Wheels of Steel

by Ed Rivadavia

After finding a metal-savvy producer in Pete Hinton, Saxon recovered from their disappointing debut in fine form with 1980's career-defining Wheels of Steel, whose songs displayed a bright metal sheen and set the template for the band's most successful albums. One of the greatest New Wave of British Heavy Metal standards, pounding opener "Motorcycle Man" introduces the album's biker obsession from the get-go -- a recurring theme that is revisited on the frenetic "Freeway Mad," the title track, and on most of the group's subsequent albums. At nearly eight minutes, the title track is another classic that would become a nightly encore for the rest of Saxon's career. Other highlights include the dramatic, if lyrically bizarre "747 (Strangers in the Night)," the all-out metal assault of "Machine Gun," and their finest early ballad "Suzie Hold On." And despite the occasional filler like Stand up and Be Counted," which drops it just a notch below the nearly flawless Strong Arm of the Law, Wheels of Steel would introduce more concert favorites than any other Saxon album.