question is, where did the makers of the hallowed 'rockumentary'
find inspiration.
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| Guitarist
Doug Scarrett: Respect the metal hair, man |
Rumour
has it that we need look no further than Saxon, a Yorkshire spawned
group of some renown in the world of metal.
While
their back catalogue undoubtedly has enough material for any willing
satirist (one can only ponder the thematic diversity of "Rock is
Our Life" "We Came Here to Rock" and "This Town Rocks") their career
has also given rise to a great deal of success and an unexpected
longevity.
Since
the formation of Saxon in the late 70's (from the embers of the
provocatively named Son of A Bitch) no less than 20 albums have
seen the light of day on 11 different labels.
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| Founder
member and lead vocalist Biff Byford |
Although
the bands' commercial peak was highest in the early 80's with albums
such as "Strong Arm of the Law" and "The Eagle Has Landed" a quick
glance at the band's tour schedule reveals an enduring appeal -
in September 2002 alone, they played dates in Russia, France and
Spain.
Spinal
Tap comparisons aside (and with a history including nearly a dozen
one-time members those are anything but inescapable) Saxon are a
local export who have been recording and playing with varying degrees
of success for more than 20 years both home and abroad.
An
achievement which is not to be taken lightly.
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