Today in 1988 Armored Saint released the Live album Saints Will Conquer Los Angeles, California Traditional Heavy Metal Status:Active Years active: 1982-1992, 1999-2003, 2008-present Armored Saint is a traditional heavy metal band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982. The initial lineup consisted of singer John Bush, bassist Joey Vera, guitarists Dave Pritchard and Phil Sandoval, and drummer Gonzo Sandoval. Their sound is heavily influenced by European hard rock and metal acts including Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. Their name was first suggested by an inebriated Gonzo Sandoval after the band watched the medieval-themed movie “Excalibur”. While his band mates initially laughed at the idea, the name stuck. Their first gig, much to their delight, took place at an all-female Catholic high school. After recording a five-song demo, they were fortunate enough to have their song “Lesson Well Learned” appear on the Metal Blade compilation album Metal Massacre II. Impressed by the group, Metal Blade helped further promote the band by releasing their self-titled EP, which contains three songs from their demo. Seeing potential in the band, Chrysalis Records signed Armored Saint to a two-album deal with an option for a third album. Their major label debut, March Of The Saint, was released in 1984. A promo video was released for the track “Can U Deliver”, and the label ran an extensive advertising campaign to promote the record. However, the band was not pleased with the album’s slick production, thinking the record was overproduced. To make matters worse, they later learned that the money Chrysalis spent on Armored Saint in the recording studio was essentially a loan that they had to pay back. Putting these issues aside, the band were able to take part in some large national tours with the likes of Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, W.A.S.P., as well as their good pals, Metallica. Delirious Nomad, released in 1985, was the band’s response to Chrysalis Record’s efforts to push them in the direction of Top-40 bands like Def Leppard. The result is a much heavier album that the band felt captured their raw energy as well as the essence of a live Armored Saint show. It was around this stage that Phil Sandoval left the band, but the Saint would continue as a four piece. Additionally, their label began to lose interest in the band, so Delirious Nomad saw less promotion than their previous album. Surprisingly, Chrysalis picked up their option for a third album, and the result was Raising Fear in 1987. There were concerns from the Armored Saint camp that their occasional use of armor during concerts would pigeonhole the group as an image-based band. To stress that their music was their number one concern, they abandoned their medieval imagery by the time of the Raising Fear tour. Having finished their contract with Chrysalis, Armored Saint returned to Metal Blade and released Saints Will Conquer, a live EP, in 1988. The band hoped that this EP would help bridge them towards another major label deal. Unfortunately, this never happened. Around the time of this release, the band recruited a second guitar player, Jeff Duncan (ex-Odin). The band began writing material for their fourth studio album in 1988, and would accumulate more than 20 songs over a three-year period. In 1989, the band finally reached their goal of playing in Europe when they landed a spot on the Dynamo festival in Holland. The lineup included, among others, Savatage, Forbidden and Sacred Reich. Unfortunately, soon after the band returned to the States, guitarist Dave Pritchard was diagnosed with leukemia. Pritchard passed away in 1990. Despite the loss of their friend, the band continued work on the material developed with Pritchard, and released Symbol of Salvation in 1991. While Jeff Duncan and a returning Phil Sandoval handled most of the guitar duties, the song “Tainted Past” included a Dave Pritchard solo that was lifted from a pre-album demo. As an additional tribute, a home video, A Trip Thru Red Times, was released to showcase Pritchard’s time in the band. In 1992, John Bush accepted an invitation from thrash metal giants Anthrax, and became their new vocalist. The remaining members of Armored Saint decided to part ways and focus on other endeavors. The group reunited in 1999 and recorded Revelation (2000), followed by the compilation Nod To The Old School (2001). They managed to fit in numerous live shows in between Bush’s commitments with Anthrax. Following yet another hiatus, they released their sixth studio album, La Raza, on March 16, 2010. After almost 30 year’s since their formation, the Saints continue to conquer!! Metal Blade Records John Bush - vocals Dave Prichard - guitars (R.I.P. 1990) Joey Vera - bass Gonzo Sandoval - drums Guest/Session Phil Sandoval Guitars (track 6) 1. Raising Fear (3:34) 2. Nervous Man (3:35) 3. Chemical Euphoria (4:12) 4. Book of Blood (4:47) 5. Can U Deliver (4:34) 6. Long Before I Die (2:44) 7. Madhouse (4:23) 8. No Reason to Live (4:01) Total Time: 31:53 Produced by Armored Saint and Bill Metoyer. Recorded live on October 9th, 1987, at the Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH. Cover concept by Armored Saint. Dutch release by Roadrunner Records. Track 6, No Reason to live, was taken from the first demo. CD bonus tracks: 3. Chemical Euphoria [4:11] 6. Long Before I Die [2:42 Saints Will Conquer is the only live album by American heavy metal band Armored Saint recorded during the Raising Fear tour. It was recorded on October 9, 1987 at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland and released in 1988 on Metal Blade Records. This short live set does not represent the first era of the band well, missing songs like fan favorite March of the Saint and their radio hit Isolation. The album features a previously unreleased studio version of No Reason to Live from their first demo from 1983 youtube/watch?v=U5BqRrtcrv4
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:21:40 +0000
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