Saxon-Crusader (1984)

After crafting five monumental albums considered essential works within the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), Saxon embarked on their fifth album, subtly moving away from the electrifying heavy metal of their origins to showcase a more mature and serious side. In this new venture, the band, led by the prodigious vocals of Biff Byford, the razor-sharp guitars of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, and the powerful rhythm section of Steve Dawson and Nigel Glockler, created another of their essential works. Featuring a more striking cover than its minimalist and austere predecessors, the British band imperially presents epics such as the heavy metal anthem "Crusaders", a track as intense as it is devastating, the tremendous "A Little Bit Of What Your Fancy?", the powerful hard rock tracks "Rock City", "Bad Boys", and "Just Let Me Rock", and the heavy-hitting "Sailing to America" ​​and "Do It All For You". With this sixth album, Saxon continued their predictable musical evolution and the maturity necessary to continue facing, for many more years, one of the best sounds of British heavy metal.