Innocence Is No Excuse by Saxon

Innocence Is No Excuse, Saxon's seventh studio album, came out in September 1985 on EMI, the Barnsley band's first release for the label after their falling-out with Carrere Records. Biff Byford is out front, Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn trade guitars, Nigel Glockler holds down the drums, and original bassist Steve Dawson makes his last stand with the band here.

The NWOBHM front-runners sound buffed and broadened here, still driving traditional heavy metal but with an eye on bigger rooms and wider radio. "Broken Heroes" is the track that later turned up on the countdowns. It landed midway through a decade in which Saxon became a top-tier draw across Europe's metal scene.

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