Saxon has become one of my favorite bands recently. There's just something about it. My favorite albums are definitely Wheels of Steel, Denim and Leather, Strong Arm of the Law and Power and the Glory.

Oh man Saxon are one of my favorite bands of all time, they deserve to go big than what they actually got instead, honestly far better than Def Leppard. They're very consistent, even their worse albums aren't that bad, and the newer material is freaking awsome man. Carpe Diem especially is becoming one of my favorite Saxon albums, anyways I'm glad that you made a ranking video about them. BTW, I don't really agree with Crusader being so low, there are more songs than just the title track like Run For Your Lives and Sailing to America which kick ass and are catchy in a good way, just my opinion.

Who has not fall in love with the cover girl on "Innocence is not excuse"?

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"Never surrender! When you're up against the wall! Never surrender! Stand up! Fight them all!" Possibly the single greatest lyric in heavy metal!

Been a fan for more than 40 years, and honestly this band just get better and better with age. All their albums has some great tunes on them, but I will infact rank most of their later stuff higher than their early stuff. I also listen to their live albums a lot. I have seen them live numerous times and they are always great. Can't wait for the new tour to get going. 1. Thunderbolt 2. Carpe Diem 3. Battering Ram 4. Sacrifice 5. The Inner Sanctum 6. Wheels Of Steel 7. Lionheart 8. Strong Arm Of The Law 9. Solid Ball of Rock 10. Unleash The Beast 11. Power And The Glory 12. Dogs of War 13. Denim And Leather 14. Forever Free 15. Destiny 16. Innocence Is No Excuse 17. Crusader 18. Call To Arms 19. Metalhead 20. Killing Ground 21. Into the Labyrinth 22. Rock The Nations 23. Saxon

Yessss!!! I had been waiting for this Rank' em All video!!!

Back in the early 1990s I was at Goodwill and found the first six Saxon albums on cassette tape and of course I bought them all for about a quarter a piece I think.

All Saxon Albums are Great, but here's my Top 10. 10 - Metalhead 9 - Unleashed the Beast 8 - Sacrifice 7 - Saxon 6 - Innocence is no Excuse 5 - Crusader 4 - Strong Arm of the Law 3 - Power and the Glory 2 - Wheels of Steel 1 - Denim and Leather

Great ranking! Been a fan since -81, and seen them a couple of times in Umeå and Skellefteå! 🤘

I’ve loved Unleash the Beast since I first spun it and consider it one of the best metal albums of the mid to late 90s. Great list. Great band.

Glad to see Lionheart ranked high. That is my personal favorite. I actually prefer the post Unleash the Beast Saxon to any of their early 80's classics.

Saxon are one of my all time favorites, and while I'd switch a couple around, all in all it's a very solid ranking video! 🤘

I really enjoy these Rank 'Em All videos, have you ever thought about doing one for Running Wild? They're one of my absolute favorite bands of all time and I would really love to see their discography get the Rank 'Em All treatment.

Rock the Nations? When I saw that was the worst album on your list I immediately went and listened to it again. It's actually one of my favorites LOL probably 6 or 7 if I were to make a list. I thought it was so cool at the time it came out that Elton John actually played a couple of songs with them.

What I play so many Saxon songs today on electric guitar and then you load up this video. Good

Great ranking, love the in depth analysis on each album ….you didn’t just breathe by all the albums …I’d love for you to do a ranking for grave digger!!

Saxon is fantastic. 747 (Strangers in the Night) has the best opening ever

Been looking forward to this one. Awesome!

Nice list, I was waiting for this one, 🤘🏻🇧🇷

Very good ranking. I have the same Top 4 as you. I really love some of the more commercial sounding songs though. Waiting for the Night for example is one of my favorites. Saxon overall are like my 2nd favorite band or so. I would love to see a Praying Mantis rank em all in the future. Keep rockin!

Nice to see a video on the great SAXON! They helped me get into metal in my early years. Denim and Leather rules

The Saxon discography is remakably stable, even the albums like Rock the Nations have cool songs like Battle Cry!

For rankings, Denim & Leather, Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm are interchangeable for top 3, while Power & Glory is deserving of that 4th spot. I'm probably alone here, but Innocence Is No Excuse has always been one of my faves for some reason, so that's how I would close out my top 5. Thanks for the great job, and the effort you put in!

Glad to see Sacrifice so high up on your ranking. That one and Unleash the Beast may be my two favs among their many great albums.

