Last October, ARMORED SAINT released their eighth full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records. Today, the band has announced their first tour dates in support of this record: a short run of shows with Black Label Society and Prong in December 2021!
Front-man John Bush comments: “We’re super excited to finally be doing some dates in support of ‘Punching the Sky’!! Albeit a year in two months after it came out. What makes it even more exciting is to support Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society!! Let’s do it!!!!”
“Doom Trooping over North America” tour dates w/ Black Label Society, Armored Saint, Prong Dec. 27, 2021 – Reno, NV – Virginia Street Brewhouse Dec. 28, 2021 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Grand Dec. 29, 2021 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Dec. 30, 2021 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues Dec. 31, 2021 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s latest release, Punching The Sky (2020), sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down (2015) with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. Mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour), the record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
Last October, ARMORED SAINT released their eighth full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records. Today, the band has launched a new video for the album track, “Lone Wolf”. Directed by Robert Graves // ashadowbeyond.com (who also produced the videos for Armored Saint‘s “End of the Attention Span” and “Missile to Gun”), “Lone Wolf” can be seen HERE:
Robert Graves comments: “With ‘Lone Wolf’, the band and I agreed right away that this was an opportunity to create a narrative driven video that would convey the song’s lyrical themes, while also creating an engaging visual experience. And so, a noir-styled heist in the heart of LA just seemed to fit the song perfectly. We decided to keep the story simple and allow the tone of the video to help convey the song’s significance. This gave us (the crew) the opportunity to create an aesthetic that intensified the song’s mood, while also getting some incredible action scenes to tell the story. Needless to say, Armored Saint fans are in for a ride. I think they’re gonna love it!”
Bassist Joey Vera adds: “Working again with director Robert Graves was incredible. Not only is this video great to watch, but underneath the storyline lies a layer of allegory, metaphor and symbolism. Kind of a first for us. John Bush’s great lyrics twist and turn into meanings not visible at first sight. It’s a view into a person’s journey through life and how they maneuver through it all and what they gain from that experience in the end. The neo-noir look Robert created in both the story and the band performances make this a great addition to the Armored Saint video catalogue.”
Vocalist John Bush adds: “Working with Robert is awesome. The guy is truly amazing. He’s gonna be a star. This time we pushed the dialogue. It was challenging for me, but I had fun with it. For motivation, I tried to channel some of the great actors who come into the casting studio that my wife and I run. ‘Wolf’ tackles the view of people who spend a lot of time on their own. Something I spent years doing. The solitary individuals that always keep us guessing. This video is dedicated to them.”
Armored Saint also have new merchandise – including a flannel long sleeve, ashtray, flask, lighter, license plate holder, and more! – available at: indiemerch.com/armoredsaint
Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s latest release, Punching The Sky (2020), sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down (2015) with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. Mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour), the record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
Last month, ARMORED SAINT released their critically acclaimed full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records – which landed on the worldwide charts:
UK Charts #33 Independent Chart #15 Rock & Metal Chart
North American Charts #4 Current Hard Music Albums #6 Top New Artists #16 Top Independent Albums #17 Current Rock Albums #28 Internet Albums #33 Billboard Top Current Albums #35 Current Digital Albums #39 Billboard Top Albums
Canadian Charts #8 Hard Music Albums #67 Top Current Albums #92 Billboard Top Albums
European Charts #12 – Germany #23 – Switzerland #40 – Finland (Physical Album) #58 – Austria #74 – Flanders (Region of Belgium) #86 – Netherlands #183 – France
Purchase and stream Punching The Sky now at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. “The goal is to write really good music. I know I’m stating the obvious here but that’s about the size of our agenda,” says bassist Joey Vera. “We’ve been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we’ve recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn’t really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of music that we want to hear. This record is a reflection of where we are at, right now.” Exploding to life with the crunchy, rousing “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” and not letting up until the closing ruthless riff of “Never You Fret”, the record is possessed of an urgency and vigor which very much places it in the right now, but could only be the work of Vera, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and vocalist John Bush. “When you’re a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record,” states Bush. “The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you’re just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They’ll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way.”
