New Wave of British Heavy metal legend Biff Byford spits out a tremendous debut solo album. Time out from the Saxon “day job” more than well spent.
Biff’s well known of course for being the Saxon vocalist for about three hundred years. But here on School of Hard Knocks he has produced a superb effort which is a mixture of the personal, the autobiographical and the monster hard rocking.
Whilst I’ve never taken to Saxon, I bought the album mainly out of curiosity and also because I grew up a stone’s throw from Biff in South Yorkshire so know a bit about the “school of hard knocks” myself.
The Joe Scarborough style cover artwork gives a hint at what’s to come (for the uninitiated, Joe Scarborough is a Sheffield artist) inside for the autobiographical elements. And it does not disappoint.
Welcome to the Show starts us off apace with a huge riff and Biff on top lung busting form. “Come on in”, he seems to be saying, and “enjoy yourselves”. The title track is Biff singing about his life basically – from that aforementioned school of hard knocks and making it out. It’s got a Wheels of Steel feel about it and a knockout solo from Phil Campbell.
Give it a watch/listen.
Inquisitor is a short spoken piece a-la Edgar Allen Poe before the monster, monster The Pit and the Pendulum. Seven minutes or so of high class progressive metal which Queensryche would have been proud of in their prime. And check out the phenomenal guitar from Opeth’s Fredrik Akesson. Your jaw will drop in awe.
Worlds Collide and is super-heavy and a sci-fi based theme around alien invasion. Then there’s a cover of Scarborough Fair. It doesn’t work for me but perhaps Scarborough means something to Biff. Maybe he went there on childhood holidays as did I.
Pedal to the Metal and Heart of Steel hit hard too featuring a more melodic tinge. Then it’s a cover of the Wishbone Ash classic Thrown Down the Sword with yet more haw-dropping soloing from Akesson.
Me and You is an acoustic-based ode to his wife before Black and White closes it out. The lyrics here hint at Biff’s attitude to life perhaps:” people say it’s the end but I don’t give a damn”.
Scarborough Fair apart – top marks all round. A full-on heartfelt effort from Biff. Still at the top of his game after all those years. Bag yourself School of Hard Knocks and enjoy whether you’re a Saxon fan or not. A proper album from a proper “legend” from the NWOBHM days.
>> SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS BY BIFF ON AMAZON HERE <<
Expecting some obscure New Wave of British Heavy Metal stuff to arrive soon from the likes of Flight 19, Iona and Sacred Alien. Anyone remember them? Reviews will be up in due course.
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