Cool ranking!. Enjoyed that. Gotta admit I love Destiny. Those early albums are all superb though 👍

I enjoy your rankings and trust your opinion.personally i would love to own every album by Saxon.a bad Saxon album is probably better than most bands good ones.they have put out so many that not every one is going to be a masterpiece.

I agree that Crusader is a great title track on an otherwise weak album. Considering that IMO 1984 was the best year for eighties metal releases it was a real dud. The type of item you’d borrow from a friend just to record the first track along with the prelude.

Saxon are one of the legends that came out of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement. My favorites are Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather, Power and The Glory and Crusader 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Grymt jobb du gör med alla dessa listor. Tycker de är riktigt bra och håller nästan alltid med om ordningen (förutom när jag inte har hört skivorna). Men här tycker jag ändå att Inmocent borde hamnat betydligt högre☺️. Men ja, smaken är ju delad och för mig handlar det nog mycket om minnen. Började lyssna på Saxon något år efter att Denim & Leather släpptes och min första konsert var Crusader på Hovet så de var viktiga under mina tidiga tonår☺️. Nåväl, ville egentligen mest bara tacka för en grym kanal!

Great job ranking this incredible catalog.

Great ranking video man! I can't really pick a favorite of Saxon, but they are a great and consistent band! How about ranking the band Raven?

Saxon is great can't wait for there new album for 2024

Daunting task. I commend you for doing it. I was almost certain a Gravedigger episode was coming. Great job. I dont love Saxons discography, but I know they are important to the genre. Sacrifice was a really solid album

Great list, your videos are great, length is not a problem. On that note maybe rank Rage albums in the future?

Saxon is one of those bands which has completely passed me by. I have seen them live many years ago during their inner sanctum tour. I have downloaded a couple of songs from that album, let me feel your power and going no where fast.

"Unleash The Beast" actually had a very big impact on the scene when it came out. 1997 was really a hallmark year where resugence of old school metal started. Lots of things were going on in that year, most importantly - Judas Priest comeback with "Jugulator", Bruce Dickinson return to heavy metal style with "Accident on Birth" and a massive boom with HammerFall debut. Then, there were also comebacks of Venom, Jag Panzer, Exciter, Razor etc. Riot had a very good album. Savatage, Sodom and Overkill had decent albums. Stratovarius was getting bigger with "Visions", also Iced Earth with "Days Of Purgatory". Gamma Ray released "Somewhere Out In Space". Lots of new power metal bands debuted that year, like Iron Savior, Primal Fear, Children Of Bodom, Nightwish etc. "Unleash The Beast" was easily the best of the bunch. I remember there was a lot of praise for that album going on in underground at the time. It was kind of a key release that started whole trend of power and melodic heavy metal that became a huge thing in the next 5-6 years, like a bridge between old and new school of traditional heavy metal.

Good video. I would rank them a bit differently, but this is a fair overview. I do think that Saxon and Overkill are the most consistently solid bands in metal.

1. Denim and leather 2. Power and the glory 3. Carpe diem 4. Wheels of steel 5. Strong arm of the law 6. Unleash the beast 7. Thunderbolt 8. Solid ball of rock 9. Battering ram 10. Call to arms

Denim And Leather was first song i heard. It was in primary. My fav album Saxon - Power & The Glory

Thanks for ranking Saxon albuns, it is my favorite band! My top five is: Denim and Leather Strong arm of the Law Wheels of Steel Power and the Glory Lionheart Geetings from Brazil

