Formed in 1982, LA metallers Armored Saint have been well respected and revered by fans and peers alike throughout their colourful and sometimes tragic career. Vocalist John Bush was given the opportunity to sing for Metallica after the release of their debut Kill ‘Em All as James Hetfield wasn’t confident enough as a singer and wanted to concentrate on guitar duties. We all know how that story ended, but I’ve often wondered how that collaboration would have sounded. Bush left Armored Saint in the 90s to join Anthrax after Joey Belladonna exited and that was effectively the end of Armored Saint until they reformed in 1999.
Their fourth album ‘Symbol of Salvation’ was released in 1991, this was the first album featuring guitarist Jeff Duncan after original member Dave Prichard died from leukemia before the recording of the album. Prichard had demoed a lot of the material that would end up on SOS and one of his guitar solos was used on the track Tainted Past. The album would go on to be well received and remains a fan favourite.
To celebrate the thirtieth birthday of ‘Symbol of Salvation’ we have been given a fantastic live recording and DVD of the album played in its entirety. Recorded in 2018 at New York’s Gramercy theatre, it captures the band in full flight. Bush sounds incredible (as always) and the band consisting of bassist Joey Vera, guitar duo Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan and Gonzo Sandoval on drums put in a fantastic performance. The album benefits from a punchy and clear mix and the album is available in various eye-catching formats. You can choose from a 2 CD/DVD digipak autographed by the band or a gatefold double vinyl ‘splatter’ LP. The vinyl version features demos from the 1989 writing of the album by Dave Prichard.
This is a great live album that really showcases one of metals most underrated bands that really should have crept up the ladder of success further than they did. Bassist Joey Vera sums up the album as follows – “All we’ve ever wanted was to make our own music, to take joy and take pride in doing it. The fact that we also have very loyal fans who continue to support what we do is the best icing on this cake. I try to look at our records as objectively as possible, and when I can do that, I’m very proud that this record is a huge part of the band’s legacy, and I am extremely humbled that I’m a part of that.”
Iron Maiden are one of THOSE bands that need no introduction. I was a huge Maiden fan as a teenager but anything after 92’s Fear of the Dark album has left me mostly cold. I never listened to the Blaze Bayley era albums and only got interested again when the band got the classic line up back. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some great moments after the 1999 reunion with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, such as the underrated A Matter of Life and Death album. I freely admit to having great admiration for the band for constantly releasing new material while keeping the fans of the glory days happy in a live setting by celebrating their most iconic moments on stage. On to the matter at hand; Senjutsu is Maiden’s seventeenth studio album and has again been produced by long term knob twiddler Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist and Maiden head honcho Steve Harris.
Maiden are a bit like many of the classic rock/metal bands still around and releasing new material, you kinda know what you’re gonna get. Epic overly long songs? Check. Riffs with a Celtic feel? Check. Widdly guitar solos? Check. Their formula works well though and there are a few surprising moments on this latest opus. Lead single ‘The Writing on the Wall’ is a marked departure from their usual style and it’s the stand out track for that very reason. I have to say that I’m not a fan of Shirley’s production on any of the Maiden albums he’s worked on. The mix is always muddy and dull and doesn’t reflect the bands power as a live act. On this latest effort however, Harris’s bass thunders through the speakers and Nicko McBrain’s drums are more prominent than usual which makes for a more interesting listen.
I think the main reason why I have struggled to connect with the most recent Maiden material is Bruce Dickinson’s voice. I fully understand that after having throat cancer his voice would never be the same, now it just grates on me and I really struggle to listen to it. The musicianship of the rest of the band is still great and even though I’ve never been a fan of Janick Gers, he plays a blinder on ‘Senjutsu’. There are no real barnstorming tracks on offer here, most of the songs plod along at a mid-paced tempo and take a few listens to get under your skin.
