Armored Saint are what you would consider a cult favourite in heavy metal. They may not be the biggest name in the genre but they’ve carved a niche for themselves with their ultra theatrical power metal adjacent breed of proto thrash and NWOBHM-inspired grandeur led by the legendary John Bush, formerly of Anthrax.
Tailgunner took to the stage first with their brand of speed metal-tinged NWOBHM, ripped straight from 1981 and given a modern interpretation. The best way to describe their sound is if you were to take a group of dedicated heavy metal nerds with an obsessive dedication to recreating that mid-80s sound as accurately as humanly possible and executing it with as much polish and nuance as possible.
Tailgunner is absolutely nothing original by design, it’s a pastiche act mixing elements from Accept, Scorpions, Motorhead, Judas Priest and so many more. This may sound like a detriment but their dedication to authenticity makes them a prime candidate for the new favourite band of every battle jacket-wearing, Slayer-screaming, hell bent for leather metalheads that just refuse to let the 80s die like they really should have on January 1st 1990.
Ultra high falsettos, duelling guitar harmonies, guitar choreography and pounding double bass are omnipresent through their set as they rip through their first album, Guns for Hire. If any of this sounds appealing, you can catch them on their UK tour this October/November and check out one of the best examples of high camp modern 80s metal around. “We are here to put British heavy metal back on the map” says vocalist Craig Cairns and if this show is a sign of things to come, then British heavy metal is sure to make a massive comeback.
Armored Saint finally took to the stage, the majority of them dressed like Slash and drummer Gonzo Sandoval rocking Slash’s signature top hat before barrelling into the breakneck crushing intensity of ‘End of the Attention Span’. From the get go, you can feel the band still have a great deal of love for the music they make as their chemistry on stage burns brighter than most other bands of their age.
The only thing sharper than guitarist Phil Sandoval’s dress sense are his guitar solos. Held up by an incredibly tight rhythm section, he’s left to fly up and down the fretboard assisted by his fellow guitarist, Jeff Duncan. The two of them have never gotten the right amount of recognition as shredders but they can both hold their own in the solo and riff department, just look at tracks like ‘Win Hands Down’ or ‘Right Hook From Left Field’.
Armored Saint are also able to stretch their prog muscles on ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ which feels like if Metallica tried to write a Rush song but actually had the musical chops to pull it off. Spanning almost seven minutes and featuring non-stop pounding drumming, it’s a testament to their endurance and songwriting ability that a track like this is even possible to replicate live.
‘Tribal Dance’ (not to be confused with The War Dance) is a proto-groove metal anthem that could very well been a Pantera track in an alternate universe. The groove is untouchable, the riff is infectious and the sound mix is absolutely crushing. Truly an underrated heavy metal banger from an era where heavy metal bangers were omnipresent. The whole set is littered with tracks that raise the question “why the hell wasn’t this bigger?”.
John Bush has been unfairly written off by many as “the other guy in Anthrax” by the ill-informed and people who refuse to acknowledge anything but the Joey Belladonna Anthrax. John Bush not only has an impressive range that packs a massive punch, he also has the stage presence to back that up and even outside of that, he looks like he’s having the time of his life and that’s the easiest way to win over a crowd. The guitarists even managed to distract the audience long enough for John to make his way through into the audience. I’d previously thought this was only possible at arena shows but the madman actually did it and looked metal as hell while doing it.
Armored Saint’s biggest album March of the Saint was well represented as the band played the title track early on into the set as well as their undisputed biggest hit: ‘Can U Deliver,’ a Judas Priest-inspired bit of 80s NWOBHM carefully put together and interpreted in that early 80s bay area style. This album is something of an underrated masterpiece that doesn’t get the love it so desperately deserves but at least these tracks still get included in the set for the younger people to experience firsthand.
Armored Saint are a band that never got the credit they deserved, their songwriting and technical proficiency mixed in with their ultra-energised stage show make them an absolute must see. Can Armored Saint deliver a killer live show full of killer heavy metal? Yes, they absolutely can. Expectations were exceeded ten fold.
