Biff Byford (Saxon) Interview

For over 40 years, Biff Byford has been the voice, frontman, and driving force behind English heavy metal powerhouse, Saxon. He is as synonymous with the band as Rob Halford is with Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson is with Iron Maiden, and so on. So when the opportunity presented itself to speak with Byford regarding Saxon’s 23rd (!!!) studio album, Carpe Diem, I leapt upon it. In this brand new interview, Byford gives us a behind the scenes look at Carpe Diem, looks back upon 40 years of Denim and Leather, and more. Those “Wheels of Steel are rolling” stronger than ever.

Greetings Biff and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?

Biff Byford: Good! I’m here talking about the new album, so I’m doing good.

I’d like to start by congratulating you on that new album, Carpe Diem. I had the chance to check it out last night. Yet again, Saxon have hit it out of the ballpark with a killer album of pure heavy metal.

BB: We didn’t go down the more proggy road with this one. We wanted it to be a straight in your face British metal album, so that’s what we did.

It’s finally coming out next February and has been many years in the making. How soon after the release of Thunderbolt did work get started on this album?

BB: Quite soon after. I did a solo album after Thunderbolt. We started working on the new Saxon album maybe two and a half years ago, not long after we finished touring for Thunderbolt. We had a few writing sessions and put some stuff together. The guys then sent me some ideas and I started working with them, rearranging them and getting things ship-shape. I got ill, so that put off a couple of things, and then the COVID thing started. What we basically did is got Nigel (Glockler) to record drums on the tracks with basic arrangements. So we got Nigel to do that with a bassist who worked for him. Then Nibbs (Carter) did the bass. That was done in Germany. We did the guitars later on. We weren’t working a lot on it, but when we were working, we were quite intense. I did a lot of the work in my studio at home, so I was able to do some guitars there, and all vocals, harmonies, melodies, lyrics that I wrote. We weren’t really all together that much. Only three times we were together rearranging and writing different things.

The name of the album, Carpe Diem, which translates to Seize the Day in English, takes on new meaning amidst your 2019 heart attack and the ongoing COVID pandemic. Creatively speaking, how did these events impact the band and the subsequent making of this album?

BB: For instance, we wrote “Carpe Diem”. The music was there, but I didn’t really have any ideas for it. I came up with the idea of “Carpe Diem” and wrote that song quite late on actually. I was gonna call the album Pilgrimage, but I just thought Seize the Day had such a better, more positive meaning, especially coming off of COVID. It just seemed to work better for me and the song is full-on rock. It’s pretty cool. 

In the past two years, we’ve seen many albums from bands both big and small get lost in the so-called “COVID vortex”. Are you glad to have waited until now to roll out Carpe Diem?

BB: Well, yeah. The reason we didn’t roll it out early is because we couldn’t tour on it. We’re a bit old school with the touring. We like to have an album and then do a tour on it. I think we waited as long as we possibly could. We’re hoping we’re gonna tour for it next year. Fingers crossed. I think a lot of albums did get lost in that sort of vortex. Nobody was really buying anything. I think people lost a bit of interest because they had other things to worry about. It’d be nice to get back to a point where music is at the forefront again.

This is the fourth Saxon album with Andy Sneap producing. What’s it like collaborating with him and how has he impacted the band’s sound?

BB: On this album it was a bit different. The boys (Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt) went in and did the rhythm guitars with him. We were able to get in what they called a “bubble” in the UK. They created this bubble and worked for like a week or so on the rhythm guitars, but I did all vocals in my studio at home with my son at the production helm. It’s a bit of a mixture, this album. Me and Andy produced it together, but we were in touch over the phone, over the internet. He knew exactly what we were doing and was putting ideas in at times. He was touring with Judas Priest for quite some time, as we were, so we had quite a bit of a break from touring. He has a great feel for 80s British bands, both us and Priest, although he’s only done one album with Priest. He’s able to capture that guitar sound that we love. You can trust him to mix the album and it’ll sound great. 

