"Denim and leather brought us all together
It was you that set the spirit free!"
It was you that set the spirit free!"
— "Denim and Leather"
A New Wave of British Heavy Metal band formed in 1977 formed by Biff Byford, Paul Quinn, Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson. Only Byford and Quinn remain with the band today, but the band has left an undeniable image and legacy in Heavy Metal that endures to this day. Just ask bands like Metallica and Pantera.
Principal Members (Founding members in bold, current members in italic.)
- Biff Byford– vocals (1976–present)
- Paul Quinn – guitars (1976–present)
- Graham Oliver – guitar (1976–1996)
- Steve Dawson – bass (1976–1986)
- John Walker– drums (1976–1978)
- Pete Gill – drums (1978–1981)
- Nigel Glockler – drums (1981–1987, 1988–1999, 2005–present)
- Paul Johnson – bass (1986–1988)
- Nigel Durham - drums (1988)
- Nibbs Carter – bass (1988–present)
- Doug Scarratt – guitars (1996–present)
- Fritz Randow – drums (1999–2004)
- Jörg Michael – drums (2004–2005)
Studio Discography:
- 1979 - Saxon
- 1980 - Wheels of Steel
- 1980 - Strong Arm of the Law
- 1981 - Denim and Leather
- 1983 - Power & The Glory
- 1984 - Crusader
- 1985 - Innocence is No Excuse
- 1986 - Rock the Nations
- 1988 - Destiny
- 1991 - Solid Ball of Rock
- 1992 - Forever Free
- 1995 - Dogs of War
- 1997 - Unleash the Beast
- 1999 - Metalhead
- 2001 - Killing Ground
- 2004 - Lionheart
- 2007 - The Inner Sanctum
- 2009 - Into the Labyrinth
- 2011 - Call to Arms
- 2013 - Sacrifice
- 2015 - Battering Ram
- 2018 - Thunderbolt
- 2021 - Inspirations
- 2022 - Carpe Diem
This band provides examples of:
- Artistic License – History: "Dallas 1 P.M." contains the line "a young mans life was blown away." JFK was almost 50 at the time of his death (although that isn't too old for a politician in the highest position of his country).
- Audience Participation Song: "Denim and Leather".
- Badass Biker: An alternate cover for Forever Free features a biker Space Marine from Warhammer 40,000.
- Big Rock Ending: Used on "Strong Arm of the Law" and "Princess of the Night".
- Cool Train: "Princess of the Night" is about a Princess Royal Class
steam locomotive. - Cover Version: They have covered "Set Me Free" by Sweet, "Ride like the Wind" by Christopher Cross, "Just Wanna Make Love to You" by Muddy Watrers and "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.
- Fan Flattering: "Denim and Leather".
- Heavy Meta: "Heavy Metal Thunder", "Denim and Leather", "Rock Is Our Life".
- Horrible History Metal
- "Machine Gun" about World War I. Contains some Technology Porn about tanks and machine guns.
- "Dallas 1 P.M." about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Note that it does not contain any speculation - it merely recounts the assassination itself, and public reaction to it. Well it does contain some speculation. The sound of three gunshots was exclusively put in to go down the "conspiracy theory route" according to Biff Byford.
- "S.O.S." is about the sinking of the Titanic.
- New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Trope Codifier with Iron Maiden.
- Precision F-Strike: "Ministry of Fools" drops precisely one in the entire song. "A Little Bit of What You Fancy" on Crusader also contains one.
- Train Song: "Princess of the Night", which is sung from the point of view of a man who feels nostalgic for a certain train that used to run.
- The Witch Hunter: "Witchfinder General" is about a witch hunter who hunts, tortures and kills witches.
