Strong Arm of the Law

Strong Arm of the Law was flexing its biceps less than four months after the release of Wheels of Steel. Just think about that for a second. In 2016, the most successful metal band of all time had released three albums in fifteen years - one of which called Lulu. So although I consider this the weakest of Saxon's legendary trilogy, I'll start by giving the band credit where it's due. They were determined to capitalize on their success as soon as they could, and that degree of work ethic is virtually unheard of nowadays. And now I'll immediately take some of that credit away again, because if this album needed anything, it was more time in the oven.

Apart from a few easily ignorable instances of self-quotation, the fireball songwriting is decent and faithful to the formula Wheels of Steel established. As such, you're served a bevy of tire-squealing speed metal assaults like 'To Hell and Back Again' and 'Heavy Metal Thunder' - a song written in response to criticism that Saxon wasn't a true metal band. That's right, Wheels of Steel struggled to pass muster in 1980 - that's how crazy that year was for metal. Searing double bass beats and bouncing solos latticed by beefy rock 'n' roll chords garnish these songs, making them Saxon's most celebrated mainstays for a reason.

If those tracks aren't to your speed, you're extensively catered to with a swath of bouncy blues-laden cruisers like the moseying title track, the excellent call-and-response shenanigans of 'Taking Your Chances', and the album's most infamous statement, 'Dallas 1 PM'. I... do not like this track. I find it non-sequitur and stage-hogging. Going so far as to sample emergency broadcasts in the interlude, I feel like this composition is utterly full of itself and accomplishes comparatively very little. Furthermore, I feel it paved a dark road for this band, encouraging them to write more affected filler like 'America (Sailing Home)' and 'The Great White Buffalo' in later years.

Biff also sounds slightly tired here, even a bit flat on occasion, likely the result of constant touring and recording two fiery speed metal albums in effectively one summer. This is further compounded by a rushed production, resulting in damp powerchords and squishy, pallid drumming. The latter is particularly egregious in the mechanized shuffle of 'Hungry Years', which has a shuffling rhythm as predictable as a Newton's Cradle.

Let the records show I enjoy this album more than my criticism would suggest. With 'Taking Your Chances' and 'Sixth Form Girls' being some of my all-time favorite Saxon songs, I'm not implying this album has just been getting a free pass this whole time because of its nostalgia. No sir/ma'am, there's a ton of unshakeable catchiness to be enjoyed here, but the mashed production and rushed musical direction can't be ignored either.