That was the one thing that stood out to me while listening to this album. It sounds tremendous. The guitars are punchy and in your face, as they should be on a Saxon album. 

BB: Yeah, definitely. It’s a great mix. We love his mixes. He sends us mixes all the time to listen to, then he’ll go back and go forward, but most of the time it’s pretty bang on with the mixes. We don’t really change it much at all. I might say, “Could you put a bit more midrange in the guitar?” or something particular like that, but most of the time, we’re all on the same page. He does a great job.

Many of the songs on here boast that anthemic, crowd-ready Saxon spirit, especially the title track, “Remember the Fallen”, and “All for One”. When it comes to writing these types of songs, do you do so with a live audience in mind?

BB: No, not really. Not on this album *laughs*. We haven’t played in front of an audience in almost two years, so no, not really. For me, melody is important. Putting the right lyric to the right melody is quite hard to do. I think I got to spend more time on the melodies and lyrics on this album. I think in that respect they fit the songs better because I had more time to experiment, if you know what I mean. 

The longest track on the album, “The Pilgrimage”, follows in the tradition of progressive, melody centric classics like “Frozen Rainbow” and “The Eagle Has Landed”. Do you find it important to write these types of songs to contrast the more straightforward aspects of the album?

BB: I wanted the album to have some connection to the 80s. I think this album does walk in the footsteps of those early 80s albums. It’s a very aggressive album, but it has those songs on there that are a change of pace, or storychangers. I think that mixture of hard and heavy, and sort of more laidback and heavy, it works for Saxon. It’s a trademark of Saxon that one minute we’re playing 200 beats a minute, and the next minute we’re playing a heavy “Denim and Leather” type song. Listening to albums like that is quite entertaining because you don’t get this feeling that every song sounds the same. On some albums, every song sounds the same, and the guitars sound very similar to the one before. On this album, we wanted it to be entertaining for people to listen to.

It’s funny you mention the “200 beats a minute” songs. There’s also some high speed headbangers on here, such as “Super Nova” and “Living on the Edge”. Looking back, what are your thoughts on Saxon’s role in the development of thrash metal and subsequent extreme metal subgenres? 

BB: I don’t think at the time we were aware, but as it (thrash metal) developed, you could definitely say some of the fast Saxon songs, and some of the fast Motörhead songs, are heard in there. Metallica and other thrash bands have voiced us as an influence. But on the other hand, some of the bands that were more hair metal were influenced by Saxon as well, so you have two things going there. Mötley Crüe really liked the “Wheels of Steel”, “747 (Strangers in the Night)” style, and then you have bands like Metallica that were really into the thrash style. Saxon and Maiden in 1980 were influencing a lot of bands in America who were writing and starting and just trying to get their sounds together. And obviously Judas Priest as well. They influenced a lot of bands, but they were around a lot longer than we were. It’s the influence thing and I think Saxon did have a major part to play in the thrash metal movement, definitely.

As someone who, in those early days of the late 70s and early 80s, was just writing and recording music, is it a trip for you to see the range of bands and genres you’ve influenced?

BB: Yeah, I mean you only know you’ve influenced somebody if they tell you. You can hear a riff and think, “That sounds like so and so.” But I think sometimes that the influence is in the spirit of the music, not particularly a guitar riff or a vocal. Sometimes it’s all about the attitude the band has that can influence you. That’s why I like some punk rock from the early days, because the attitude was there. It was people not giving a shit. That sort of attitude: “Let’s just write this song.” “It’s too fast.” “I don’t care, write it.” I think sometimes that the actual band itself influences not just the music.

Next month will see Saxon doing a couple shows with Girlschool, Diamond Head, and the legendary Uriah Heep. Despite all your years in the music business, do you ever get starstruck performing alongside a band like Heep or touring with UFO like you did in 2017?

