Saxon
Denim & Leather

Riding the wave of success of Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm Of The Law, completing Saxon's golden trilogy comes in 1981 with Denim & Leather, an album nothing short of spectacular. Denim & Leather is a record where a certain aggressiveness is felt, and it's a manifesto of Saxon's style as they seem invincible behind their instruments. Guitarists Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver are always at the forefront, with Steve Dawson (bass) and Pete Gill (drums) supporting. And then there’s him, the embodiment of Saxon, the granite-voiced Biff Byford.

The blisteringly fast and sharp guitar riff of Princess of the Night, which talks about steam locomotives, plunges us into the album with no turning back because you can’t hit the stop button after listening to such an opening track. Never Surrender is a compelling and classic heavy metal track that tells the hard life of those born for the road. The chorus is phenomenal (Never surrender, when you’re up against the wall / Never surrender, stand up fight them all).
Out Of Control starts with a spectacular arpeggio that serves as the riff, and Byff Byford sings with his usual grit. Another very fast track is Rough and Ready, as rough as the title suggests, featuring a rather melodic interlude followed by the usual memorable solo. Play It Loud, with its enthusiastic riff, is a gem of its genre, where Saxon celebrate the sacred right of every metalhead to make as much noise as they want by cranking up the stereo. One of Saxon's greatest hits is And The Bands Played On, a song that deserves attention: compositionally, it features much more refined and detailed work than usual, with remarkable arrangement and the lead guitar taking center stage throughout the song. The theme is that magical feeling of being on stage in front of thousands of people.
Midnight Rider is a mythical '80s-style heavy metal ballad that exalts the figure of the biker, so dear to heavy metal, touring the United States. The apocalyptic Fire In The Sky talks about a nuclear disaster that will erase humanity, and the power Saxon unleashes here is truly... atomic. The great anthem to music that closes the album is the phenomenal, incredible, wonderful, exhilarating, and stunning title track Denim & Leather. Intro by Pete Gill on drums and then it’s off, with a simple and catchy, but ingenious riff that dominates the entire song, while the chorus is magic both in the vocals and in the instrumental parts, not to mention the stunning guitar solo by Graham Oliver. Heavy metal is exalted as a musical and cultural movement, and indeed, the lyrics are the best the band has ever written (Denim and leather, brought us all together / It was you that set the spirit free!). Holy words!

Denim & Leather is the album that definitively consecrates (and deservedly so) the band, which is finally given credit even by the critics, thanks as well to its chart position (No. 9 in England) and three hit singles like Princess Of The Night, Never Surrender, and especially the already mentioned And The Bands Played On, which will immediately enter the Top 20 and remain in the Top 75 for a full two years. After Denim & Leather, there will be a grand celebratory live album, The Eagle Has Landed, and then a shift towards a more accessible and less raw metal. But Denim & Leather towers high above the entire discography of Saxon.