Armored Saint are a criminally overlooked band. Formed in 1982, the five piece have been slinging their cutting brand of heavy metal and thrash on and off for the past 33 years and are most known for being the band where John Bush made his name as one of metal’s best vocalists. After several on and offs, the band are back on again with “Win Hands Down”, the follow up to 2010’s ‘La Raza’. Let’s go all in and see if we have a winning hand.
From the off, this album hits hard. The opening track “Win Hands Down” begins with a great pickslide into a fast paced thrash like number filled with strong vocals, tight rhythm and killer guitars and the rest of the album follows suit from there. Providing a critical look at modern day society, John Bush’s vocals deliver scathing attacks on the sensationalism of the media, the materialistic nature of people today in the tracks “The Mess”, “An Exercise In Debauchery” and “That Was Then, Way Back When” whilst tracks like “Muscle Memory” and “in An Instant” are epic numbers with a masterclass in vocal ability and storytelling from Bush, fantastic harmonies and clean, precise melodies from the band. I would go so far to argue that “muscle Memory” is up there as one of John Bush’s finest pieces of vocal work, topping some of the brilliance he delivered on “The Sound Of White Noise” back in his Anthrax days!
Overall, this album hits hard. It’s littered with tremendous riffs, fantastic guitar solos, cutting edge grooves and a real sense of heaviness which isn’t quite there in terms of volume but is right on the mark with the delivery and composition. Blending a traditional heavy metal approach with thrash, “Win Hands Down” has something for everyone on it as demonstrated by the brief selection above. Filled with memorable riffs, hooks, solo’s and vocal work, including a guest spot from Pearl Aday on “With A Full Head Of Steam”, Armoured Saint have delivered a strong album here with a bold statement behind it – ignore us at your own peril. From opener “Win Hands Down” to the closing track “Up Yours”, John, Jeff, Joey, Gonzo and Phil deliver one of the essential albums for 2015. The only real flaw with this album is the number of guitar solos. Whilst I quite enjoy some fretboard wizardry and showboating, sometimes in the tracks it feels like too many lead fills and solo’s have been shoehorned in at times when a simple harmony melody or extended riff fill could have been employed, but it is a small complaint.
With tour dates booked in for the big festival season, you’d be a fool to miss out on catching this criminally underrated and often overlooked metal group. This album is one of the essential releases of 2015 and believe me, once you hear it, you won’t be able to stop playing it.
(9/10 Fraggle)
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03/06/2015 at 8:43 am
Was just the other day chatting with friends about how underrated they were and how few folks rocked up to their last UK shows. Didn’t stop them playing to their fullest. Definitely looking forward to the Bloodstock slot.