With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. “I like working with people that I trust and have a good personal rapport with. That same reason is why I hired Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour) to mix the record. It’s important to be able to work with people who understand what the end goal is.” The process of realizing the album was a lot of hard work, Vera admitting he took on too many of the tasks himself, but he states that overall it was a good experience and everyone brought their A-game to the table and the right attitude for getting things done. “At the end of the mixing stage, I always have a hard time walking away from the project we’ve been working on for so long. It’s hard to let it go. The end result is good though. Everyone played and sang their asses off and it shows.” The record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
With the band’s place in the metal scene firmly reestablished with Punching The Sky, they are staring down their four decade anniversary, which Vera reflects on. “Part of me feels like I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for that long. It’s kind of incredible. So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we’ve been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn’t do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we’ve had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That’s what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old.”
Yesterday (October 23rd), ARMORED SAINT released their eighth full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the album, a video for the new single “Missile To Gun” (produced by Defiant Digital Productions // defiant-digital.com, directed by Robert Graves // ashadowbeyond.com) can be viewed at:
Purchase and stream Punching The Sky in full now at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint – where the record is available in various formats.
Fans can also read an exclusive interview with Armored Saint about Punching The Sky and more in the December 2020 issue of Decibel Magazine, which features the band on the cover. To purchase your copy online now, please visit: store.decibelmagazine.com – or pick up an issue at newsstands starting November 4th!
Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. “The goal is to write really good music. I know I’m stating the obvious here but that’s about the size of our agenda,” says bassist Joey Vera. “We’ve been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we’ve recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn’t really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of music that we want to hear. This record is a reflection of where we are at, right now.” Exploding to life with the crunchy, rousing “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” and not letting up until the closing ruthless riff of “Never You Fret”, the record is possessed of an urgency and vigor which very much places it in the right now, but could only be the work of Vera, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and vocalist John Bush. “When you’re a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record,” states Bush. “The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you’re just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They’ll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way.”
With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. “I like working with people that I trust and have a good personal rapport with. That same reason is why I hired Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour) to mix the record. It’s important to be able to work with people who understand what the end goal is.” The process of realizing the album was a lot of hard work, Vera admitting he took on too many of the tasks himself, but he states that overall it was a good experience and everyone brought their A-game to the table and the right attitude for getting things done. “At the end of the mixing stage, I always have a hard time walking away from the project we’ve been working on for so long. It’s hard to let it go. The end result is good though. Everyone played and sang their asses off and it shows.” The record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
With the band’s place in the metal scene firmly reestablished with Punching The Sky, they are staring down their four decade anniversary, which Vera reflects on. “Part of me feels like I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for that long. It’s kind of incredible. So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we’ve been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn’t do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we’ve had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That’s what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old.”
Punching The Sky track-listing 1. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 2. End of the Attention Span 3. Bubble 4. My Jurisdiction 5. Do Wrong to None 6. Lone Wolf 7. Missile to Gun 8. Fly in the Ointment 9. Bark, No Bite 10. Unfair 11. Never You Fret
On October 23rd, ARMORED SAINT will release their eighth full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the album, a video for the new single, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” (directed and produced by Costin Chioreanu // twilight13media.com), can be viewed below. Additional drone footage was shot by Miluta Flueras, with band performance footage by Vince Edwards. Special thanks to Dan Marinescu.
A video for the first single, “End of the Attention Span” (directed by Robert Graves // ashadowbeyond.com), can be seen at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint – where the album can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
On Saturday, October 10th at 1PM PST//4PM EST//10PM CET, Armored Saint will host a live record release show online for Punching The Sky. Set to take place at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA, Armored Saint will be performing a full set, including 4 new songs from Punching the Sky. Additionally, the band will be answering select questions from fans who submit them via a post on their Facebook page: facebook.com/thearmoredsaint
$10 tickets, plus exclusive event merch bundles, are available now at: armoredsaint.veeps.com.
Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. “The goal is to write really good music. I know I’m stating the obvious here but that’s about the size of our agenda,” says bassist Joey Vera. “We’ve been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we’ve recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn’t really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of music that we want to hear. This record is a reflection of where we are at, right now.” Exploding to life with the crunchy, rousing “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” and not letting up until the closing ruthless riff of “Never You Fret”, the record is possessed of an urgency and vigor which very much places it in the right now, but could only be the work of Vera, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and vocalist John Bush. “When you’re a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record,” states Bush. “The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you’re just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They’ll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way.”
