| Wheels of Steel | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Saxon |
| Cover: | Wheelssaxon.jpg |
| Released: | [1] |
| Recorded: | February 1980[2] |
| Studio: | Ramport (London) |
| Genre: | Heavy metal |
| Length: | 38:56 |
| Label: | Carrere |
| Producer: | Pete Hinton, Saxon |
| Prev Title: | Saxon |
| Prev Year: | 1979 |
| Next Title: | Strong Arm of the Law |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
Wheels of Steel is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon. Released in 1980 by Carrere Records,[3] [4] it was their first album to enter the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 5, and is their highest-charting album in the UK Albums Chart to date.[5] [6] The album eventually went on to achieve gold status in the UK.[7]
"747 (Strangers in the Night)" is about a power cut that forced planes in New York to remain in ascent in 1965 with the power outage provoking a Scandinavian flight to detour to Kennedy airport in the dark.[8] [9]
The title track is featured in the video games ( and ) and Brütal Legend. It has also been covered by L.A. Guns on their album Rips the Covers Off and bears a strong resemblance to the outro riff of "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" by Black Sabbath, although according to guitarist Graham Oliver the song was actually inspired by the Ted Nugent song "Cat Scratch Fever".[10]
The album received very positive reviews from critics and is today regarded as a classic, genre-defining metal album. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic lists the album as "topping the heap of essential Saxon albums, pretty much hand in hand with its immediate successors, Strong Arm of the Law and Denim and Leather, effectively setting the template for the band's most successful efforts." Canadian reviewer Martin Popoff regards Wheels of Steel as a "qualified classic" and "one of really two or three of (NWOBHM's) building blocks;" it is "a record on a mission, willing to take responsibility as a spokesvinyl for legions of English punters with a thirst for regular metal guys". Sputnikmusic's Mike Stagno praises "the solid, consistent rhythms that produce the riffy, yet accessible tunes" and Biff Byford's "powerful singing", which make Wheels of Steel "perhaps not one of metal's best albums," but "still a very worthwhile album."