Saxon Best of

Had the Angles and Saxons not purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language, Angelina Jolie may never have appeared in the movie Beowulf. Professor Michael D.C. Drout is at his best when lecturing on the fascinating history, language, and societal adaptations of the Anglo-Saxons. He not only presents their storytelling abilities using their own words; he does so in their own voice - the incredibly melodious Old English.

"Having failed to conquer America yet again while splitting fan opinions via 1985's Innocence Is No Excuse – their strongest and most accessible album in years – Saxon obviously decided to appeal to Average Metal Joe's rank, stone-deaf stupidity with the following year's Rock the Nations. Though graced with a somewhat rougher sound more in line with the band's New Wave of British Heavy Metal early years, Rock the Nations was arguably less heavy than its predecessor, and easily ranks with Saxon's most unimaginative efforts, pitting cliché-ridden anthems like "We Came Here to Rock," "Running Hot," and the title track against unconvincingly sappy ballads like "Waiting for the Night" and "Northern Lady."….(All Music Guide Review)