Armored Saint La Raza
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
It’s too bad every band isn’t afforded the luxury of writing and recording records they want to do, without much concern over commercial success and album sales. So many records are fueled by the [understandable] need for an income, and thus it seems musical integrity is often sacrificed—if only a little—whether the bands admit it or not. As Joey Vera recently stated in a bravewords.com interview, “For all intents and purposes, we’ve abandoned our career.” This proclamation illustrates that Armored Saint have officially entered the rare part of their career where they are doing music for the love of it. La Raza, the band’s first album in 10 years, embodies this notion, and is an album as pure and honest as it is heavy.
Kicking things off in a grand fashion, “Loose Cannon” opens with a strange, but epic, acoustic intro before throttling up into one of the Saint’s best tracks in 20 years. Available in demo form from Metal Blade’s site for some time now, the final album version benefits greatly from the live drums and beefed-up production. John Bush’s vocals are as strong as ever, and his slightly deeper delivery inevitably brings in echoes of his time in Anthrax (another gig he will hopefully fully return to soon).
“Head On” continues things in classic, mid-paced Armored Saint fashion, but the next real standout track is the excellent “Left Hook From Right Field.” Boasting a fantastic chorus, and an ‘80s—but not dated—vibe, it’s clear that the band have not lost any passion or songwriting skill over their nearly 30-year career.
“Get Off the Fence” and “Chilled” are great tracks, if not mind blowing, but title track “La Raza” cranks up the quality once again. Featuring a unique mix of ‘70s prog rock, Latin percussion, a theremin solo, and of course, classic Armored Saint heaviness, the song is perhaps the most original track in the entire AS catalog, and shows that the members are truly unbound by stylistic barriers. The prog influences, possibly carried over from Joey’s tenure with Fates Warning, add a whole new dimension to the band’s sound and are a welcome addition to the band’s overall sound.
“Black Feet” is another interesting diversion, as it veers into an acoustic, western groove with some great, funky bass work from Mr. Vera. The melodic background vocals also break new ground for the band and serve the track well.
Battling with “Loose Cannon” and “Left Hook…” for best song on the album, “Little Monkey” is a catchy, punk-fueled track unlike anything from their previous albums, and certainly packs the punch and melody to penetrate the radio waves, assuming programmers could get past the angry lyrics and the fact that it’s being played by a talented, interesting band of professionals.
“Blues” and “Bandit Country” wrap up the album in fine style, and will no doubt leave Saint fans clamoring for more new material. Hopefully this time the between-full-album gap will be somewhat shorter than the 10-year span since Revelation (and it would be hard not to jump at a sequel to the Nod to the Old School compilation in the interim, hint hint).
What La Raza makes strikingly clear is that not only is Armored Saint far from becoming irrelevant, but that when unhinged by monetary desires, the members are able to create an album as new and exciting as anything being produced by bands half their age. This is not to take away anything from their back catalog—”Nervous Man,” “False Alarm,” and “Pay Dirt,” among others, all untouchable classic metal tracks, but when the band writes for no other reason than to try and create great music, great music is absolutely what they create.
Label: Metal Blade
Web: www.armoredsaint.com ; www.myspace.com/armoredsaint1
Band Lineup:
John Bush (vocals)
Joey Vera (bass)
Jeff Duncan (guitar)
Phil Sandoval (guitar)
Gonzo Sandoval (drums)
Tracks:
1. Loose Cannon
2. Head On
3. Left Hook From Right Field
4. Get Off the Fence
5. Chilled
6. La Raza
7. Black Feet
8. Little Monkey
9. Blues
10. Bandit Country
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.9/10