Nigel’s alive! Biff’s alive! Gordon’s alive! In recent times it seems Saxon have had almost as many medical emergencies as heavy metal insurgencies. Drummer Nigel Glockler survived a brain aneurysm and a canine attack; frontman Biff Byford suffered heart failure. So it’s fitting that Brian Blessed – who famously declared “Gordon’s alive!” in the Flash Gordon movie – should add his booming voice to The Prophecy, the opening track of Hell, Fire And Damnation.
Cthulhu-style grumblings and backwards satanic mumblings usher in the title track, and Saxon hit the ground running with a tempestuous tale of the never-ending battle between good and evil. The Barnsley brawlers get into their trademark stride – mighty, marauding, deceptively melodious – as easily as Biff shrugs his big shoulders into his big leather greatcoat. It’s a very fine start indeed. But it’s as good as it gets.
