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In a new interview with United Rock Nations, SAXON frontman Biff Byford was asked if he thought about ending the band when founding guitarist Paul Quinn announced that he was retiring from touring with the group in March of this year.

Biff responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “No. Because Paul had been on about leaving the band before.

It didn’t come as a surprise to us. He was finding it hard to play the… I mean, SAXON, although we’re an older band, it’s quite a physical gig.

We don’t just stand there and croon. We move around a lot and get a bit of headbanging going, a lot of sweating, a lot of audience participation. I think he was getting a bit tired of all that. He wanted to relax.

So he’d been saying he wanted to sort of not do heavy metal anymore for about four years. So we weren’t surprised that he did it.

The timing was a bit of a surprise, but it wasn’t a surprise. We’d talked about it before. And we said to him, ‘Look, if you wanna stop, then stop. That’s your decision. It’s up to you. You’re still in the band. You can still come write songs with us.

‘ He might get up on a few shows on the JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, [URIAH] HEEP tour [in early 2024]. We were talking to him yesterday. He was quite up for it. Depends if he’s busy or not.”

DIAMOND HEAD’s Brian Tatler made his live debut as SAXON’s new touring guitarist in July at the Rockwave festival in Athens, Greece.

Brian has joined fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, bassist Nibs Carter, drummer Nigel Glockler and Byford for shows throughout 2023 and 2024 but will continue to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.

In March, Quinn thanked fans for their “outpouring of love and respect” after his announcement that he was “stepping back from touring”.

As a result of Quinn’s decision, SAXON canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise.

This past May, Tatler spoke to Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk about the announcement that he was joining SAXON as the replacement for Quinn.

“Paul Quinn has stepped down from touring because — I think partly it’s his age,” Brian said. “I mean, he’s been doing it for so long — 45, 47 years or something.

And all respect due; I mean, he’s a fantastic player. So I was happy to accept the offer. And I’m looking forward to it. I’m at home busy learning the set.”

In addition to a number of festival appearances and headlining shows, SAXON has revealed that it will support JUDAS PRIEST on a European tour in early 2024.

“We’re playing really big venues,” Brian said. “And it’s JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON and URIAH HEEP. And I’m amazed to be… I’ve never been on a tour with JUDAS PRIEST before.

The closest DIAMOND HEAD’s come in the past is we’ve been on the same festival bill. I’m a big PRIEST fan and have been since maybe 1975.

So to be on tour with them where we can watch them every night and get to know ’em a little bit and chat will be fantastic. I’m stoked about that.”

Quinn alluded to his decision to leave SAXON on March 9 in a since-deleted Facebook post. He wrote: “You need to know I will miss you & my SAXON co-workers for the great times on and off stage, so with regret I will leave while I can still hold my head high and not worry about my fingers or brain forgetting riffs, keys or stumbling over licks, as they do occasionally.

I am not taking this lightly, and I want to do SAXON proud, whilst continuing to love and play music with THE CARDS and other projects.”

SAXON’s 24th studio album, “Hell, Fire And Damnation”, will be released on January 19, 2024 via Silver Lining Music.

Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) and Byford, with Sneap mixing and mastering, “Hell, Fire And Damnation” strides the perfect line between confident, current power, and