Lionheart (Saxon album)

Lionheart is the sixteenth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 2004. It is the only studio album featuring drummer Jörg Michael. The title is inspired from Richard the Lionheart, a 12th-century King of England. "Beyond the Grave" was released as a single and a video. The album was re-released on 17 February 2006 in digipak format (limited to 10,000 copies) with a bonus DVD-Audio featuring previously unreleased material, videos, rough mixes and a new 5.1 / 96 K mix of the whole album, as well as a Saxon keyholder and a patch.[2]

Lionheart
Cover art by Paul R. Gregory
Studio album by Saxon
Released	September 2004
Recorded	2004
Studio	Gems 24 Studio, Boston, Lincolnshire, UK
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	45:03
Label	SPV/Steamhammer
Producer	Charlie Bauerfeind
Saxon chronology
Heavy Metal Thunder (2002) Lionheart (2004) The Eagle Has Landed – part 3 (2006)
Alternative cover
CD + DVD edition cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Saxon.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Witchfinder General"	4:49
2.	"Man and Machine"	3:28
3.	"The Return"	1:18
4.	"Lionheart"	6:04
5.	"Beyond the Grave"	4:55
6.	"Justice"	4:26
7.	"To Live by the Sword"	4:10
8.	"Jack Tars"	0:57
9.	"English Man O' War"	4:08
10.	"Searching for Atlantis"	5:54
11.	"Flying on the Edge"	4:54

Personnel

• Biff Byford - vocals
• Paul Quinn - guitar
• Doug Scarratt - guitar
• Nibbs Carter - bass guitar, keyboards
• Jörg Michael - drums
• Chris Stubley – keyboards on "Lionheart"

Production

• Charlie Bauerfeind – producer and engineer
• Biff Byford – executive producer
• Paul R. Gregory – cover design
• Sandra Hiltmann, SPV graphics – booklet design
• Gems 24, Boston, Lincolnshire – recording location

Lyrical concept

1. "Witchfinder General" is about persecuting witches during the Interregnum era. The song also mentions methods of interrogation and execution favoured by 'Witchfinder General' Matthew Hopkins.
2. "Lionheart" is about Richard the Lionheart, King of England from 1189 to 1199.
3. "Beyond the Grave" is about death and afterlife.
4. "To Live by the Sword" is about the way of life of samurai.

Charts

Album

Year	Country	Position
2004	Germany[3]	44
	Sweden[4]	57
	Switzerland[5]	62
	France[6]	103
	Greece[7]	44

References

1. Prato, Greg. "Saxon Lionheart". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
2. "Saxon - Lionheart". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
3. "Lionheart Höchstposition" (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
4. "Saxon Lionheart". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
5. "Saxon Lionheart". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
6. "Saxon Lionheart". Lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
7. "Saxon Lionheart". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.