Customer Reviews

March of the Saint

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!!!!!

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.

This is a great CD from the 80's, but not hair metal by any means. This cd showcased Armored Saint when they were at their best! Very energetic and a great recording. From the funky title track and 'Can U Deliver', to the heavy 'False Alarm', and everything in between, this CD is just great.
Dave Pritchard did some great guitar soloing here and the songs get ya in the gut. Just a great release from an underappreciated band. Would highly recommend all of their stuff if you like straight forward metal with a touch of melody to balance it out. A must.

This is a great 80's era Metal album. Great musicians and well written songs. Just get it.

This album started it all! "MARCH OF THE SAINT" is a pure metal masterpiece that rocks throughout the whole record, from Armored Saint's war cry "Can U Deliver," to the catchy metal legacy "Glory Hunter." This album still has the clear production quality too, it sounds great even to this day! Armored Saint obviously gave 110% making this record with precision, power, dynamics, speed, attitude, and origionality at the time when metal was REAL! So if you don't own this record, and you love true metal, your missing out on ... a lot!!! SO BUY IT, PUT IT IN, TURN IT UP, AND ROCK OUT!!!

This album started it all! "MARCH OF THE SAINT" is a pure metal masterpiece that rocks throughout the whole record, from Armored Saint's war cry "Can U Deliver," to the catchy metal legacy "Glory Hunter." This album still has the clear production quality too, it sounds great even to this day! Armored Saint obviously gave 110% making this record with precision, power, dynamics, speed, attitude, and origionality at the time when metal was REAL! So if you don't own this record, and you love true metal, your missing out on a hell of a lot!!! SO BUY IT, PUT IT IN, TURN IT UP, AND ROCK OUT!!!

"March of the Saint" is often considered classic by many metal mavens, a launching pad for one of the more critically acclaimed classic metal acts around. And it's true that the album is chock full of chunky, hummable riffs, and if you're not carefull, your knees will begin tapping and your head will begin banging, so infectious are many of these tunes.

However, with all that said, after what I've been listening to lately, Armored Saint just can't compare musically. I'm not saying the music on this highly regarded album is bad; far from it. It's great, simple, hooky anthem metal. If that's your cup of tea, well add at least 1 star to the 3 I gave it. It just isn't complex or captivating enough for me to go higher than that. Manowar is the only band I allow to do that :-). This is probably worth the purchase though if you are a fan of the aforementioned anthem metal.

I originally bought this on cassette back when it came out in 1984. I was 14 at the time. I have since worn the tape out and last year I bought it on CD and I'm still listening to it 17 years after it's release. These guys were the real deal. For some reason, they got lost in the shuffle of the other new metal bands coming out. John Bush is one of the best metal singers around. If you like Priest, Maiden, & Metallica, you'll dig Armored Saint.

Good cd to crank up riffs and a few stand out tunes. It is good, not great.. but I missed these guys back in the day. Buy a used copy and get some beers in the basement.