Well this is long overdue in my opinion, I've been waiting to hear 'Saxon's' more recent live material for some time and finally they've got around to releasing a double live album. For the most part the first disc features lesser known tracks from 'Saxon's' earlier career, while the second is mostly made up of songs from their past four albums. On paper it sounds superb but in practice 'The Eagle has Landed Pt. III' is a little disappointing, the songs are taken from a number of shows, which has lead the production team to tweak the recordings to maintain continuity, regrettable this has left a fairly flat sound throughout which isn't up to the standard of current live releases. Personally I feel the song selection of the first disc is fairly mediocre, I'm sure they have pleased a lot of fans, but when better cuts like 'Witchfinder General', 'Killing Ground', 'Dogs of War', 'The Thin Red Line' and 'Terminal Velocity' are absent, it does make the first disc look light-weight and did they really need to include 'Wheels of Steel', 'And the band Played On', 'Crusader' and 'Never Surrender' ?.

Immediately after the first few bars of 'This Town Rocks' I knew this album was going to be a let down, the opener sounds especially flat, while the drums are tinny and ultimately comes across like a semi-decent bootleg. The second track 'Backs to the Wall' favours no better, the drums sound even worse and personally I've never been a fan of this song. The majority of other cuts are made up of earlier less played material and while it's nice to hear some of these, it's not the best reflection of the band. My personal highlights of the first disc would have to be the vibrant run-throughs of 'Redline' and 'Stand Up and be Counted', a heavy almost 'Motörhead' style approach to the uncompromising 'Warrior' and 'Play it Loud' which includes a fine guitar solo. The early semi epic 'Frozen Rain' is a nice addition although perhaps sounds a tad dated, while 'See the Lights Shinning' is a brisker possibly better rendition that the original. Personally I could have done without 'Wheels of Steel', 'And the Bands Played On' and 'Crusader', the latter is not a particularly good version, 'Biff' seems to struggle here.

The second disc is the one I was really looking forward too and even overlooking the flat production the quality still manages to shines though. The first two tracks from 'Lionheart' open here and as with the studio counterparts fail to disappoint, while an energetic run-through of 'Man & Machine' certainly hits the spot. I personally thought 'Beyond the Grave' was the weakest track from 'Lionheart' and while this is a good rendition, still fails to impress me as many do from that excellent album. The semi epic 'Searching for Atlantis' ensues and although a little more laidback than the studio version, still splendidly executed. Even better is the cracking 'Unleash the Beast' which is surrounded by a double punch of 'To Live by the Sword', the latter is brisk heavy and thoroughly enjoyable, while the former must surely be elevated as a modern classic. More tracks from 'Lionheart' follow, the first is a fairly ordinary working of 'Flying on the Edge' which is spoilt by the muffled production, while the two parter 'Jack Tars' and 'English Man 'O' War' fail to disappoint. Surprisingly, but a nice addition is the cover of 'King Crimson's' 'Court of the Crimson King', always a favourite of mine and 'Biff' turns in a strong performance and is well supported throughout. Next up is 'Broken Heroes'? what's this older track doing on the second disc? despite being a solid working of a good song, it sticks out like a soar thumb. The tempo is lifted for the excellent 'Dragon's Lair', while the fist raising 'Rock is Our Life' feature some overdue audience participation. A personal favourite of mine, the pulsating 'Travellers in Time' makes a welcome addition, while the album closes fittingly with 'Solid Ball of Rock'.

This has the potential to be a great live album, but unfortunately it falls short of the mark, mainly due to the disappointing production and to a lesser degree the track selection of disc I. A better investment would be the live DVD titled 'Live Chronicles' (that includes a ultra heavy working of 'Dogs of War' that is just superb).