British heavy metal legends Saxon are cranking the amps up once again, announcing their 25th studio album, Gods of Thunder, alongside the release of its thunderous title track. โก๐ค
Nearly five decades into their career, Saxon clearly have absolutely no intention of slowing down. Instead, theyโre doing what theyโve always done best โ writing huge riffs, digging into history and mythology, and reminding everyone why they remain one of the most important names in British heavy metal.
And yes, munโฆ album number twenty-five. Thatโs not a discography anymore. Thatโs a blooming library.
โก โGODS OF THUNDERโ HAS ARRIVED
The newly released title track, โGods of Thunderโ, is a full-throttle dose of classic Saxon.
Inspired by Celtic mythology, the song is packed with pounding drums, muscular guitars, soaring vocals and the sort of chorus clearly designed to be screamed back at the band by thousands of metalheads.
Frontman Biff Byford described the song as:
โโGods Of Thunderโ is a mighty tale of Celtic mythology, packed with the spirit and power of true heavy metal. Turn it up and bang your head!โ
You heard the man.
Volume knob to eleven. Neighbours warned. Tea securely positioned away from the speakers.
๐ฐ HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY AND HEAVY METAL
Saxon have never been shy when it comes to raiding the history books for inspiration, and Gods of Thunder looks set to continue that tradition in spectacular fashion.
Across the album, the band explore stories involving mythology, British history, Cold War espionage and legendary battles.
Among the songs revealed is โThe Bloody Tower (The Ballad Of Anne Boleyn)โ, which tackles the story of Anne Boleyn, while โMedusaโ heads straight into Greek mythology.
Elsewhere, โRemember The Alamoโ promises some proper old-school NWOBHM energy, and โTemple Of Rockโ sounds like exactly the sort of track title youโd expect to see written across the back of a denim jacket at Download Festival.
The album closes with โMI5โ, bringing Cold War espionage, secret agents and the Berlin Wall into Saxonโs ever-expanding heavy metal history lesson.
Basically, this is what school could have been like if the teachers had brought Marshall stacks into the classroom.
๐ธ BIFF BYFORD AT THE CONTROLS
Gods of Thunder has been produced by Biff Byford, with longtime Saxon collaborator Andy Sneap handling mixing duties.
Sneap has become one of the most respected names in modern metal production and has worked extensively with the band, helping give recent Saxon records that massive modern punch without losing the grit of their classic sound.
Byford has already sounded confident about the finished record, saying:
โWe had great fun making this album. This is gonna be one to beat!โ
Thatโs a pretty big statement from a band with twenty-four previous studio albums behind them.
๐ฅ FOLLOWING โHELL, FIRE AND DAMNATIONโ
Gods of Thunder follows Saxonโs hugely well-received 2024 album Hell, Fire And Damnation, another record that proved the band are far more than a nostalgia act.
While plenty of groups from the original NWOBHM explosion are understandably celebrating their back catalogues, Saxon continue to treat new music as an essential part of what they do.
The classics remain.
The new riffs keep arriving.
And Biff still sounds like he could command an army from the top of a mountain.
Proper job.
๐ฆ THE SAXON EAGLE RETURNS
The new album will also be supported by The Gods Of Thunder Tour, which is heading across the UK and Ireland in February 2027.
And Saxon arenโt exactly bringing a couple of lights and a smoke machine.
The band are reviving their enormous 30-foot mechanised Saxon Eagle, part of their legendary Castles & Eagles stage production.
Thatโs right.
A gigantic metal eagle.
Rock โnโ roll really is ridiculous sometimes, and we bloody love it. ๐๐ฆ
The tour includes dates across Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and London.
And yes โ thereโs a Welsh date at Cardiffโs Great Hall on 23 February 2027. ๐๐ค
Unfortunately, venue restrictions reportedly mean the giant Saxon Eagle wonโt be making an appearance at Cardiff.
Absolutely typical.
Come to Wales, they said.
Itโll be tidy, they said.
Just leave your enormous mechanical bird at home, mun. ๐
๐ค 25 ALBUMS AND STILL SWINGING
Saxonโs longevity remains absolutely staggering.
Formed in the 1970s and becoming one of the key bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they helped build a movement that would influence everyone from Metallica to countless generations of heavy bands that followed.
Songs including โWheels of Steelโ, โDenim and Leatherโ, โPrincess of the Nightโ and โPower and the Gloryโ became permanent fixtures in heavy metal history.
Yet Saxon have never appeared particularly interested in simply living off those songs.
New records.
New tours.
New riffs.
And apparently more giant birds.
That stubborn refusal to become a museum piece is a massive part of the reason Saxon remain so beloved.
โก THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Twenty-five studio albums into their career, Saxon still sound hungry.
If โGods of Thunderโ is anything to go by, the new record will deliver everything fans want โ enormous riffs, historical storytelling, classic heavy metal melodies and enough power to make your pint vibrate off the table.
Some bands survive.
Some bands become legends.
Saxon somehow keep doing both.
And with Gods of Thunder, the British metal veterans sound ready to unleash another chapter in one of heavy metalโs greatest careers.
Saxon โ Gods of Thunder
๐
Release date: 22 January 2027
๐ฟ 25th studio album
๐ต โGods of Thunderโ โ out now
Turn it up.
Raise the horns.
And prepare for thunder. โก๐ค
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies.
