SAXON — Strong Arm of the Law (review)

SAXON — Strong Arm of the Law album cover Album · 1980 · NWoBHM Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Unitron
Like Blue Cheer in '68 and Black Sabbath in '70 before them, Saxon joins the chosen few bands who've not only released two great albums in the same year, but have the second one even better than the first. Strong Arm of the Law indeed takes the Saxon sound that was formed on Wheels of Steel, and kicks everything up to eleven more than it already was.

Heavy Metal Thunder couldn't be a more fitting opener, because that's just what this album is. Instead of striking with lightning, Saxon strikes with hooks and there's so much damn energy in their performance that you want to scream along to every song even before you know the lyrics.

It follows the same formula set with the previous album, just with even stronger songs. Both the swaggering title track and Hungry Years swagger even better than the last album's title track, and 20,000 Ft. is even more frantic than anything before. Taking Your Chances may be my all time favorite Saxon song, it's got such an infectious hook coupled with being one of the most classic sounding of classic heavy metal songs. It just gets me so pumped, feeling ready to take on the world, which is what I love classic metal for.

If someone were to ask me to define 80's heavy metal, this would be a close second choice after a Judas Priest album. All the attitude, energy, and personality of classic metal is here in a thirty-six minute ride.
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