page_title: Saxon (band)
section_title: Battering Ram, Thunderbolt and next album (2015-present)
hierarchical_section_title: Saxon (band) / History / Battering Ram, Thunderbolt and next album (2015-present)
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch&#x3a;&#32; Saxon - Wacken Open Air 2016English&#x3a;&#32; Saxon - Wacken Open Air 2016
context_page_description: Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in 1977, in Barnsley. As leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal, they had eight UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including four UK Top 10 albums and two Top 5 albums. They had numerous singles in the UK Singles Chart and chart success all over Europe and Japan, as well as success in the United States.
  During the 1980s, Saxon established themselves among Europe's most successful metal acts. The band tour regularly and have sold more than 13 million albums worldwide. They have also been cited as a major influence or inspiration by notable bands, including Mötley Crüe, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Testament, Dokken, Skid Row, Dream Theater, Exodus, Overkill, King Diamond and Celtic Frost.
context_section_description: During an interview in November 2014, Biff Byford revealed that: "We're making the new album in January, February and March". In a March 2015 interview, Byford described the album as a mixture of Rock and roll and Heavy metal. When asked about a possible release date, Byford said: "We're looking at maybe at a summer release. It just depends on whether it's ready or not. We're looking at finishing the album by the end of April. We're keeping our fingers crossed."
  On 1 August 2015, the band announced 16 October as the release date of Battering Ram and also premiered the official video of the title track.
  On 14 September 2016, Biff Byford announced on Facebook that Saxon were working on a new album with producer Andy Sneap, for an early 2017 release. In October 2016, the band announced a tour in the U.S. for the early spring of 2017 with UFO. In a 16 March 2017 interview with former Anthrax vocalist Neil Turbin on Canada's The Metal Voice in Los Angeles, California, Biff Byford gave an update on the new album saying that several songs were already recorded with a few more to complete, with an estimated release date for early 2018.
  On 15 June 2017, Byford revealed that the title of their new studio album was Thunderbolt. Saxon and UFO teamed up again for another round of shows in North America for the fall. On 7 November 2017, the band announced that the album would be officially released on 2 February 2018. To support the album, they briefly toured Europe and the UK with Diamond Head, Rock Goddess and Magnum from late February to early March 2018, and was the support act along with Black Star Riders for Judas Priest's Firepower World Tour from mid March to early May 2018.
  In an October 2018 interview with Sonic Perspectives, Byford confirmed that Saxon will "definitely" record a new album sometime in 2019. He was quoted as saying, "We don't have to have too much commitment to timings. We're an established band — we can pretty much do what we want. If we feel like writing, then we write. If we don't feel like writing, then we don't write. Simple as that." Byford later said that their new album is expected to be released in early 2021.
caption: Saxon at press conference Wacken Open Air 2016
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