In Memory of ARMORED SAINT Guitarist David Prichard (1963-1990)

David Earl Prichard (November 27, 1963 - February 28, 1990)

Dave was the lead guitarist and a primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band Armored Saint from its formation in 1982 until his death in 1990. Dave (and fellow guitarist Phil Sandoval) played guitar on the band's 1983 self-titled EP and on the debut full-length album March of the Saint (1984).

After Phil's temporary departure, Dave was the sole guitarist for Armored Saint. You can hear Dave on guitars on the wonderful album Delirious Nomad (1985) and then also on Raising Fear (1987). Although he passed away from leukemia before the recording of the 1991 album Symbol of Salvation, he had an important part in the creation of that album, having composed the songs during the 1988–1989 demo sessions. His original 4-track demo solo was posthumously incorporated into the song "Tainted Past," and the album is dedicated to Dave.

Of course, Armored Saint has continued after Dave, and nowadays they enjoy a great reputation as elder statesmen of heavy metal music. In order to get to this point, Armored Saint built their foundation and sound throughout the 1980s, and Dave was an incredibly important component of the sound of Armored Saint. In addition, he remains important to the band on a personal level because Armored Saint was a band formed by young men who were friends and family, and they had known each other from a very young age, going as far back as elementary school and middle school.

Below you will find a couple of interesting articles about Dave and Armored Saint. Then, after that, you will find some classic Armored Saint music, and if you would like to see the man himself playing guitar live, check out the video of the band performing live!

METAL FORCES

ARMORED SAINT Guitarist David Prichard Dies Aged 26

February 28th, 1990

David Prichard, guitarist for Los Angeles, California-based heavy metal band Armored Saint, died on February 28th, 1990 following a battle with leukaemia. Prichard was 26 years of age. Born November 27th, 1963, David Earl Prichard attended South Pasadena High School in South Pasadena, California. There, Prichard would co-found Armored Saint in 1982. Early tours saw the group open for acts like Metallica, Saxon, Michael Schenker Group, WASP, and Whitesnake. A self-titled EP arrived in 1983 through Metal Blade. Signing an album contract with Chrysalis Records, Armored Saint released the following trio of platters; March Of The Saint (1984), Delirious Nomad (1985), and Raising Fear (1987). The quartet subsequently returned to the Metal Blade label, issuing 1988 live opus Saints Will Conquer.

Fourth full-length Symbol Of Salvation arrived in 1991, a year following the man’s passing. Produced by Dave Jerden, the majority of the music for the outing had been written by Prichard prior to his death. The first guitar solo on the track ‘Tainted Past’ was taken from a 1989 demo Prichard had recorded. 1991 video release A Trip Thru’ Red Times additionally paid tribute, featuring various live performance clips.

Prichard was survived by younger brothers Kenny and Robbie.

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excerpt from the publication LOUDER SOUND

Last Train Home by Armored Saint: the story behind the song - Louder

Nov 29, 2025

By Dom Lawson (Metal Hammer, Classic Rock) published 29 November 2025

“We got home and we officially got dropped, so we didn’t have a label,” John shrugs. “That was the moment when we truly started saying, ‘Right, forget it, we’re just going to write songs and we’re not going to care about anything. We’re just gonna write!’ We weren’t on a label so why we would we look for a particular style, when we don’t know what the future holds anyway? So we started writing, and right after that was when we found out about Dave’s illness with leukaemia.”

Not just an insanely gifted lead guitarist but, as Bush notes, the most natural leader in Armored Saint at the time, Dave Prichard had discovered that he had leukaemia after taking a blood test to assess his suitability for a powerful acne medication.

“That was a death sentence in the 80s, it was a pretty severe form of cancer,” John says. “They’ve made a lot of strides with leukaemia now, but back then it was pretty bad. So his illness, the band being dropped and our whole future being so uncertain, that was all what propelled us towards just writing songs and not worrying if something was totally out of the box compared to what Armored Saint usually did. And that’s where songs like Last Train Home came from.”

Dave Prichard passed away on February 28, 1990, midway through writing sessions for the new Armored Saint album. The band took several months to mourn their friend and to work out exactly how to proceed, but it soon became apparent that the sheer strength of the material that they had been writing compelled them to move forward and make a new album. With Gonzo’s brother (and original member) Phil rejoining the band on rhythm guitar, the retooled Armored Saint had kept things very much in the family. Significantly, the band’s line-up remains exactly the same today.

Armored Saint - Tainted Past

Armored Saint - Last Train Home (Live at Wacken Open Air)

Armored Saint – Hell On Wheels | Headbangers Ball MTV (1987 Full Concert) | Remastered