Top of the heap-Saxon

Andy Says-

Released only a few months after the classic "Wheels of Steel" the band's third studio album is my personal favorite by these NWOBHM legends. Seeing as we have covered this classic British act more than a few times already (be sure to check out our NWOBHM WEDNESDAY feature on the band) I won't spend too much time of the band's history. Needless to say along with Iron Maiden these guys are NWOBHM and the reason the movement had a lasting impact on future bands. Now, as is "Strong Arm Of The Law" sits right next to "Wheels of Steel" as a classic album and you can't go wrong with either release. Frankly the band's first four albums are all killer and the reason I got into the genre to begin with. The same friend that turned me onto Picture was kind enough to make me mix tape after mix tape of their songs and as I grew in knowledge of the band I grew in respect for just how amazing and timeless their music remains. With that out of the way let us take a look at album number three. It is a release many claim to be their personal favorite by Saxon and judging by the track list one can easily see why. I love the title track and along with "Heavy Metal Thunder" it is my personal favorite cut."Dallas 1 PM" was written about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and showed that the band was capable of composing material that was both heart felt and hard rocking. "20,000 Ft." is another number that is considered a classic and as a whole this album is just top-notch. How can you go wrong with an album that covers everything from rocking out to the assassination of President Kennedy?




Metal Mark says-

This is a tough choice. There were three real contenders for this honor. Those being Wheels of steel, Strong arm of the law and Denim and leather. They all have a fairly similar in style. Each one has some rockers, some slower one and some faster songs. Ultimately there's always been something about this album that is just a little better than the other two. There is plenty to offer here from the powerful "Princess of the night" to the driving "And the bands played on" to the fist pumping title track. I think the first Saxon album I heard was Crusader when it came out and I wasn't crazy about it even though I had heard so much about Saxon. Yet eventually I figured it was their earlier albums that got so much praise so around 1986 I went back to discover their earlier albums because what they were doing in the mid1980's was certainly not impressive. I heard Wheels of steel and Strong arm of the law and I found out what all the fuss was about. For whatever reason none of the stores I went to had Denim and Leather so I didn't hear it them. It probably wasn't until about 1989 that I found a used copy of it on cassette at a time when I was well into thrash and stuff like NWOBHM  was a distant memory in my metal education. However the cassette was like fifty cents and was using my walkmen a lot back then so I picked it up. I ended up wearing it out got a new copy maybe a year later. It became my favorite album then and has been so from that point on.

***What is your favorite Saxon album?