Huge Saxon fan... I lean more to the latter-day Saxon, I love the heaviness of those albums, great consistency throughout, great production, but I also love their early '80s output. So here goes, my favorites, top to bottom... Not much separates my top 11, but it's a solid top 11 for me... so many great tracks on all of these albums: 1. Sacrifice (2013) -- careening heavy metal, start to finish, riffs everywhere. Love it to death. 2. Thunderbolt (2018) -- skull-crushing title track, and it never lets up after that. I don't really like "Nosferatu" or "Predator," but this is the most muscular metal Saxon has produced. Love the tribute to Motorhead "They Played Rock and Roll." 3. Denim and Leather (1981) -- absolute classic of NWOBHM, glorious riff-laden heavy rock, loaded with classics. Enough said. 4. Lionheart (2004) -- a masterpiece from start to finish, love the Maiden-esque history vibe of the title track, "English Man O' War," "To Live By the Sword," etc. 5. The Inner Sanctum (2007) -- just as good as Lionheart, with a darker edge. Absolutely love "State of Grace," "If I Was You," etc. 6. Carpe Diem (2022) -- Saxon sounds as good now as they ever have, another riff-heavy masterpiece. How is Biff Byford 71? 7. Wheels of Steel (1980) -- Saxon's sophomore album is just a ferocious slab of vinyl, four bonafide classics they still play in concert 40 years later. "747 (Strangers in the Night)" is one of my all-time favorites. 8. Battering Ram (2015) -- pulverizing opening title track and another relentless beast of an album, terrific guitar work, and I love "Kingdom of the Cross." 9. Strong Arm of the Law (1980) -- classics galore on the middle of Saxon's trifecta of early '80s masterworks. 10. Call To Arms (2011) -- maybe not as heavy as the albums to follow, but damned if I can think of a song that I skip on this one. 11. Metalhead (1999) -- some grinding, almost nu-metal tones on this, but it's mostly solid, love "Conquistador," "What Goes Around," and especially "Sea of Life." The next group is pretty interchangeable, but there are at least a couple songs I really love on every one of these: 12. Killing Ground (2001) -- Saxon really getting into their second wind, some really good tracks here. 13. Power & The Glory (1983) -- the tail end of their early '80s heyday, still some great tracks, like "The Eagle Has Landed." 14. Forever Free (1992) -- I actually quite like this album, especially after Saxon's misstep into '80s commercial rock. 15. Crusader (1984) -- the title track is an all-time classic, but this is a very inconsistent album. 16. Dogs of War (1995) -- the title track just plows you over and leads into "Burning Wheels," and I love "The Great White Buffalo," but again, very inconsistent album. 17. Unleash the Beast (1997) -- a little too screechy/thrashy for me with the metal on this album, but there's some great guitar solos on this one. 18. Into The Labyrinth (2009) -- least consistent of their post-2000 output, but there's still some great tracks, like "Battalions of Steel" and "Valley of the Kings." 19. Solid Ball of Rock (1991) -- a welcome relief after the '80s, it's a good but not great album. The title track is fun. And throw a blanket over the bottom bunch, they're the weakest to my ears: 20-23. Saxon (1979 debut album), Innocence is No Excuse (1985), Rock the Nations (1986), Destiny (1988) -- debut sounds like very generic '70s hard rock, and the mid-late '80s stuff did not age well. Cliche after cliche. Four words: Synths and power ballads. Yuck.

Amazing list. I see I have a lot more listening to do.. But that's a good thing. I admit I don't know enough of their music yet but I will be working on that. And the nice thing is there's 23 albums to go through. I would say my favorite tracks from them so far I'm so far is the Power and the Glory and Crusader as well as Rainbow Theme and Frozen Rainbow.

Nice ranking..! Saxon was a great band. Sorry to say i lost them after Stewe Dawson was out. I wish the old gang can do a reunion...🤘😁

thanks for ranking saxon bro!👊🤘🤘🎸

19th place, dogs of war.... I absolutely love this album. It's awesome from beginning to end. It's much higher to me.

My Top 10 Lionheart The Inner Sanctum Innocence is No Excuse Wheels of Steel Dogs of War Power & Glory Carpe Diem Battering Ram Thunderbolt Crusader

To The Power and the Glory... We'll meet tonight!!!

Another good list as always. Strong Arm is my favorite but really can’t argue Denim as best. If you haven’t heard it, check out their version of Crusader off of Heavy Metal Thunder from 2002. Personally, I like it a lot better than the version from the original album. Cheers!

Saxon is my favorite band of all time. I don't fully agree with your list, but it's pretty damn good I'll admit. Thanks for doing this!!!

Yea the few albums in the mid to late 80’s being in the more mainstream area is probably why they are not as popular as Maiden. But Saxon is so special since they made their return to form in the 90’s. Pretty much the only 80’s metal band who can claim that they not only survived the 90’s but returned to their former glory. Special shout out to the album Heavy Metal Thunder. Re-recordings of much of their early songs.

Very good review! Saxon is my favorite band! I agree with pretty much everything! Denim and Leather is one of those rare albums that every track is A+. So yes it had to be number 1! Cheers!!!! ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY SAXON!!!

