If you’re not intimately familiar with Armored Saint, considered by many in the know as a band that should have been far more massive than they are, let me briefly educate whilst I simultaneously indulge in a bit of muso ponderings. Formed in 1982 by the Brothers Sandoval, and joined by amongst others, one of the finest voices in Metal Jon Bush, Armored Saint had all the tools to be massive. They wrote well, played well, were hugely respected by their peers, but for some reason, stadium tours didn’t follow. It might be that at the time they started to gain traction the US metal scene was split between big haired spandex clad and make-up smeared sleazoids such as Motley Crue, and punk t-shirt and jeans clad thrashers like Metallica (who at various times invited Bush to be their singer and Joey Vera to replace Cliff Burton), and there wasn’t the market for a middle ground that was equal parts Dio, Priest, and NWOBHM. Throw in label issues, the curse of leukaemia killing their original lead guitarist Dave Pritchard, and a hiatus as Bush fronted Anthrax, and it seems the stars have been conspiring against them. So, has the kicking that the band received from fate over the years, with the added crotch punch of 2020’s tour free status dampened the fire and anger of Messrs. Bush, Vera, Sandoval, Sandoval and Duncan? Has it bollocks!
‘Punching the Sky’ starts with ‘Standing On The Shoulders of Giants’, and the opening Middle Eastern instrumentation made me think that the giants in question were Led Zep, sharing the mysterious drone from the opening of ‘In The Light’, Armored Saint building on that ancient sound with layers of drum, bass, and electric guitars before the unmistakeable and undiminished by time voice of Jon Bush flows forth, raised aloft on a platform of classic metal riffs, gang vocals, and a drum tight rhythm section. Following on hard, heavy, angry and literate is ‘End of the Attention Span’; well, at least the start was as I got distracted by some puppy videos on YouTube. Only joking, but that is the theme that the band punch out against in the song and accompanying video, decrying the fact that so much of the world, be it music or political views, is distilled down to near interchangeable sound bites. Did you know that one of the biggest selling singles of 2019, ‘Old Town Road’ was a chunk under two minutes? Admittedly I only listened to it once and that seemed way too long for my tastes, but it is a sign of how disposable modern music has to be to grab the ears and streams of the typical consumer. This is not a route that Armored Saint follow, each track of the album having time to develop and to draw in the listener.
‘The Bubble’ has a more mechanical, indeed, industrial feel to it, whilst ‘My Jurisdiction’ throws in an almost funky beat to the drumming and bass work, showing that whilst as youngsters the band used to appear on stage in plate mail and lay about themselves with swords they are not blinkered “Pure Metal Warriors”, but happy to incorporate elements from outside the genre to serve and enhance their sound. Blimey, only four songs into this eleven song LP, and already this review is in danger of growing to a length that will put even the most patient off wading through my inane rambling, so I’d better crack on. ‘Do No Wrong’ is a neck wrenching headbanger of a tune that would slot perfectly into any Saint live set and have fists raised to the air; ‘Lone Wolf’ slows the pace and high lights the sustain that Jon Bush still carries in his invaluable vocal chords; and the opening guitar harmonies of ‘Missile To Gun’ promise and go on to deliver a NWOBHM hit complete with galloping bass and riffs that combines classic sounds with modern themes. There is not a single misstep on the album, be it the pomp of ‘Fly In The Ointment’, the theatricality of the solo in ‘Bark, No Bite’, or power of album closer ‘Never You Fret’.
Whilst written and recorded in the weird and disjointed way that the current times have enforced, ‘Punching The Sky’ is as solid and well-rounded an album as Armored Saint have ever put forth, and knowing from experience the 100% effort the band put into their live shows, if they make one of their all too rare visits to these shores in the future I’ll be chasing the tour, and recommend you do the same. With this album, a forthcoming band documentary ‘Armored Saint: The Movie’, 2020 should be the year of the renaissance of The Saint, and here’s to many more.
(9/10 Spenny)
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