This article is just a bit of fun for me. With the recent release of Hell, Fire and Damnation, I've been binging on Saxon's massive catalogue yet again. Here's my list of favourite track from every studio album, excluding the 2021/23 covers albums Inspirations and More Inspirations as well as the 2002 album of re-recorded oldies, Heavy Metal Thunder.
SAXON (1979) - 'Militia Guard'
The first album isn't one of their strongest - the band were still kinda finding their way musically in 1979, but pretty much every song here is still good in it's own right. 'Militia Guard' however, is genuinely great. I love it's militaristic drumming from Pete Gill, and it's almost proggy musicianship and structure. I really enjoy the outro too - some fantastic guitar leads from Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver. It's about as close to an epic as you can get from early-period Saxon.
WHEELS OF STEEL (1980) - 'Freeway Mad'
Their first hit album and the record that really cemented them as a premier British heavy metal act. So many great tracks here, you could ask me tomorrow and my favourite could be a different answer. Right now however, it's the fast-paced 'Freeway Mad' in all it's New Wave of British Heavy Metal glory. It's a short and sweet, ridiculously fun cut with an extremely catchy riff, great soloing and simple, to-the-point lyrics from Biff all about speeding on the motorway. The police sirens are a nice touch, as is the frantic drum intro.
STRONG ARM OF THE LAW (1980) - 'Strong Arm of the Law'
I like this album just a tad more than it's predecessor, but my favourite song from it has always been the same - the powerful title track. The swingy, heavy main riff is catchy and the plodding basslines behind it from Steve Dawson are infectious. In fact, that guitar riff is one of my all-time favourites from any band ever, and I also love Biff's storytelling here. He sings about the time the band got pulled over by the police - so simple, but it works so well. Absolute classic.
DENIM AND LEATHER (1981) - 'Princess of the Night'
This one was difficult. These songs are very similar musically to the one's you found on the last 2 records, but they're somewhat more polished this time around. Gonna have to go with 'Princess of the Night'... for now. Again, brilliant lyrics from Biff, this time about the steam engines he used to see as a kid. And as for the riffs - so heavy, yet so catchy. I almost picked 'And the Bands Played On', 'Midnight Rider' and/or 'Never Surrender', that's how good this record is.
POWER & THE GLORY (1983) - 'Power and the Glory'
A lot of great tunes on this one too; I almost picked 'Warrior' (such a cool track), but ultimately went with the opening title track. The playing in general on this song (and most of this album) has improved further. If I'm not mistaken, lyrically this song was inspired by the Falklands War. Oh, and that brilliant riff - sound familiar? Yeah, Iron Maiden totally ripped off Saxon a year later with '2 Minutes to Midnight'!! Not having a go at Maiden - '2 Minutes to Midnight' also rules, but I'm giving Saxon the credit they deserve here.
CRUSADER (1984) - 'Crusader'
An album you either love or hate... or in my case, sort of like depending on which day you ask. The title track is a drop-dead classic though, no matter what your thoughts are on this record. It's a melodic, powerful and atmospheric epic that ranks among the greatest songs the band ever recorded. I used to hate the cheesy "Who dares battle Saracen!" part, but I've grown to love it over the years. Shame about the glossy production.
INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE (1985) - 'Broken Heroes'
This dark, brooding ballad is simply excellent on all levels. Almost haunting, even. The ringing guitars really stick with you, as does the powerful "Where are they now?" chorus, and the lyrics that pay tribute to the war-wounded. It's a far cry from the raw, stripped-back heavy metal of albums such as Wheels of Steel or Strong Arm of the Law, but this is an expertly-crafted rock ballad that definitely appeals to a wider audience in the best way possible.
