Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in Barnsley in 1975. As leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), they had eight UK Top 40 albums during the 1980s including four UK Top 10 albums and two Top 5 albums. They had numerous hit singles on the UK Singles Chart and experienced success all over Europe and Japan, as well as in the United States.
Singer Peter "Biff" Byford at the Rockharz Open Air 2016
Bassist Tim "Nibbs" Carter and guitarist Doug Scarratt at the Rockharz 2016 (Biff Byford in the background)
Doug Scarratt joined the band in 1995.
Saxon performing at Sweden Rock Festival, 2008
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness.
Judas Priest performing in 2005
Enid Williams from Girlschool and Lemmy from Motörhead live in 2009. The ties that bind the two bands started in the 1980s and were still strong in the 2010s.
Ritchie Blackmore, founder of Deep Purple and Rainbow, known for the neoclassical approach in his guitar performances.
King Diamond, known for writing conceptual lyrics about horror stories