Battleaxe are a UK band that has reformed in recent times and thankfully reactivated amongst the live scene, something I was disappointed with at last year’s Brofest cancellation (rectified this year I believe). The band were always on the fringes of and labelled as NWOBHM for their contribution to the scene and also were one of the first bands to sign to the classic metal label Music For Nations (in the 80’s – you saw this label, it was generally a good buy!). However, as proven on this new release that features two of the original members, Battleaxe are more than mere NWOBHM alone, as are a few more bands in fact. But I digress…
Opener and title track ‘Heavy Metal Sanctuary’ is a pure British metal assault, similar in stance to Saxon whilst other tunes like ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ and ‘Give It More’ both look towards Germany and Accept, with ‘Romeo’ going for a more straight up hard rock fist pumping approach similar to Krokus. Even a slight semi-ballad tempo of rocker ‘Kingdom Come’ cannot detract your enthusiasm for this release. It would have been so easy for a band like this to look to the past and look to the current resurgence of the scene, I for one am pretty glad that they stuck to their own ideas, their own style. I say style as this is arranged in such a way that you get every hook and fill, every guitar note and every drum beat. Dave King’s vocals are still gnarly and still powerful and he sounds like, and I suppose is, a genuine heavy metal band frontman with individual charisma relaying lyrics that are relevant to these current times. The solos are blistering, the time keeping section thunderous, it works.
This is a well-rounded mix of British metal pre-90’s that has some cool solos (check out the one on ‘Romeo’), has plenty of melody and plenty of individual guile that hasn’t forgotten their heritage, but has also stayed individual to the scene they are often labelled as being a part of. ‘Heavy Metal Sanctuary’ is a great title and a great release that does exactly what is says on the tin, its heavy metal with a true British character. I look forward to catching you on the road
(8/10 Paul Maddison)
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