ROCK THE NATIONS (1986) - 'Battle Cry'
Generally speaking, this is one of Saxon's weakest records. But it does at least have 'Battle Cry' on it - a galloping, almost Euro power metal-esque stomper with some absolutely superb Nigel Glockler drumming throughout. This one immediately grabs you and has everything you'd want from a Saxon number. Heavy riffs, a catchy chorus, melodic solos... oh, and those goddamn awesome drums of course. Why couldn't the whole album sound like 'Battle Cry'?!
DESTINY (1988) - 'Ride Like the Wind'
I hate Destiny. Saxon goes full plastic pop metal! And yet somehow a great track did make it out of this travesty - and it's not even one of their own!! Yep, the band make this cover of the Chistopher Cross classic truly their own. Put simply, it just works as a pop rock single, and is pretty much the only good thing to come out of the horrible, manufactured production and glossy coating of this train wreck of an album... of course, Destiny does have it's fans - I'm not one of them!
SOLID BALL OF ROCK (1991) - 'Baptism of Fire'
A sometimes inconsistent and uneven album with highs and lows, but 'Baptism of Fire' re-captures the early 80's glory days of Saxon with it's speed metal riffage and at-times soaring vocal parts and a particularly shreddy solo. Great tune, not much else to say about it really.
FOREVER FREE (1992) - 'Iron Wheels'
Nothing on this record is truly spectacular or among their best, but it is still solid and sometimes very strong from start to finish. I particularly like this acoustic-tinged ballad. It has a bluesy, kinda bluegrass feel to it, but it's Biff's lyrics that I'm very fond of. Saxon are a blue-collar, English metal band in every sense of the word, and he let's you know that with this working man's tribute to the coal miners. Again, not top-tier Saxon, but a very, very good song from an underrated album.
DOGS OF WAR (1995) - 'Burning Wheels'
Not much to say here. About as old-school as the somewhat underwhelming Dogs of War gets. It's up-tempo, the riffs are there, the vocal arrangements are memorable and while it's far from S-tier Saxon, it'll have you nodding your head in seconds.
UNLEASH THE BEAST (1997) - 'Ministry of Fools'
This was the true comeback album for me. The band hadn't been legitimately awesome since Power & the Glory, but from Unleash the Beast onward, they really got their mojo back and sit back at the top of the heavy metal heap. Needless to say picking song a favourite from this excellent record wasn't easy since they're all great. I'm going with 'Ministry of Fools', probably the most straightforward track on the album but easily the catchiest. I love the punky nature of Biff's anti-government lyrics and also the surprisingly melodic guitar riffs. There's no correct answer when it comes to picking a favourite here though - it's all kick-ass.
METALHEAD (1999) - 'Conquistador'
Maybe the darkest, heaviest album in the discography, and in my opinion one of their best. Yet again, it was difficult to settle on a single track here, but I went with 'Conquistador' in the end. It starts off with some tasty clean, flamenco-style Spanish guitars before erupting into a tight, blistering speed metal classic with a dramatic chorus and fabulous riffing from Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt. The solo is nice and melodic, and everything about this song is A+ Saxon. As is the whole record, to be honest.
KILLING GROUND (2001) - 'Dragons Lair'
A relatively diverse album with no bad cuts, but the top choice for Killing Ground wasn't difficult for me. 'Dragons Lair' screams 'power metal' in the best way possible, with it's fast chuggy riffs and Biff's decision to sing in a higher octave than usual. This song blows away all the nu metal shite that was popular in '01.
LIONHEART (2004) - 'Witchfinder General'
Another drop-dead classic album right here, boys. But Lionheart's top standout for me is it's incredible opening track, 'Witchfinder General'. This is as good as traditional heavy metal gets - the riffs are fast, heavy, catchy and memorable, the solos are ripping, Biff's vocals are about as angry as he can be and the double-kick drumming is stellar. Depending on how you like your brand of Saxon metal, this might be the best track on this list. That's quite an achievement considering just how many good songs they've written and recorded since their inception.
