| The Inner Sanctum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Studio | Gems 24 Studio, Boston, Lincolnshire, UK | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 47:48 | |||
| Label | SPV/Steamhammer | |||
| Producer | Charlie Bauerfeind | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
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.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Jukebox:Metal | [2] |
| Rock Hard | 9.0/10 [3] |
| Blabbermouth | 8/10 [4] |
| Metal Storm | 7.6/10 [5] |
The Inner Sanctum has received generally positive reviews from critics. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic gave the album three and a half out of five stars, and commented that Saxon continued "to do their legacy proud as they move through their third decade of recording activity." He described the album's first three tracks as "frantic" and the third, "Let Me Feel Your Power" as "jaw-dropping", and also praised the "majestic" "Red Star Falling", comparing it to the band's earlier songs "Dallas 1PM" and "Broken Heroes", although he was critical towards the single version of "If I Was You", advising the listener to "make sure your CD contains the album version". Rivadavia concluded his review by saying "although it's certainly not perfect by any stretch, The Inner Sanctum is welcome addition to this band's sizeable discography, and, pound for pound, might just take the crown as Saxon's best album of the early 2000s." [1]
However, Andy Lye of Jukebox:Metal was more critical in his review of the album, giving it three out of five stars, and criticizing its opening track "State of Grace", calling it "derivative and largely boring", and also "Let Me Feel Your Power" commenting that "a great, grooving mid-section can't quite save it from its appalling lyrics and tired riffs." He went on to call "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" "as bad as you'd expect" and criticized "If I Was You" for sounding "exactly like all metal singles sound". He concluded by stating that "Against the wider metal market this is an average album (hence three stars), but against recent Saxon output it is comfortably below average." [2]
All lyrics are written by Byford; all music is composed by Biff Byford, Paul Quinn, Nigel Glockler, Nibbs Carter, Doug Scarratt
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "State of Grace" | 5:37 |
| 2. | "Need for Speed" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Let Me Feel Your Power" | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Red Star Falling" | 6:16 |
| 5. | "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" | 4:40 |
| 6. | "If I Was You" (Album Version) | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Going Nowhere Fast" | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Ashes to Ashes" | 4:52 |
| 9. | "Empire Rising" | 0:41 |
| 10. | "Atila The Hun" | 8:09 |
| 11. | "If I Was You" (Single Version; Only in the standard edition) | 3:06 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "747 (Strangers in the Night)" | 5:07 |
| 13. | "Backs to the Wall" (Live 2005) | 3:19 |
| 14. | "Stand Up And Be Counted" (Live 2005) | 3:26 |
| 15. | "Never Surrender" (Live 2005) | 3:29 |
| 16. | "Wheels of Steel" (Live 2005) | 9:01 |
| 17. | "And The Bands Played On" (Live 2004) | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "To Hell and Back Again" | |
| 2. | "A Night Out with the Boys – The Idea" | |
| 3. | "A Night Out with the Boys – Not Really" | |
| 4. | "See the Light Shining" | |
| 5. | "A Night Out with the Boys – Now It Started" | |
| 6. | "Redline" | |
| 7. | "Suzie Hold On" | |
| 8. | "Stand Up and Be Counted" | |
| 9. | "Frozen Rainbow" | |
| 10. | "Never Surrender" |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP) [6] | 138 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [7] | 36 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [8] | 162 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [9] | 39 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [10] | 89 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [11] | 4 |
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, South America and Japan, as well as in the United States.
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.
Greatest Hits Live is the third live album by the band Saxon and the first Album with new Bass-Player Timothy "Nibbs" Carter. It was released in 1990 just one year after their previous live album Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies to celebrate the tenth anniversary years of the band's successful activity career since their second Album Wheels of Steel (1980), together with a VHS of the concert. This '10 Years Of Denim And Leather' concert was later released on DVD as Saxon 'Live Legends' with the extra track Strong Arm of the Law.
Power & the Glory is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in March 1983 by Carrere Records. This is the first Saxon studio album with new drummer Nigel Glockler and was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall of 1982.
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.
Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies is the second live album by the band Saxon, released in 1989 by Roadrunner Records. It was the first album produced by Biff Byford. In the album's liner notes it is written that the album was "Recorded at Budapest Sports Hall and on the road in Eastern Europe", but the Budapest concert was the only concert on this tour in Eastern Europe. After the Destiny Europe and US tour from May 3, 1988, til September 3, 1988, Nigel Durham and Paul Johnson played their last Saxon concert at September 3, 1988, at Omni Club, Oakland, California, US. The lineup on the cover is the new lineup from 1989, when the album was released, not the lineup from the live performances on the album. In 2001 it was re-released with a different cover and two additional tracks, and with production credited to the whole band and not just to Byford.
The Eagle Has Landed – Part II is a double live album by the English heavy metal band Saxon. It is the fourth live album by the band and the first recording to feature Doug Scarratt instead of Graham Oliver, who had left just after the release of Dogs of War.
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.
Carpe Diem is the twenty-third studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon released in 2022.
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.
