Armored Saint is a heavy metal band from the USA founded by brothers Felipe ‘Phil’ Sandoval (guitar), and Gonzalo ‘Gonzo’ Sandoval (drums), along with Dave Prichard (guitar), John Bush (vocals), and Joey Vera (bass). In a career spanning four decades, the band has released eight studio albums – ‘March Of The Saint’ (1984), ‘Delirious Nomad’ (1985), ‘Raising Fear’ (1987), ‘Symbol Of Salvation’ (1991), ‘Revelation’ (2000), ‘La Raza’ (2010), ‘With Hands Down’ (2015), and ‘Punching The Sky’ (2020). During this time the band has endured line-up changes, two periods of inactivity, and the death of founding guitarist Dave Prichard in 1990.
2022 sees Armored Saint celebrating their fortieth anniversary with the reissue of the band’s first three albums – ‘March Of The Saint’, ‘Delirious Nomad’, and ‘Raising Fear’ – all originally released during heavy metal’s formative years during the eighties. The glorious eighties when metal was just “metal” – none of this grunge, nu, djent, and post-metal nonsense! Even the likes of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi were considered to be metal! Everything was so much simpler back then…
…I was a teenager listening to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Saxon – bands that are now classed as “traditional metal”. And then along came the American traditional metal bands – bands such as Virgin Steele, Manowar, Twisted Sister, Metal Church, W.A.S.P., and Armored Saint…
…with a sound to emulate their British peers, paving the way for thrash and power metal to evolve over the ensuing years. Armored Saint‘s 1985 sophomore album ‘Delirious Nomad’ features ten songs over a more polished forty-one minutes – the band growing and maturing as both songwriters and musicians, with album opener ‘Long Before I Die’ featuring much more oomph and punch than anything heard on their debut. Most likely due to the evolving sound of American power metal, Armored Saint moves on with the anthemic mid-paced ‘Nervous Man’, and the heavy foot stomping yet fairly rocky ‘Over The Edge’. The band injects an element of pace for ‘The Laugh’, increasing it two-fold for the head bangingly addictive ‘Conqueror’.
Over on side two – yes readers, side two! The eighties were all about vinyl records, with digital downloads and streaming not even invented! How much technology has changed over the past forty years is incredible, although, with the recent re-emergence of vinyl, this reissue will be released on multi-colored limited edition vinyl…
…so back to side two – and the punchy crunch of ‘For The Sake Of Heaviness’, the sinister stroll of ‘Aftermath’, and the glorious NWOBHM sounding ‘In The Hole’, Armored Saint perfectly echoing a sound created five and a half thousand miles away in the UK. ‘You’re Never Alone’ is a snappy meld of hard rock and heavy metal, with album closer ‘Released’ a high octane romp of electrifying energy.
Overall, a glorious reminder of how great the American invasion of traditional metal was during the eighties.
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TRACKLIST
Long Before I Die
Nervous Man
Over The Edge
The Laugh
Conqueror
For The Sake Of Heaviness
Aftermath
In The Hole
You’re Never Alone
Released
Armored Saint: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Metal Blades Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
