16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here come the Saints..., December 20, 2001
This review is from: March of the Saint (Audio CD)
In the early 80's, the popularity of heavy metal music was arguably at its peak. The LA scene was particularly active, with bands like Ratt and Motley Crue leading the way. New bands were a dime a dozen.
With their first full-length release, "March of the Saint", Armored Saint clearly distinguished themselves from the pack. Not a "pretty boy" or "hair" band, the Saints put the music first and produced the American equivalent of euro-style metal, with heavy riffs and a solid twin guitar attack. Though many bands have talented guitar players, few could claim to have a vocalist with the singing ability of the Saint's John Bush. With Bush, the Saints had a powerful, dynamic and expressive voice capable of bringing melody and emotion to metal.
With songs like "Seducer", "Mutiny On the World", and "March of the Saint", Armored Saint proved that they rocked as hard as anyone. Shifting gears on "Take A Turn", the closest thing to a ballad on the album, singer Bush gives perhaps his most emotional and inspired vocal effort. This album is all meat, with no filler material. Lots of memorable riffs, and melodic guitar solos.
Armored Saint never achieved the acclaim and popularity they deserved, and various personal problems combined to take a heavy toll on the band. Through the years, the Saints have persevered and continued to produce quality recordings that carry the flag of American heavy metal forward into the new millenium. If you like metal, check out this CD and the entire library of this neglected band.
Happy headbanging.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IN THE 1980'S, HEAVY METAL HAD A NEW NAME!!! ARMORED SAINT!!, August 26, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: March of the Saint (Audio CD)
THE FIRST TIME I HEARD MARCH OF THE SAINT BY ARMORED SAINT, I LAID DOWN MY JUDAS PRIEST"DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH" TAPE FOR 6 MONTHS! THIS WAS THE HOTTEST METAL BAND I HAD EVER HEARD!!! STILL TO THIS DAY, THE SONG "CAN U DELIVER" REALLY DELIVERS!! THIS IS HEADBANGING AT IT'S BEST!!!! AS A MATTER OF FACT, EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM DELIVERS BLISTERING METAL RIFFS THAT ANY METALHEAD CAN DIGEST!!! IF YOU CRAVE IN YOUR FACE METAL WITH AN EDGE, THEN THIS ALBUM IS A MUST!!!!!! HATS OFF TO ARMORED SAINT!!!!!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A band in their own metal subgenre, January 17, 2005
This review is from: March of the Saint (Audio CD)
In the early 80's, there really was only two american metal movements. There was thrash metal (Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer) and hair/glam metal (Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken). In 1984, the saints came marching and released their debut. Their debut, however, was differnt than the other material being released by American bands. They weren't hardcore thrash yet they weren't pretty boys either. They were band of their own sound at the time. It's like they took some Euro metal styles such as NWOBHM and mixed it with some thrash. Many called them "power metal", but that really doesn't fit them either as that genre is dominated by super fast bands such as Helloween, Running Wild, and Iced Earth. What can I say, they were a band with their own sound and its a shame their debut wasn't more of a success and the band was, and is, a terrific straight ahead metal band.
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