In your opinion why this very notable NWoBHM band didn't successfully break into America and gain popularity?

Well, they've mustered a large following in the US recently. In the past year they've toured the US three times: twice co-headling with UFO in 2017, and right now as support for Judas Priest. This was preceded by two US headlining tours in 2015, where they played mainly songs from Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather. And much of their setlist is still made up of songs from those early 80s albums. Their crowds tend to look like biker bars because they've been catering to the 80s generation with these tours and setlists. And the resurgence of other NWoBHM bands touring and releasing albums alongside them, and the young retro bands playing that traditional style, I think has made them more relevant. So, at least lately, they've been very popular! It helps that they've remained active all these years, too. A band like Raven, for instance, has been around just as long but without regularly releasing music since the end of the 90s as Saxon has. Still, I've noticed Saxon having more frequent shows in the States at the same time that they play fewer of their new songs.

Saxon were actually pretty popular in the US back in the early 80s. They did get a lot of radio airplay, sold lots of albums, and were certainly more than just a one-hit wonder, as I remember several of their songs in moderate to heavy rotation on west coast rock stations. They might not have been as successful as Def Leppard were, or as iconic as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were, but they were certainly by no means an underground or obscure band. Angel Witch are probably a better example of a NWoBHM band that never really quite caught on in the US.