Saxon - Witchfinder General

The mid-2000s saw the metal scene still reeling from the aftermath of nu-metal's brief but memorable reign. Metal was more popular than ever, but listeners were getting tired of the schtick pretty fast ... which made fertile ground for other corners of the genre to bubble back up to the surface.

Amongst those was Saxon, the legendary English heavy metal outfit. There's no arguing that whilst the band have a career spanning over four decades, they're best known for their fist-pumping anthems of the 80s. As with most bands from that era, they'd got a bit lost under the noise of grunge and nu-metal through the 90s, and they weren't exactly in a great place at the turn of the millennium either, having just come off the back of a legal tussle over the rights to their own name.

So perhaps that's what made their 16th (yes, 16th .. these lads don't just sit around) album, 2004's Lionheart, such an absolute banger.

Drafting in former Stratovarius drummer Jörg Michael for a stint behind the kit, the record has real power to it, with a harder edge than had previously been par for the course. It's a bit thrashier, a bit more power metal, but above all it's a band well and truly back on their A-game. It landed at just the right time too with a couple of the tracks even managing to pick up some decent airplay on terrestrial radio in the UK, which felt like a genuine statement.

So that brings us to this week's pick. "Witchfinder General" opens the album and wastes absolutely no time. It's heavy, it's catchy, there's a bit of a history lesson buried in there, and it's a hell of a way to kick off a solid record. Crank the volume and raise some hell.