NWOBHM veterans Saxon have announced Gods Of Thunder, their 25th studio album, due for release on 22 January via Silver Lining Music. The record follows 2024's Hell, Fire and Damnation, and its title track has been released as a single, described by frontman Biff Byford as "a mighty tale of Celtic mythology, packed with the spirit and power of true heavy metal." The announcement matters as a milestone for one of the genre's longest-running bands, arriving alongside confirmation of a UK and Ireland tour.

The album was produced by Byford and mixed by longtime collaborator Andy Sneap, who has worked on every Saxon record since 2013's Sacrifice, and marks the second Saxon album to feature Diamond Head guitarist Brian Tatler, who joined as a touring guitarist in 2023. It is available to pre-order now in various physical editions. Saxon will tour the UK and Ireland across February, playing eleven dates including Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and London, with further international shows to be announced.