Saxon--Solid Ball of Rock (1990)
Rating--7.8
A solid ball of rock to be sure, however a bit on the commercial side of
Saxon's catalog. Much like fellow long time rockers Scorpions and
Judas Priest (think 'British Steel'), this album is filled with twin guitar riffs
and catchy textures. The lyrics suffer a little, but certainly don't steal
the album's integrity.
The title track opens up with a good groove and kicks in with force at 1:01. A
great fist-pumping chorus as with most tracks on board...
"Altar of the
Gods" continues the groove with dueling guitars and double bass work, making
it one of the album's better up-tempo rockers. Tracks such as "I Just Can't
Get Enough" and "Requiem" have a late 80's Dio or Ozzy feel with
straight ahead
guitar saturation. The Riot influenced "Baptism of Fire" rears its head
for a speedy little number with a nice gruff-echo chorus. Saxon saves the
best for last, providing us with "Crash Drive"--the highlight of the disc. An
excellent bass intro into guitar chugging. Nice work.
TRACK LIST: Solid Ball of Rock/Altar of the Gods/Requiem (We Will Remember)/Lights In
The Sky/I Just Can't Get Enough/Baptism of Fire/Ain't Gonna Take It/I'm On Fire/
Overture in B-Minor--Refugee/Bavarian Rhapsody/Crash Drive
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