Armored Saint

Armored Saint - Win Hands Down 2015

review by Jojo from Fuglymaniacs www.fuglymaniacs.com

Armored Saint is back with Win Hands Down.Truth be told when we heard Armored Saint was back, first thought was, who do we thank for making this possible? Thank You! We figured they were a done deal.

John Bush: vocals - He still sounds amazing.

Joey Vera: bass - Lead writer/producer is in charge and leads the way with his ax.

Phil Sandoval & Jeff Duncan: guitars- Their solos are electric. Spine chilling good!

Gonzo: Drums - Fuglymaniac approved!

Vera and Bush lead the charge. Vera’s thunders front and center while Phil & Jeff follow with a trail of flammable leads while Gonzo crashes the symbols, stumps on those double bases and sets the place on fire! They do a great job mixing that classic Armored Saint sound we all know and love while adding and expanding that sound. Armored Saint doesn't do this for a living. Why not do what you want. Armored Saint has had some lean years, which is a mystery to us. We need a 48hrs mystery episode to unravel the life and music of this band. How the hell did they missed the "success" train. They were at the right place at the right time, right scene, right clicks/circles. John Bush even rejected Metallica's offer to join. (Glad he did.) Maybe not a good business move for him though, mystery!?

We love Armored Saint and we know life & family can easily landslide on people. Putting in the work and time to get all the guys together and write, rehearsals it's a lot of work and time consuming. Knowing the scene ignores them for the most part. Thank You! On to the music, armored saint went all in on this record. Took big gambles such as making a piano driven song in "Dive." Changing the song structure is their ace in the hole. "I wanted more music sections, and didn't want to be tied to verse/chorus/verse/chorus/guitar solo/end of song - if I felt inspired to write a bridge, and I wanted it to appear twice," says Vera of his slight shift in perspective for this album. "I wanted to be able to play with the music. Some of the songs are a little long on the Armored Saint side, so I might have had to pull the reigns back a little bit with John and say I wanted one section to be just music, but we were able to play with the arrangements a bit to fit what we both wanted to do... The results are great, and there are great performances from everyone."

There are even a few firsts on the album. Pearl Aday joins the Saint on "With A Full Head Of Steam," it's galloping gate marking the first time Bush has ever shared lead with a female singer. Have no fear. Armored Saint delivers once again! Bush touches on real issues that we all deal with. Facebook "friends," porn addictions, your good old days, etc. Yeah, they are busting balls, but then again this is metal. You want a sermon go to church. Do yourself a favorite pick this up. Its damn good. Support a band that will appreciate it. Buy, support, enjoy! Catch them live at place near you. You might NOT get a second chance. We are still waiting on our first.

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