SAXON: Initial 'Call To Arms' Chart Positions Revealed

June 14, 2011

"Call To Arms", the new album from British heavy metal legends SAXON, has registered the following first-week chart positions so far:

Germany: #18
Sweden: #19
United Kingdom: #6 ("Rock Albums" chart)

The CD was released in Europe via Militia Guard Music, UDR and EMI.

Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, U.K. and Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton, U.K., the 11-track album was co-produced by singer/songwriter Biff Byford and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS). Featuring Byford on lead vocals, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums, "Call To Arms" is bang on-the-money brilliant SAXON music, a confident embrace of the aura and writing values from their early years married perfectly to a modern SAXON crunch.

"This is probably the best album we've written and recorded in the last 20 years," stated Biff Byford unapologetically. "I know a lot of bands say that, but 'Call To Arms' really does feel like that to me. It's the perfect embrace of our past with a great modern edge."

Between the furious riffage of "Hammer Of The Gods" all the way through to "Ballad Of The Working Man", SAXON also found time to invite fans to sing on the nostalgic stomp of "Back In '79" thanks to a Byford brainwave the night before recording.

"We put something up on our website 24 hours before recording the track in Brighton, and funnily enough we had exactly 79 people show up on time to sing on the song," Biff said. "It was a fantastic result which is a direct tribute to 'Denim & Leather' where we did the same exact thing."

There is also a guest appearance from keyboard legend Don Airey (RAINBOW, ELO, OZZY OSBOURNE, DEEP PURPLE) on "When Doomsday Comes".

"We were at the American embassy in different lines queuing for our visas and by the time we'd got them, Don had agreed to come and play on the song," chuckled Byford.

"Call To Arms" track listing:

01. Hammer Of The Gods
02. Back In '79
03. Surviving Against The Odds
04. Mists Of Avalon
05. Call To Arms
06. Chasing The Bullet
07. Afterburner
08. When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory)
09. No Rest For The Wicked
10. Ballad Of The Working Man
11. Call To Arms (orchestral version)

"Hammer Of The Gods" video:

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