Saxon are a British heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Barnsley, UK, regarded as leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal alongside Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. They enjoyed a brief but outstanding period of popularity in their home country during the first half of the 1980s thanks to the albums Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather, and the live album The Eagle Has Landed.
Despite dabbling in glam metal, the sound dominating the global market in the second half of the ’80s, with albums like Rock the Nations and Destiny, they never managed to break through in the United States the way other British bands did, though they did achieve considerable success in continental Europe and Japan. By the mid-’90s, with their trademark sound back, they once again earned popular recognition, mainly in Europe, becoming a must-book act at Europe’s biggest metal festivals, including Wacken Open Air, Download Festival and Hellfest, among others.
Saxon
Barcelona Rock Fest
Venue: Sant Jordi Club
Photography: Jordi Amela (@amela_photo_concert)
With forty years on stage and more than eight albums on the UK Albums Chart, along with numerous other singles on the British charts, they’ve become a key band for heavy metal, and have even been cited as major influences by bands like Metallica, Bathory, Pantera, Slayer, Anthrax, Sodom, Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, among others.
As of mid-2014, it was estimated their worldwide sales had passed 15 million copies.