THE INNER SANCTUM (2007) - 'Atila the Hun'
This album holds a special place in my heart because it was around '06/'07 I first started listening to Saxon, and The Inner Sanctum was the first record I got hold of as a new release. Prior to hearing this, I was only familiar with Saxon's catalogue from the debut up to Destiny. I'd say it was this album that made me the fanboy I am today, because it made me go out and collect near-enough everything this band has ever released (save for some of the live albums). Anyhow, favourite song from it is the epic finale 'Atila the Hun'. Biff's history lessons continue here in prime form - the songwriting is progressive, the riffs are heavy, and the atmosphere dark and brooding. 'Crusader' was the first historical epic they ever penned, and they just keep getting better, as 'Atila the Hun' proves.
INTO THE LABYRINTH (2009) - 'Demon Sweeney Todd'
In my review of Into the Labyrinth, I described 'Demon Sweeney Todd' as "about as thrashy as Saxon gets". Not entirely sure I agree with that statement - I think I might have forgotten 'Witchfinder General' existed. Still, much of 'Demon Sweeney Todd' is kinda thrashy-sounding, and the song as a whole is a total 'banger from this record. I was torn between this one and the bluesy 'Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)'.
CALL TO ARMS (2011) - 'When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory)'
This one's a little different to your typical Saxon affair, with it's main guitar-keyboard driven riff that totally resembles Deep Purple's 'Perfect Strangers'. As it happens, the keyboard maestro himself Don Airey guests on this excellent prog rock/metal fusion which explains it's Deep Purple comparison. Call to Arms is a mostly old-school style Saxon album that's great from start to finish (as always), but this track really stands out for me as one of the most interesting they've ever done. Different, yes, but Deep Purple rules. And so do Saxon.
SACRIFICE (2013) - 'Sacrifice'
Goddamn this opening title track hits me hard. The riffs are so heavy, the lyrics and vocal arrangements so simple yet so effective... it's how to kick off one of Saxon's heaviest records in the most effective way possible. Some people like to slag off Andy Sneap's production style in metal these days (Sacrifice was his first time working with Saxon), but he really does this band justice with his massive, beefy guitar sounds and crisp drums. Just imagine if they'd released this thing in the '80s, and the impact it would've had.
BATTERING RAM (2015) - 'The Devil's Footprint'
My initial reaction was to stick the title track under this one - for many years it was my favourite from this brilliant album. But honestly, I've gotta go with 'The Devil's Footprint' these days, and it's because of that motherfucking main riff!! Sooo heavy, yet sooo classy and infectious all the same. And that cheesy spoken-word intro is absolutely perfect for setting the mood and tone to this exceptional track, and the whole Battering Ram record in general for that matter. Awesome.
THUNDERBOLT (2018) - 'Sniper'
I said this track manages to remind me of a slowed-down Annihilator, and I stand by that. Despite being a mid-tempo metaller, it's still tight as hell and like pretty much all the material from Unleash the Beast-onwards, the riff draws me and grips me from the get-go. It may not come anywhere near Biff's creative peak in terms of it's lyrics, but as a straight-to-the-point, no-nonsense slab of true heavy metal, 'Sniper' is perfect.
CARPE DIEM (2022) - 'Dambusters'
And yet again, I had a hard time picking a favourite from this album. Too many good 'uns to choose from. So fuck it, 'Dambusters' it is then! Awesome speed metal piece with tip-top guitar playing as always, more historical lyrical matter (this time covering Operation Chastise during World War II). It's getting difficult to describe a lot of these tunes now, but they're all excellent!
HELL, FIRE AND DAMNATION (2024) - 'Madame Guillotine'
As for the newest record, 'Madame Guillotine' is still my current favourite. Biff delves into history for the gazillionth time - 'cos that's what he does, and he's always done it perfectly well - exploring the French Revolution. It's one of the slower tracks on the album, but there's been several days so far this year where it's been stuck in my head, and I'm humming along to it's infectious melodies and tempos.
