Saxon: Carpe Diem DLX | LTD | DIGI version on vinyl LP/CD/Box Set in deluxe limited digipack edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Silver Lining Music in cooperation with An Approved Recordings on 26. July 2023.

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Saxons make the most of their time

"Carpe diem" is actually a phrase from Horace's ode "An Leukonoë", but today it is a well-known saying and a popular motif for wall tattoos. British heavy metal icons Saxon have taken the words as a model and used them for the title of their new 23rd studio album, which follows 2018's "Thunderbolt" and a cover version of "Inspirations", released in 2021.

"Everyone knows the Latin 'Carpe Diem' and 'Seize the day' is something you really should say and do more often [...] The Roman poet Horace wrote this line in one of his poems in 23 BC. In 1893, the phrase 'Seize the day' also appears in it. Don't put off anything until tomorrow! And as soon as we can again, we'll take the album on the 'Seize The Day World Tour'. There's a lot of power in the phrase 'Carpe Diem'," says frontman and co-founder Biff Byford.

And that power can be felt in the title track. The song shows Saxon in its purest form - determined and resolute. The metal flag is raised aggressively and fervently, showing fans old and new that sticking together is the order of the day and that Saxon and the genre itself should be celebrated.

Byford goes on to say of the album, "It all starts with the riff. If the riff appeals to me, we're on the right track. It's a very intense album and it boils down to the fact that a great metal song starts with a very good riff and there are a lot of them on this album."

Ten to be exact. And they were recorded by Byford (vocals), Paul Quinn (guitar), Nigel Glockler (drums), Doug Scarratt (guitar) and Binny Carter (bass) along with producer Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Exodus, Accept). Byford and Sneap were jointly responsible for mixing and mastering.

Byford says of working on the record, "The fiery intensity of 'Carpe Diem' is largely due to two extreme life situations: it's been two tough years. I had a heart attack in September 2019, which meant the band didn't do well, and three months later Covid hit. Luckily, we had already started writing and recording a new album. We recorded the drums in Germany and the guitar parts in different places. I wrote a lot while I was in the hospital, and then we organized and threw together all the ideas we had. I think those circumstances made for a very intense album, and maybe the intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything during the lockout."

"Carpe Diem" will be released as a standard CD and LP, as a limited indie exclusive with blue vinyl, and as a box set with the CD in a digipak, the LP (black vinyl) in a gatefold sleeve, a flag with the Saxon logo and a patch. All four versions can be pre-ordered now.

The box set includes

• New album on CD in digipak
• New album on LP (black vinyl) in gatefold sleeve
• Flag with Saxon logo
• Saxon patch

Album spans genres Rock and Heavy Metal. Digipack Deluxe Limited Edition.