Lionheart (Saxon album)

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Lionheart
Cover art by Paul R. Gregory
Studio album by
Released20 September 2004
Recorded2004
StudioGems 24 Studio (Boston, Lincolnshire)
GenreHeavy metal
Length45:03
LabelSPV/Steamhammer
ProducerCharlie Bauerfeind
Saxon chronology
Heavy Metal Thunder
(2002)
Lionheart
(2004)
The Eagle Has Landed – part 3
(2006)
Alternative cover
CD + DVD edition cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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 (limited to 10,000 copies) 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.[2]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Saxon

No.TitleLength
1."Witchfinder General"4:49
2."Man and Machine"3:28
3."The Return"1:18
4."Lionheart"6:04
5."Beyond the Grave"4:55
6."Justice"4:26
7."To Live by the Sword"4:10
8."Jack Tars"0:57
9."English Man 'O' War"4:08
10."Searching for Atlantis"5:54
11."Flying on the Edge"4:54

Lyrical concept[edit]

  • "Witchfinder General" is about persecuting witches during the Interregnum era. The song also mentions methods of interrogation and execution favoured by 'Witchfinder General' Matthew Hopkins.
  • "Lionheart" is about Richard the Lionheart, King of England from 1189 to 1199.
  • "Beyond the Grave" is about death and afterlife.
  • "To Live by the Sword" is about the way of life of samurai.

Personnel[edit]

  • Biff Byford – lead vocals
  • Paul Quinn – guitars
  • Doug Scarratt – guitars
  • Nibbs Carter – bass, keyboards
  • Jörg Michael – drums
  • Chris Stubley – keyboards on "Lionheart"
Production

Charts[edit]

Chart (2004) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[3] 103
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 44
Greek Albums (IFPI)[5] 44
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] 57
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 62
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[8] 22

References[edit]

  1. ^ Prato, Greg. "Saxon Lionheart". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Saxon – Lionheart". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Lescharts.com – Saxon – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Saxon – Lionheart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Greekcharts.com – Saxon – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Saxon – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Saxon – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2023.