With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. “I like working with people that I trust and have a good personal rapport with. That same reason is why I hired Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour) to mix the record. It’s important to be able to work with people who understand what the end goal is.” The process of realizing the album was a lot of hard work, Vera admitting he took on too many of the tasks himself, but he states that overall it was a good experience and everyone brought their A-game to the table and the right attitude for getting things done. “At the end of the mixing stage, I always have a hard time walking away from the project we’ve been working on for so long. It’s hard to let it go. The end result is good though. Everyone played and sang their asses off and it shows.” The record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
With the band’s place in the metal scene firmly reestablished with Punching The Sky, they are staring down their four decade anniversary, which Vera reflects on. “Part of me feels like I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for that long. It’s kind of incredible. So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we’ve been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn’t do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we’ve had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That’s what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old.”
Punching The Sky track-listing 1. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 2. End of the Attention Span 3. Bubble 4. My Jurisdiction 5. Do Wrong to None 6. Lone Wolf 7. Missile to Gun 8. Fly in the Ointment 9. Bark, No Bite 10. Unfair 11. Never You Fret
On Saturday, October 10th at 1PM PST//4PM EST//10PM CET, ARMORED SAINT will host a live record release show online for their upcoming album, Punching The Sky (due out October 23rd via Metal Blade Records). Set to take place at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA, Armored Saint will be performing a full set, including 4 new songs from Punching the Sky. Additionally, the band will be answering select questions from fans who submit them via a post on their Facebook page: facebook.com/thearmoredsaint
Tickets, plus exclusive event merch bundles are available now at: armoredsaint.veeps.com. Fans who purchase a ticket can access the footage and bundles until November 9th. See below for all ticket-bundle options:
–ticket plus signed CD of Punching the Sky [$30 (USA only)] –ticket plus exclusive event tee and signed CD [$65 (USA only)] –ticket plus exclusive event tee [$55 (USA shipping), $65.00 (Europe shipping)]
Armored Saint comments: “We are very excited about our new record ‘Punching the Sky‘, and we’d be pleased if you’d join us in this virtual show to help celebrate the release date. In these strange times where none of us can go to see live music anymore, this is the closest thing we can do about that. We will be on stage, cranking it out as we always do. We will certainly be missing seeing all of you in the venue, but we hope you’ll Rock Out with us in the comfort of your own homes!”
For a first preview of Punching The Sky, a video for the new single, “End of the Attention Span” (directed by Robert Graves // ashadowbeyond.com), can be viewed at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint – where the album can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint‘s Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. “The goal is to write really good music. I know I’m stating the obvious here but that’s about the size of our agenda,” says bassist Joey Vera. “We’ve been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we’ve recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn’t really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of music that we want to hear. This record is a reflection of where we are at, right now.” Exploding to life with the crunchy, rousing “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” and not letting up until the closing ruthless riff of “Never You Fret”, the record is possessed of an urgency and vigor which very much places it in the right now, but could only be the work of Vera, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and vocalist John Bush. “When you’re a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record,” states Bush. “The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you’re just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They’ll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way.”
With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. “I like working with people that I trust and have a good personal rapport with. That same reason is why I hired Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour) to mix the record. It’s important to be able to work with people who understand what the end goal is.” The process of realizing the album was a lot of hard work, Vera admitting he took on too many of the tasks himself, but he states that overall it was a good experience and everyone brought their A-game to the table and the right attitude for getting things done. “At the end of the mixing stage, I always have a hard time walking away from the project we’ve been working on for so long. It’s hard to let it go. The end result is good though. Everyone played and sang their asses off and it shows.” The record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D’Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D’Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
With the band’s place in the metal scene firmly reestablished with Punching The Sky, they are staring down their four decade anniversary, which Vera reflects on. “Part of me feels like I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for that long. It’s kind of incredible. So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we’ve been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn’t do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we’ve had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That’s what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old.”
Punching The Sky track-listing 1. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 2. End of the Attention Span 3. Bubble 4. My Jurisdiction 5. Do Wrong to None 6. Lone Wolf 7. Missile to Gun 8. Fly in the Ointment 9. Bark, No Bite 10. Unfair 11. Never You Fret
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 