Tag: armored saint

Whereas a lot of American kids at the time were tuning in to all things NWOBHM related, my group of friends were really interested in everything that was coming out of the US. I remember getting this album the week of its release and couldn’t wait to get home to play it. There was a huge buzz about this band and I had only read articles and seen pictures, they certainly looked the part and I was eager to hear the sounds they made.

The title track opens up the album and it sounds very NWOBHM with the main riff and the gang chorus, but with added melody. Can You Deliver has that classic metal riff that every band has used at some point. I love John Bush’s vocals on this track as he has that very sinister tone to his voice. Mad House is my favourite track on the album. Double kicks pounding away with a killer riff and this is what was awesome about the (then) US metal scene. Take A Turn is (I guess) a power ballad with the emphasis on the power, and Bush’s vocals sound huge. Seducer closes out Side 1 and the vibe I get from this is Judas Priest Killing Machine era.

Mutiny On The World is another of my favourite tracks off the album. A simple chugga riff and that groove that just makes you want to bang that head. Glory Hunter is up next with a very medieval sounding opening riff, and what is otherwise a straight up rocker. Nice drum groove and riff to Stricken By Fate to add a bit of flavour and variety, I love the middle section. It’s hands in the air anthem time with Envy, did Motley Crüe steal that riff and groove? Album close out track is False Alarm, and we are going out with a bang. Nice change of groove after the intro moving into a Maiden-style gallop, then back again.

Armored Saint should have been a whole lot bigger than they were, and maybe they should have spent more time in Europe as their sound is more akin to British bands of the time. Happy daze!

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

Yet another one of the bands that shoulda, coulda, woulda, but never actually did. That’s not to say they weren’t a good band, in fact they were a bloody good band (especially live) but I guess they never quite had the songs.

This is their third release and came out in ’85 and was produced by Max Norman. First track in: Long Before I Die is a decent enough tune with not a bad riff. Nervous Man has the slow chugga riff, very reminiscent of the thrash bands of the day. Over The Edge has a nice evil riff, with a laid back vibe and a nice solo. The Laugh has a very NWOBHM riff and vibe to it. Conqueror is the best track on this side with a great riff and driving beat. For The Sake has a nice slow build up before a pretty standard chugga riff kicks in. Aftermath reminds me of Killing Machine era Judas Priest. In The Hole has a riff and groove that any hair band of the time (especially Dokken) would have been proud of (well, Max Norman did produce the thing). You’re Never Alone is just okay and nothing special, but then we get to my favourite and last track: Released. Now this baby sprints along at a great pace with a great riff and groove. I love their first album, March Of The Saint and their latest studio effort, Punching The Sky is awesome as well. This album however, is not their best.

7.5/10 from the Grooveman.

When Metallica upped sticks from LA to the Bay Area in San Fran to be leaders of the fledgling thrash scene, Armored Saint hung around to be one of the leading bands in the LA metal scene.

This album was their 4th release that came out in ’87. After this release, they were dropped by their record label Chrysalis. Now it’s not as good as March Of The Saint, which IMHO is a classic, it does nevertheless contain some great songs. At times the band do remind me of Iron Maiden, especially on tracks like Saturday Night Special, but they do sort of have their own sound as it’s an amalgamation of a lot of influences. There are a couple of typical early eighties slow build numbers like Isolation and Frozen Will that are cool, but my favourites are the simpler tracks like Out On A Limb and the close out track Underdogs, which have the big riffs and grooves to bang your head to.

As I said earlier, not their best but I enjoyed it having not listened to it in a long while.

8/10 from The Grooveman.