Unitron As soon as that riff that opens Princess of the Night and the album starts, it just screams classic. Again, Saxon continues the same route of melodic and infectious classic metal of the previous two albums, and it works just as well.

Strong Arm of the Law is the best of what's often considered their best trilogy of albums, and I'd place Denim and Leather in between Strong Arm and Wheels of Steel. The songs aren't quite as strong as the likes of Taking Your Chances, few are, but a bit stronger than most of Wheels of Steel. The aforementioned Princess of the Night is rightfully so the band's biggest hit, it is the definitive example of a Saxon song. The title track and Rough and Ready are a couple other favorites of mine.

Denim and Leather is maybe Saxon's most consistent album, most of the songs are equally great and catchy, so it's harder to describe the album than its predecessor's. An excellent album, but the next album would show how just a few little additions in sound would refresh the band before they could go on auto-pilot.

Warthur Denim and Leather finds the creative well that yielded Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law beginning to run dry. Whilst it's still an entertaining enough NWOBHM exercise, it feels like something's missing this time around; the band seem to lack a certain punch and aggression, and without that these NWOBHM-by-numbers pieces can tend to feel a bit generic. There's a few too many moments where the band clearly expect us to start chanting along with our lighters in the air but the watered-down sound makes me feel more like at best nodding along or clapping politely. It's OK, but they'd done better.

RuneWalsh2112 It was quite a surprise for me to realize that I actually don't like this album as much as it's two predecessors. This is especially surprising considering that "Princess Of The Night" and "Denim And Leather" are two of my top 3 Saxon compositions. So how can this be?

First thing is first, the album couldn't have chosen a better album opener with "Princess Of The Night" being not only an amazing live track but a studio one as well! "Never Surrender" and "Out Of Control" are fun but ultimately pretty harmless tracks that have just enough staying power to hold their own ground. The first noticeable problem comes with the first tones of "Rough And Ready" and especially "Play It Loud". These tracks are just not metal enough for my taste and sound more like over-amplified hard rock tunes. Fortunately the gorgeous intro of "And The Bands Played On" kicks in just in time to keep this album afloat for a little while longer. Easily one of the best Saxon tracks that I wouldn't mind being expanded by 1-2 more minutes!

"Midnight Rider" and "Fire In The Sky" are pretty solid tracks which unfortunately get buried within this albums wide variety of compositions. Both tracks come close to recreating the magic of the two previous releases but somehow feel a bit dated (...or more like "been there, done that") by this point in time.

Since there is no real point for me to introduce this album's wonderful title track, so let me end this review by stating that "Denim And Leather" is another great Saxon classic. The album might not be as strong as its two predecessors but there is enough staying power in these compositions, especially once we start comparing them to the band's later releases. Definitely give it a go once you've experienced "Wheels Of Steel" and "Strong Arm Of The Law"!

***** star songs: Princess Of The Night (4:02) And The Bands Played On (2:48) Denim And Leather (5:27)

**** star songs: Never Surrender (3:13) Out Of Control (4:08) Midnight Rider (5:45) Fire In The Sky (3:37)

*** star songs: Rough And Ready (4:51) Play It Loud (4:11)