I've listened to all of their albums and I agree with you that there is no bad albums, they range from decent to great. It is difficult to rank all of them, so I'm just gonna put my top 5 1 Denim and leather 2 Wheels of Steel 3 Inner Sanctum 4 Strong arm of the law 5 Sacrifice

I prefer Saxon's earlier albums but they have, naturally, improved hugely as musicians over the years. For anyone who thinks the same (and doesn't already know about it), I would recommend their 2002 album Heavy Metal Thunder, which is a compilation of 13 re-recorded tracks from their 1979-1984 albums which, IMO, are all as good as or better than the originals! It also comes with one of two bonus live CDs, depending on whether you get the 2002 or the 2015/17 release. \m/

.."big teaser" (1978 demo) with saxon wich one can listen to here on youtube is quite nice.. :)

Ha, while watching your video I was always thinking (I swear...) even in the beginning: "He will have the holy trinity on 3-2-1" and so it exactly came! 😅😀 Couple years back if I remember correctly they did a tour by mentioning that thing with these 3 albums. Maybe one of you can confirm that, there was a show with that three album covers about 8 years back or so. Since you asked, well I would put "Innocence is no excuse" and "Crusader" both much higher, but as we know all depends on what you were experiencing at that time. For example the song "Sailing to America" is one of my favorite SAXON songs. Not only because 1984 I was in (North)America first time in my life but its (for me!) a very touching song and of course always reminds me on my great time in America. Same goes for the 1985 album, while being in the army, the song "Broken heroes" came out, (also "In the army now" by Status Quo...) remember listening to that while having a not so good time and trying to escape with the music, so very sure lots of other things blend in each of our personal lists.... /// I could imagine how "hard" it is to find the "worst" in that ranking list.

Strong Arm Of The Law is my favorite Saxon album

Great ranking! But I personally like some some songs from Dogs of War and Forever Free. But anyway you can always count on Saxon. I wish that you do a Scorpions ranking

I love Saxon , maybe they are not the heaviest and fastest band but for me is one of the "truest". My all time favourite album of Saxon is Wheels Of Steel. I love all the songs from this album , motorcycle man , 747 , Suize Hold On… great songs!!! and I have a very special place in my heart for the song “Stand Up And Be Counted” because the fans of my favourite football team chanting the main riff and the chorus to support our team even more 😄🤘🏻

We follow the warrior king!

10. Dogs of War 9. Call to Arms 8. Into the Labyrinth 7. Thunderbolt 6. Sacrifice 5. Power & the Glory 4. Crusader 3. Denim and Leather 2. Wheels of Steel 1. Strong Arm of the Law

what ranking are you going to do next?

I've been listening to Saxon since I was a kid. I agreed with 90% of your list. Saxon is at their best when they up the tempo and get aggressive. Great work, loved the video. I can't say a spend much time with anything Crusader until Unleash the Beast though. I also find the production on Metalhead to be the really fatiguing thing about it. Enter the Labyrinth suffers from a lack of dynamic range as well when those big choruses kick in. Makes it hard for me to listen to.

Absolute legend. Agree with everything you've said here, so, what are your thoughts on their newest release? Cheers man 🙂🤘

Saxon are legendary I love them

Am shocked at position for crusader 🤘🏻😀🤣

Agree with Denim and Leather #1. Their last five or so are stellar and love they’re still releasing quality material. 🏍

I LIKED this video because I love Saxon. I think it's funny that your second-worst album is my second-favourite album! SAXON RULES!

I was never a big Saxon fan (nor were my friends). They did have a few songs that I think were great (most notably 747 (Strangers in the Night) and And The Bands Played On), however, I can't say I really ever liked any full album. If I have to choose their best albums, I'd have to agree with your top four choices. That was their classic period, really. Take it easy.

Sweet!

i would like to see you rank Voivod, that be cool

Agreed with denim and leather being number one! Although there's definitely some albums I'll have to listen to.

Excellent !! SAXON 2022 !!

Saxon never make me satisfited because before I listen more Irons or Venom but now you give me lesson to do.. Like always you make my morning busy.. Keep fresh and still stay on the track to perfect..

Great ranking!!! I almost totally agree. Except I would swap wheels of steel with Strong Arm!!!

Good list. Since I don't dislike glam metal/AOR stuff, I would rank Crusader/Innocence/Rock the Nations/Destiny a little higher. Their newest albums feel a little "samey" to me, which is why I would rank them lower. But they aren't bad, just meh, IMO. Don't know if you like Motorhead, but maybe and album ranking from them next?

