| Carpe Diem | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 February 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 44:19 | |||
| Label | Silver Lining Music | |||
| Producer | Biff Byford, Andy Sneap | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
Carpe Diem is the twenty-third studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon released in 2022. [1]
In an October 2018 interview with Sonic Perspectives, Byford confirmed that Saxon would "definitely" record a new album sometime in 2019. He was quoted as saying, "We don't have to have too much commitment to timings. We're an established band — we can pretty much do what we want. If we feel like writing, then we write. If we don't feel like writing, then we don't write. Simple as that." [2] Byford had stated that their new album was expected to be released in early 2021; [3] but later sighted a tentative February 2022 release. [4]
Music videos were released for "Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)", "Remember the Fallen", "The Pilgrimage", and "Black Is the Night" on the band's YouTube channel.
Saxon embarked on a UK/European tour with special guests Diamond Head named the Seize the Day tour after the album's opening track, [5] with the UK leg of the tour opening in Ipswich on 11 November and ending on 26 November in London.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blabbermouth |    [6] |
| Classic Rock |   [7] |
| Metal Hammer (Germany) | [8] |
| Metal Storm | [9] |
| Rock Hard | [10] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3,4/5 [11] |
Carpe Diem was the band's highest-charting record in the United Kingdom since 1983's Power & the Glory , with a top position of 17 on the UK Albums Chart; the record also charted in the United States, reaching number 18 in Top Heatseekers, 26 in Top Current Album Sales, and 63 in Top Album Sales overall.
It was also Saxon's highest-charting album ever in several countries, including Germany, where it reached number 3 on the GfK charts; Switzerland, where the album reached number 4; and Austria, where it reached number 7. Carpe Diem also reached number 4 in the Finnish charts.
The record received positive reviews from critics. Blabbermouth gave the album a rating of 7.5 out of 10, and webzine Metal Storm called it "the most memorable record the band have put out in the last decade or so", commenting that the band are "still going strong" and granting a rating of 7.2.
All lyrics are written by Biff Byford; all music is composed by Byford, Paul Quinn, Nigel Glockler, Nibbs Carter, Doug Scarratt
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)" | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Age of Steam" | 4:09 |
| 3. | "The Pilgrimage" | 6:29 |
| 4. | "Dambusters" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Remember the Fallen" | 5:15 |
| 6. | "Super Nova" | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Lady in Gray" | 5:13 |
| 8. | "All for One" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Black Is the Night" | 4:12 |
| 10. | "Living on the Limit" | 2:55 |
| Total length: | 44:19 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Killing Ground (London 2016)" | 04:16 |
| Total length: | 48:36 | |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [12] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [13] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [14] | 21 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [15] | 67 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [16] | 4 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [17] | 59 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [18] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [19] | 59 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) [20] | 29 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [21] | 6 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [22] | 34 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23] | 15 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [25] | 17 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [26] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [27] | 2 |
| US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard) [28] | 26 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [29] | 18 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [30] | 63 |
Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in Barnsley in 1975. As leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), they had eight UK Top 40 albums during the 1980s including four UK Top 10 albums and two Top 5 albums. They had numerous hit singles on the UK Singles Chart and experienced success all over Europe and Japan, as well as in the United States.
Lionheart is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 2004. It is the only studio album featuring drummer Jörg Michael. The title is inspired from Richard the Lionheart, a 12th-century King of England. "Beyond the Grave" was released as a single and a video. The album was re-released on 17 February 2006 in digipak format with a bonus DVD-Audio featuring previously unreleased material, videos, rough mixes and a new 5.1 / 96 K mix of the whole album, as well as a Saxon keyholder and a patch.
Killing Ground is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 2001. Killing Ground was also released as a special Digi-pack edition with a bonus disc featuring 8 classic re-recorded tracks which would later appear in Heavy Metal Thunder.
Metalhead is the fourteenth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1999. It is the first album with Fritz Randow, who replaced Nigel Glockler in 1999.
Unleash the Beast is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1997. It is their first studio album with Doug Scarratt on guitar.
Dogs of War is the twelfth studio album by the heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1995. It's the last album with Graham Oliver, before he's fired.
Solid Ball of Rock is the tenth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1991 on Virgin Records. Five of its 11 tracks were written by new bassist Nibbs Carter, who co-wrote another three songs.
The Eagle Has Landed is the first live album by heavy metal band Saxon and the first album featuring their long time drummer Nigel Glockler. It was recorded during the European leg of the world tour supporting the album Denim and Leather and released in 1982. The album reached #5 in the UK charts.
The Inner Sanctum is the seventeenth studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, released on 5 March 2007. It is the first album by the band to feature drummer Nigel Glockler since 1997's Unleash the Beast. A limited edition with DVD is available too.
The Eagle Has Landed – Part III is a double live album by the English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 2006.
Into the Labyrinth, the eighteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, was released on 9 January 2009. It was made between tours in 2008 and written by the band in England and at Biff Byford's house in France. The first single, "Live to Rock", was released on 17 October 2008. The album sold about 1,000 copies in the US in the week after its release.
Call To Arms is the nineteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon. Call to Arms was released 3 June in Europe; 6 June in Denmark, Finland, and the UK; 8 June in Greece and Poland; 10 June in France. Previously, it was due to be released on 23 May 2011. The album was released on 27 September in North America by EMI. Current Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey made a guest appearance on the album.
Sacrifice is the twentieth studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon. It was released on 1 March 2013 in Europe, 4 March in the United Kingdom and 26 March in the United States.
Battering Ram is the twenty-first studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, released on 16 October 2015.
Let Me Feel Your Power is the tenth live album by British heavy metal band Saxon. The title comes from the third track on their seventeenth studio album, The Inner Sanctum. Originally, it was to be released on 23 September 2016, but the release date was pushed back to 7 October. In the US, the release date was 28 October.
Thunderbolt is the twenty-second studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon, released on 2 February 2018.
Inspirations is the first cover album by the English heavy metal band Saxon, released on 19 March 2021 by Silver Lining Music. Consisting entirely of covers, it was recorded at Brockfield Hall and The Big Silver Barn in York and produced by Biff Byford.
The Great Heathen Army is the twelfth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth. It was released on 5 August 2022, through Metal Blade Records and Sony Music.
More Inspirations is the second cover album by the English heavy metal band Saxon, released on 24 March 2023.
Hell, Fire and Damnation is the twenty-fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released on 19 January 2024 through Silver Lining Music. It charted internationally across Europe, reaching the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart.
