Readers and followers of Alamo True Metal over the years have grown accustomed to concert coverage encapsulating each band on the bill in the same piece. But last Friday’s show at the new Tech Port Center + Arena staked claim to one of the rare exceptions of allotting each artist its own just due space.
After all, how can a guitarist celebrating his 50th anniversary such as Michael Schenker be limited to a few sentences buried within a report highlighting a headliner in W.A.S.P. not only marking its 40th anniversary but its first show in the Alamo City in more than a decade?
And for the purposes of this particular report, a more appropriate question would be: how can a blistering, heavy, veteran and talented-across-the-board group such as Armored Saint be treated as an “opening act” in writing given that its status as such on this bill was as much of a misnomer as misnomers can get?
So let the march of the review of the Saint begin.
You can’t open a three-act heavy metal concert with a song entitled “Reign of Fire” and not come out balls blazing, and that’s exactly what Armored Saint did. Thing is, vocalist John Bush, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, bassist Joey Vera and drummer Gonzo Sandoval sustained it throughout their 10-song, approximately 45-minute showing.
But should that really come as a surprise?
Not only has Armored Saint kept its original lineup with the exception of the 1990 passing of guitarist Dave Prichard due to leukemia resulting in Duncan’s addition to the band, but the strong and tight quintet is marking its own 40th anniversary this year. It showed on stage as Armored Saint displayed the crispest sound of all three acts and easily had the most energy. Watch them in action via ATM’s Facebook Live footage of personal favorite “Chemical Euphoria,” below on 1991’s “Symbol of Salvation” and 2015’s “Win Hands Down” and via the 27-photo gallery.
Phil Sandoval was a beast on guitar without demonstrating showmanship that was too flashy. He let his guitar skills and playing do the talking while striking brief poses that were appropriate for the parts of his riffs he wanted to emphasize without those poses distracting the audience from the sounds he was constructing.
There was no letup on the part of his brother Gonzo behind the kit either, as Armored Saint’s heaviness may have caught the roughly 1,300 in attendance off guard for anyone expecting the Saint to be a “warmup” act in every sense of the word.
Bush has always been one of metal’s most passionate vocalists, something we discussed in 2015 when Armored Saint opened for Saxon (watch here), and that was evident on old and new tunes alike such as classics “Long Before I Die” and “Last Train Home” plus 2020 Punching the Sky tracks “End of the Attention Span” and “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.”
While most metalheads are familiar with Bush’s mid-’90s era as the vocalist of Anthrax that placed Armored Saint on an 8-year hiatus, fewer may know other interesting facts about him, some of which were discussed in the aforementioned video interview:
He appeared in the 1983 Huey Lewis & The News video “The Heart of Rock N’ Roll,” exiting the limo toward the end of the song. Bush told ATM his appearance came about because Armored Saint and Lewis’ band shared the same record label
Bush joined Metallica on “The Four Horsemen” during the latter’s 30th anniversary gigs in 2011 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, where Metallica went into detail about how Bush could’ve auditioned to be their vocalist in 1983 but turned it down
Bush used to do voiceovers in Burger King commercials
But on Friday night, Bush’s vocal cords did what they do best, and he and Armored Saint were still going strong on finale and 1984 title track “March of the Saint.”
The only complaint about Armored Saint’s set? It was too short. Somebody bring these guys back to the Alamo City as headliners, stat!
Can Armored Saint deliver?
Was there ever any doubt?
SETLIST: Reign of Fire, End of the Attention Span, Long Before I Die, Last Train Home, Chemical Euphoria, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Symbol of Salvation, Win Hands Down, Can U Deliver, March of the Saint
