You People Must Be Gettin' Tired!!!
SMH | NY, USA | 07/11/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a Saxon fan since '82. I saw them in a club (The Inferno, Buffalo NY) in '87. And anyone who rates this 4 Star Release @ 1 Star should have been in the way in Dallas @ 12:59 PM 1n '63. In no way does this sound like slapped together Metal. Some of the best lick's & Biff's heart felt lyrics are within!!!
Rock Hard, Rock Free or Leave!!!!.....JRK"
Saxon Firing On All Cylinders
Erik Rupp | Southern California | 05/27/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After the return to form that was Solid Ball of Rock, Saxon takes it up another notch with Forever Free. FF takes the old Saxon sound and modernizes it to 1992. More streamlined, a little heavier, but still VERY melodic, Forever Free is the second in a string of great albums that continues to this day with the release of The Inner Sanctum.
The album opens with the rousing title track - a great uptempo number, and is immediately followed by the fantastic "Hole In the Sky," a song fairly close to No Rest For the Wicked era (Zakk Wylde era) Ozzy material. This is followed by a very Saxon sounding cover of "I Just Wanna Make Love To You." Not the strongest song on the album, but decent all the same. Up next is "Get Down and Dirty," sounding like a 1992 take on 1982 era Saxon - a solid mid tempo track. "Iron Wheels," is based around some nice acoustic guitar setting a melancholy mood which Biff takes advantage of with some great vocal melodies. Following that respite from the Metal, Saxon comes roaring back with "One Step Away," one of the better tracks they've ever written and recorded. Uptempo and furious, "One Step," features some killer riffs and very strong vocal melodies with a great chorus hook. Next is "Can't Stop Rockin," and apparently Saxon can't (stop rockin, that is)! Another good, mid tempo rocker with a good groove that almost forces you to do just a little air-headbanging! "Nighthunter" is another uptempo song with absolutely killer riffs, and "Grind" does just that - grind. "Grind" may be a little stuck in the late 80's, but it's still better than average and a solid album cut. Forever Free closes with "Cloud Nine," very reminiscent of the uptempo "Boogie Metal" that Saxon specialized in during the early 80's.
Not quite a five star album, Forever Free is still easily a four star, [...] album. Biff, Paul, Nibbs, Graham, and Nigel continued to move forward and would continue to make great albums (albeit minus Graham Oliver and -occasionally - Nigel Glockler) for another 15 years. (And counting!)"
Saxon - 'Forever Free' (Steamhammer)
Mike Reed | USA | 01/31/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Originally released in 1992, then ten years later it was reissued with two live bonus cuts. Don't even seem to remember this title very much, myself. I've seen several other reviews of this CD that was less than favorable. Not sure WHY any true Saxon fan would dislike it. But, everyone is truly entitled to their own opinion. With that being said, I found 'Forever Free' to be your TYPICAL Saxon effort, in OTHER words it KICKS *SS!! Tracks I liked best were the title cut "Forever Free", their unlikely (yet,well done) Willie Dixon cover "Just Wanna Make Love To You", this disc's power ballad "Iron Wheels" and the two rival rockers, "One Step Away" and "Can't Stop Rocking" (a possible anthem?). Either way you slice it, 'Forever Free' is a good later-day New Wave Of British Heavy Metal catalog title. If you ask me, the NWOBHM still lives on,to this very day. So, cherish it."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1