Thunderbolt (album)

Thunderbolt is the twenty-second studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, released on 2 February 2018.[2]

Thunderbolt
Studio album by
Saxon
Released2 February 2018
Recorded14 September 2016 – 20 September 2017
GenreHeavy metal
Length47:38
LabelSilver Lining Music
ProducerAndy Sneap
Saxon chronology
Let Me Feel Your Power
(2016)		 Thunderbolt
(2018)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Hammer (DE)5/7[1]

Background

On 14 September 2016, the band revealed they had begun working on a new album through their Facebook account.[3] A month later, frontman Biff Byford revealed they had written a song dedicated to Motörhead called "They Played Rock n Roll", following the death of frontman Lemmy on 28 December 2015, which ended the band's 40-year history. The song is stylistically similar and referenced their touring companionship on the 1979/1980 "Bomber" tour.[4]

In an interview alongside Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keeffe at 2017's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, Byford confirmed that the album's title would be Thunderbolt and that the inspiration for it came from the gods of Greek mythology.[5]

Further details were revealed on various stops on their autumn tour of the US and Canada. In an interview at their Newton, New Jersey show on 22 September, he revealed that he'd finished recording his vocals on 20 September.[6] In an interview at their Montreal, Canada show on 4 October, Byford revealed that long-time producer Andy Sneap had finished mixing the album the previous day and mentioned a release date of 21 January 2018 (which later turned out to be incorrect).[7]

On 7 November 2017, the band confirmed the title and revealed the release date of 2 February 2018, track list, artwork and a short UK/European tour alongside Diamond Head, with Magnum and Rock Goddess supporting on select UK dates.[8]

On 30 November 2017, the new video "Thunderbolt" was released.[9] On 19 September 2018, the "Predator" video was released[10].

Track listing

All music composed by Biff Byford, Doug Scarratt, Nigel Glockler, Paul Quinn, Nibbs Carter.

No.TitleLength
1."Olympus Rising" (Instrumental)1:32
2."Thunderbolt"3:59
3."The Secret of Flight"5:02
4."Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)"5:00
5."They Played Rock and Roll"3:39
6."Predator"3:17
7."Sons of Odin"5:22
8."Sniper"3:36
9."A Wizard’s Tale"3:52
10."Speed Merchants"3:47
11."Roadie's Song"3:31
Total length:42:37
Digipak Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
1."Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" (Raw Version)5:01
Total length:47:38
Special Tour Edition Bonus Tracks [11]
No.TitleLength
1."Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" (Raw Version)5:01
2."Thunderbolt" (Live in Frankfurt – Recorded on 2 March 2018) 
3."Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" (Live in Los Angeles – Recorded on 22 April 2018) 

Credits
  • Biff Byford – vocals
  • Paul Quinn – guitars
  • Doug Scarratt – guitars
  • Nibbs Carter – bass
  • Nigel Glockler – drums
Additional Musicians
  • Seb Byford – backing vocals on "Thunderbolt" and "Speed Merchants"
  • Tom Witts – backing vocals on "Thunderbolt" and "Speed Merchants"
  • Caleb Quaye – backing vocals on "Thunderbolt" and "Speed Merchants"
  • Corvin Bahn – keyboards on "Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)"
  • Johan Hegg – harsh vocals on "Predator"
Production
  • Billy Lee – photography
  • Steph Byford – artwork (additional)
  • Gestaltungskommando Buntmetall – layout, design
  • Paul Raymond Gregory – cover art
  • Andy Sneap – producer, engineering, mixing

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 53
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 48
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[15] 29
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 172
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[18] 53
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 10
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[20] 39
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 29
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References
  1. Mineur, Matthias (2 February 2018). "Review: Saxon – THUNDERBOLT" (in German). Metal Hammer Germany. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. "Saxon To Release 'Thunderbolt' Album In February; Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  3. "Saxon (Official)". Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  4. "SAXON Singer Discusses MOTÖRHEAD Tribute Song 'They Played Rock And Roll' (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. Red Carpet News TV (15 June 2017). "Airbourne Joel O'Keefe & Saxon Interview Metal Hammer Golden God Awards". YouTube. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  6. "Biff Byford of Saxon – People Respect Us Because We are Still Making Great Metal Albums! Myglobalmind Online Magazine". Myglobalmind.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  7. The Metal Voice (6 October 2017). "Saxon Biff Byford Interview-Talks New Album Thunderbolt, Lemmy & Rainbow". YouTube. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  8. "SAXON ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM AND TOUR". Saxon747.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. PlanetSaxon (30 November 2017). "Saxon – Thunderbolt (Official Video)". Retrieved 30 November 2017 – via YouTube.
  10. PlanetSaxon (19 September 2018). "Saxon – Predator (Official Video)". Retrieved 13 October 2018 – via YouTube.
  11. "SAXON: Special Tour Edition Of 'Thunderbolt' To Be Released In September". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Saxon – Thunderbolt" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Saxon – Thunderbolt" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Saxon – Thunderbolt" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  15. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201809 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Saxon – Thunderbolt" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Saxon – Thunderbolt" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  18. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 6 (dal 2018-02-02 al 2018-02-08)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  19. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  20. "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 6: del 2.2.2018 al 8.2.2018" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  21. "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 February 2018. Click on "Veckans albumlista".
  22. "Swisscharts.com – Saxon – Thunderbolt". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
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