BB: *laughs* We love those bands. Obviously, we were influenced by UFO and Uriah Heep back in the day. I used to go see UFO all the time in the early days, and Uriah Heep. I saw Uriah Heep with Deep Purple back in the day. I don’t really get starstruck because I know all the guys that played with them now, but it’s always great to have a good package for the fans, to make the show as entertaining as possible. You’re right, we’ve all got some big songs, so it’s gonna be a goodnight. It’s gonna be a hard night following that bill. People are gonna be absolutely knackered by the time we get on. That’s what headlining is all about. You have to find that extra stamina. You have to find that extra excitement for the audience to bring it out.

It must also make the bands work that much harder, especially when you’ve got that much talent and legacy on one lineup. When those shows were announced, everyone’s reaction here in America was, “Why doesn’t that come here?”

BB: It might. I was talking to somebody a bit earlier in the month and they’re talking about a Saxon, Uriah Heep, Diamond Head package in America. Maybe in April or May if Mr. COVID allows it. 

We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed. We spoke a little bit about UFO. Correct me if I’m wrong, but was Saxon’s first time in America opening for UFO in ‘81?

BB: I don’t think so. I think our first tour of America was with Rush. We did 20 or so shows with them. They were on Moving Pictures, I assume. It must’ve been 1980. We were on Wheels of Steel. We did quite a long tour with Rush. It was great. We were big Rush fans. I don’t think it was the right audience for Saxon, but it was a great gig and a great time.

What was the band’s initial reaction and takeaways from your first time in America?

BB: Our first gigs in America were huge *laughs*. It would be 25,000 people, so a small venue was like 10,000! It was a bit of a shock. We were quite big in Europe. We were playing large shows, but nothing that big, not 25,000. We’d be on at like 8 oclock while people were coming in. You know the story of the opening acts, but we did good. The album (Wheels of Steel) sold very well. I just remember watching Rush every night. It was great. 

Wheels of Steel getting that push would give way to Strong Arm of the Law and an album that turns 40 this year, Denim and Leather. What are your thoughts on that album today and would the band ever consider performing it in its entirety?

BB: We did perform Denim and Leather once in Japan. The problem is, with doing that full album, you have to do more songs because there’s only 40 minutes *laughs* the old vinyl. It’s a bit of a short set, but we do do it from time to time. It’s my favorite album of the big three: Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather. Every song on that album is fantastic. 

That album really captures the era and what was happening in metal. Besides the title track, which is a tribute to the fans, you’ve got “And the Bands Played On” about the Monsters of Rock Festival and “Midnight Rider” about the band’s first US tour. Did you find it important to write about what was going on at the time?

BB: It’s always important to write about what’s going on at the time. I do write songs about what’s going on. “Remember the Fallen” is about COVID. It’s still with us, so it’s quite on the point. I like that we included the audience on that album with things like “Denim and Leather”. For me, it’s important to connect with our fans. Generally, rock fans spend a lot of time and money. They give you a lot of love and encouragement over the years, whether they’re old fans or new fans. I think including the fans in those lyrics was important.

What’s amazing about not only this record, but Saxon’s live shows, is that your vocals carry the same fire and power as they did back then. What is your advice to aspiring metal singers?

BB: You have to have confidence that your voice sounds good. I never had any confidence that my voice sounded good for years and years and years. I still don’t consider myself a great singer, but after you work the vocal muscles, and learn how to sing from the diaphragm using your breath, and are able to sing from the throat, you get it. You have to be able to go from Bruce Dickinson to Bon Scott or Brian Johnson in a second. That’s the secret of having the range. I just think that’s important for a singer: to learn the different techniques of singing. It’s very difficult. It’s like in martial arts when you want to discipline your body to do what you want it to do. You have to do that with the voice, which lots and lots and lots of singers do. It’s an often guarded secret. So yeah, the breathing on the diaphragm voice, and then bringing that up in your throat to sing a more tighter sound. That’s enabled me to stay on top of my range.

Carpe Diem comes out Friday, February 4 on Silver Lining Music. For more information on Biff Byford and Saxon, visit www.saxon747.com.