In a recent interview with Metal Pilgrim, where he talked about Saxon’s upcoming studio album, ‘Hell, Fire And Damnation,’ Biff Byford commented on heavy metal’s rising popularity in the media. He said:
“Yeah, I think there’s been a massive resurgence in metal, and especially that New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, the British metal thing. So, yeah, I think we’re all riding a wave at the moment that’s looking good for bands. A lot of new bands, like Burning Witches and things, now they’re doing quite well. So, hopefully, they can come up with a ‘Number Of The Beast’ or ‘Wheels Of Steel’ or something, or a ‘Crusader’ that gets them into the stratosphere.”
About the changes in the old and new eras, the singer went on:
“That’s what they need. Whether you can do that these days, I don’t know. But back in the day, it was all about getting a record deal. These days, it’s all about getting a million views on Instagram, which is the same thing. It’s still promotion.”
Can Metal Bands Rise To The Top In This Era?
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which started in the late ’70s and went through the ’80s, saw bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath gain significant popularity. Their music reached a wide US and European audience, often leading to sold-out tours and high album sales.
When asked about the possibility for metal bands to achieve success today, Byford explained:
“I think it’s possible, yeah. There’s been some bands. Amon Amarth are doing really well. Ghost have gone stratospheric. They’re not really metal, but they’ve got metal roots. So it definitely can happen if you’ve got the right songs. You just have to have a lot of luck — a lot of talent and a lot of luck.”
Saxon’s Rising Popularity In The US
Saxon didn’t make it as big as some other British metal bands in the US during the ’80s and ’90s. But a new interest in their music arose among American listeners in the last few years, with their last album, ‘Carpe Diem,’ reaching number 18 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart.
Talking about this in a chat with AllMusic, Byford mentioned:
“Up to Covid, we were working a lot in the States. We were doing our own shows, we did a couple of tours with UFO, we did a big tour with Motörhead on Lemmy’s last tour, we did a huge tour with Judas Priest. So, a lot of our fans from the ’80s were rediscovering us, and we were making lots of new fans.”
His words continued:
“I think our profile in America is pretty good at the moment – we’re just looking for a nice tour to get there, so we can play some decent venues…rather than just Sally’s Fish Bar or something. It’s always on our mind to go to America. I think streaming is good from the States, people watch our videos there, we have a lot younger fans that got into us from the touring and social media.”
Saxon’s upcoming record, ‘Hell, Fire And Damnation,’ is scheduled for release on January 19, 2024, with a European and American tour to follow.