I can't deny there's a lot of nostalgia involved, but my favorite Saxon album is Strong Arm of the Law. I totally agree that their modern albums are strong and well produced (too modern sounding for my taste, but I realize people today want it like that) but I would just love to hear Saxon - and other classic metal bands - going back to a more "dated" production sound, far away from the (in my opinion) slick, lifeless and overly perfect style that dominates today. I know it'll most likely never happen, but hey... a boy can dream... I also have a nostalgic soft spot for Crusader, but I haven't listened to it in a loooong time (apart from hearing the monstrous title track now and again) and I'm not sure I've actually listened to the album as a whole with un-biased ears as an adult. I'm pretty sure I still like the total cheese of "Do It All for You" though... 😅

Awesome list! My top 10 favourites: 1. Denim And Leather 2. Strong Arm Of The Law 3. Wheels Of Steel 4. The Inner Sanctum 5. Carpe Diem 6. Thunderbolt 7. Lionheart 8. Battering Ram 9. Forever Free 10. Solid Ball Of Rock Most overrated album: Power And The Glory Most underrated album: Solid Ball Of Rock Least favourite: Destiny Best cover art: Crusader I think Crusader fails simply because the music doesn’t live up to the masterpiece artwork.

Dear God I've always skipped on them for some reason...and then I saw them live saturday 🤯 I guess I'm a fan now? They kicked some major ass I can only imagine what it must have been like to see them in their prime. Long live fucking SAXON! 💪🏻 And thanks for the ranking, I'm gonna have to catch on some albums now 😂

Glad to see sacrifice so high on list. First seen Saxon in 83 with iron maiden and fast way didn’t see it again til 2013 and were awesome both times

1.Crusader 2.Power & the Glory 3. Strong Arm of the Law 4. Unleashed the Beast 5. Lionheart 6. Dogs of War 7. Solid Ball of Rock 8. Into the Labyrinth 9. Sacrifice 10. Call to Arms 11. The Inner Sanctum 12. Killing Ground 13. Metalhead 14. Saxon 15. Innocence Is No Excuse 16. Rock the Nations 17. Forever Free 18. Destiny 19. Denim and Leather 20. Wheels of Steel Yes,I usually dislike popular or biggest selling albums the least- and with Saxon that's the extreme here, in the 80s I hated those historic albums I ranked last. Loved Saxon way more from 1997 onwards,though I haven't heard the last several albums.

Denim and leather definitely number 1 for me

Agree with a whole lot on the list (I would've put Strong Arm at #1, though) - especially that Sacrifice is their best one in the last decade. Amazing album. I do rank Destiny below Rock the Nations - and Saxon themselves seem to do the same - but as you say even that one does have a few strong tracks on it. Kudos for pointing out that Crusader is a meh album with a killer title track; it gets some silly amounts of love just for that opener.

Have you already done the Voivod ranking for example ?

Rock the Nations is my top 5 Saxon album. It's the last classic sounding Saxon album. I still like the next one and their 90's albums though. You weren't into Saxon back then I suppose.

i can't understant the crusader position!!!!! the rest of ranking is all right for me... may be i put Sacrifice on a top 3. hey, im 53, not discovering saxon on s. XXI! GREAT VIDEO!

the 1st saxon album seems like just massive nazareth worship. I fucking love it.

And waiting for the next Gems of the Underground, my weekly playlist to listen while coming back from work 😆🤣🤘🏻🇧🇷

You should rank Stormwitch that band is amazing!

Good overview RM. Destiny was very poor and for me their worst. But I saw them on that tour and they were excellent live. Solid Ball was very good and started the musical resurgence but main memory of seeing the band on that tour was Biff annoyed at how small the crowd was and not playing encores.

I love everything released by the band before the year 1985.

A Exrumer, Vendetta, A system of a down or Helloween Album ranking would be cool

At the end of this video, I'll listen to the full discography

Running Wild next

I would put these in a different order, but even the "worst" Saxon albums are much better than a lot of other bands' best albums if you ask me.

1. Power & the Glory

Could you do a ranking for Crowbar?

Hard to rank if a band doesn't have stinkers. Great video as usual!

Brorsan spelade upp låten "Crusader" för mig på 90-talet, första Saxon låten jag hörde. Åkte till skivaffären och köpte skivan veckorna efter. Snacka om besvikelse xD. Bara titellåten och "Rock City" som jag gillar än idag xD

I think unleashed the beast is a great album, the best after the Golden years