Saxon - Strong Arm Of The Law [Japanese Ed.] (1980)

Year: 7 November 1980 (CD 28 Sep 1994)
Label: Tochiba-EMI (Japan), TOCP-8373
Style: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Country: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England
Time: 37:36
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 258 Mb

While 1980’s Strong Arm Of The Law was out mere months after Wheels of Steel, Saxon seemed to be making a concentrated push into proper heavy metal territory. Its predecessor certainly showed this development with a hard rock hustle supplemented by hard-hitting rhythms and punchier songs, but the performances seem to up the intensity with an assortment of faster tempos. The opening “Heavy Metal Thunder” lives up to its title with a flurry of drums, fiery verses, and a howling chorus. Subsequent tracks don’t hit the same intensity but you’ll still get your share of blazing speeds. Tracks like “To Hell and Back Again” and “At 20,000 Feet” have the sort of fast-paced guitar gallops and double bass drums that would soon help give life to thrash’s ilk while “Taking Your Chance” has that toe-tapping briskness with a foot placed in their rock roots.
Of course, the album still has its share of mid-tempo songs but even those have a more noticeable shuffle. The title track and “Hungry Years” can feel a little drawn out but come out strong thanks to their catchy choruses and a certain spring in their steps. The closing “Dallas 1PM” also develops the contemporary narrative template last seen on “747 (Strangers In The Night),” pairing a level chug with lyrics detailing the assassination of Johnny F Kennedy. It’s kind of wild how the matter of fact presentation ends up working in its favor.
Strong Arm of the Law’s status as the middle child of the Saxon trilogy ala Motorhead’s Bomber can make it easy to overlook, but it may secretly be their strongest album. The swift turnaround worked in the band’s favor, striking while the iron was hot in terms of gaining popularity and upping the ante in terms of aggression and songwriting. It secured Saxon’s blue collar metal mastery and set them up for even greater potential on the horizon.
(metal-archives.com/reviews/Saxon/Strong_Arm_of_the_Law/2397) Review by Twisted_Psychology. February 16th, 2025

01. Heavy Metal Thunder (04:21)
02. To Hell And Back Again (04:48)
03. Strong Arm Of The Law (04:43)
04. Taking Your Chances (04:21)
05. 20,000 Ft (03:25)
06. Hungry Years (05:08)
07. Sixth Form Girls (04:19)
08. Dallas 1 PM (06:27)

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