Armored Saint
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Armored Saint | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Los Angeles, California, United States |
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| Genre(s) | Hard Rock, Heavy Metal | |
| Years active | 1979 - 1992, 1999 - present |
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| Label(s) | Metal Blade Records (Current Label) Chrysalis Records |
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| Website | www.armoredsaint.com | |
| Members | ||
| John Bush Phil Sandoval Joey Vera Jeff Duncan Gonzo Sandoval |
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| Former members | ||
| Dave Pritchard | ||
Armored Saint is a Los Angeles based heavy metal band.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early career
The band was formed in 1982 by singer John Bush, guitarists Dave Prichard and Phil Sandoval, bassist Joey Vera and drummer Gonzalo (or Gonzo) Sandoval (b. 12 October 1963) (Phil's brother). Armored Saint released a three-song EP on Metal Blade Records in 1983 before signing with Chrysalis Records.
Armored Saint released three albums with Chrysalis, 1984's full length debut March of the Saint, 1985's Delirious Nomad and 1987's Raising Fear. Phil Sandoval played on Delirious Nomad, but then left the band, and Raising Fear was recorded by the remaining four members of the band. Armored Saint never achieved much success with Chrysalis and in 1989 returned to the Metal Blade stable.
Soon after the release of Armored Saint's first live album Saints Will Conquer in 1989, the band decided to replace Phil Sandoval, recruiting Jeff Duncan as second guitarist. The band had begun writing and recording rough four-track demos for their next album when guitarist Dave Prichard was diagnosed with leukemia. Before Armored Saint could return to the studio to record their new material, Dave Prichard died. After a brief hiatus, Phil Sandoval returned to the band to replace Pritchard, and Armored Saint returned to the recording studio. The following year Symbol of Salvation was released to widespread critical and commercial success. It was dedicated to the spirit and memory of Dave Prichard, whose solo performance on the four-track demo recording of the song 'Tainted Past' was used on the studio recording. During the early days of both bands, John Bush was invited to audition for Metallica, who also courted Joey Vera after the death of their bassist Cliff Burton. Following the successful Symbol of Salvation tour, John Bush was offered the lead singer position in the thrash metal band Anthrax. Unsure of Armored Saint's future, Bush accepted the job. The remaining members decided to call it quits and Armored Saint was officially disbanded.
After Armored Saint disbanded, Joey Vera kept busy playing with such bands as Fates Warning, Lizzy Borden and Chroma Key. He released a solo album in 1994 and started a successful second career as a producer and engineer.
[edit] Reunion and Future
In 1999, while Anthrax was temporarily on hiatus due to various issues, John Bush got together with Joey Vera and together they decided to reform Armored Saint. The entire Symbol of Salvation lineup returned to the studio and in 2000, Revelation was released. A small club tour opening for Dio followed. The album was a remarkable resurrection of the classic sound of Armored Saint. It features the band's first song with Spanish lyrics and a track partly written by Dave Prichard, and Joey Vera plays guitar on several tracks.
The following year, the band released Nod to the Old School, a collection of rarities, demos and outtakes (many from the Pritchard years), plus a few new tracks was released. Soon after, John Bush returned to the studio with Anthrax and Armored Saint was once again placed on hiatus.
In 2004 Joey Vera joined Anthrax as a temporary member to replace Frank Bello. Early in 2005, Anthrax's Scott Ian announced that their most famous lineup was reformed leaving the membership of Vera and Bush somewhat undetermined. Bush has stated his involvement with Anthrax is over, although Ian does not appear to be sure. This move gave hope to many that Armored Saint would once again start recording. A one-off show with the Revelation lineup took place in 2005, and in 2006 the band has embarked upon a new tour.
As part of their 20th anniversary and continuing celebrations, Metal Blade released a special edition of Symbol of Salvation plus reissued the band's long out of print live video A Trip Through Red Times.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Armored Saint (EP) | Metal Blade | 3 song EP |
| 1984 | March of the Saint | Chrysalis | |
| 1985 | Delirious Nomad | Chrysalis | |
| 1987 | Raising Fear | Chrysalis | |
| 1988 | Saints Will Conquer | Live album | |
| 1991 | Symbol of Salvation | Metal Blade | Reissued in 2003 with 3 disc Deluxe version |
| 2000 | Revelation | Metal Blade | |
| 2001 | Nod to the Old School | Metal Blade | A few new tracks plus rarities, demos and live material |
[edit] Videos/DVDs
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | A Trip Through Red Times | Chrysalis | Live bootleg video. Re-released by Metal Blade in 2004 |
| 1992 | Hellraiser III | ||
| 2004 | Lessons Not Well Learned | Metal Blade |