The album opens with the title track and it has an almost hypnotic feel with McBrain’s tribal drumming and its chugging riff. Other stand-out moments include Stratego which is the most energetic song on the album with its familiar galloping feel. ‘Lost in a Lost World’ is another slow burner and the epic ‘The Parchment’ which clocks in at 12:39 and goes off in a variety of directions. It has to be said, for a band who are all in their sixties to be releasing any new material at all is a feat in itself. This isn’t the Iron Maiden of old by any stretch of the imagination and it takes time and effort to appreciate what’s being done here. Harris has always been open about his prog influences and that becomes more apparent with every new Maiden album. The songwriting credits are mostly penned by Harris with Smith/Dickinson, Harris/Gers and Smith/Harris splitting the rest.
One more thing to mention is the artwork by Mark Wilkinson which is spectacular. The samurai sword wielding Eddie really is fantastic. Yet again Maiden come up trumps with the packaging of the album. It’s available in the following formats – Standard 2CD digipak, deluxe 2CD book, deluxe heavyweight 180G triple black vinyl, special edition triple silver & black marble vinyl, special edition triple red & black marble vinyl and a super deluxe boxset featuring CD, Blu-Ray and exclusive memorabilia!
If you’re a Maiden fan you’ll probably enjoy the album for what it is. It’s an Iron Maiden album that will no doubt please the hordes of Maiden fans all over the world, for me it’s a reasonably enjoyable listen with some great stand out moments with ‘The Writing on the Wall’ being the unexpected highlight. Put it on, make yourself a cuppa, grab a couple of rounds of toast and take it all in. Up the irons!
You never forget your first encounter with Motorhead. I vividly remember mine; I was around 12 years old and I had been regularly raiding my mate’s older brother’s vinyl collection. I had already been turned into a metalhead after blasting his copy of UFO’s classic live album ‘Strangers in the Night’ over and over and had my Dio virginity taken by Rainbow’s ‘Rising’ and his pristine copy of ‘Holy Diver’. I was flicking through to see what else would grab my attention when I came across his copy of ‘Ace of Spades’. I assumed they must be some sort of mad Mexican bandits judging by the cover with Lemmy and the boys resplendent with bullet belts, guns, and cowboy hats in the hot desert. (I was gutted when I found out years later that the photo was taken in High Barnet, London). Anyway, I feverishly took the LP out of its sleeve and put it on my mother’s crap hi-fi system. The opening bars of the title track was enough to have the speakers flapping, the neighbours complaining and this teenage scribe’s metal morphosis was complete.
This time in Motorhead’s history was to prove to be their most successful, ‘Ace of Spades’ reached number four on the UK album chart, and the ensuing ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ tour was their most lucrative to date, taking Bronze label-mates Girlschool out with them as support. This tour was documented in the loudest possible way with the release in 1981 of one of the best live albums ever recorded: ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. Confusingly, the album wasn’t recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon as many people think but was made up from material recorded at the Newcastle City Hall and the Leeds Queen’s Hall in 1981. The album’s title came from a mural painted on one of the band’s tour trucks. It was the band’s only number one in the UK and showcased a band at the peak of their deafening powers. The line-up of Lemmy, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor is the most revered for good reason, the chemistry on stage is palpable and every track is performed as if their lives depended on it. It literally rips out of the speakers. I loved it as a spotty teenager, and I love it even more now.
This 40th-anniversary release of ‘No Sleep’ is hot on the heels of last year’s fantastic ‘Ace of Spades’ anniversary release. There’s so much here for Motorheadbangers to get their teeth into with the deluxe editions. You can choose from a remastered double CD or triple LP set, both come with bonus tracks, soundcheck recordings, and the previously unreleased Newcastle City Hall concert in its entirety. You also get hard books with the story of the album and brand-new photos, posters, a tour pass, and loads of other goodies.
There’s also the option of a four-CD box set with all three concerts that make up ‘No Sleep’ here in all their eardrum demolishing glory. Seventy-one tracks in total! The new remaster sounds incredible and you get all the thunderous bass runs, amphetamine-induced double kick drum mania, and full-throttle guitar riffs in crystal clear sound. The soundcheck recordings are a delight to behold, make sure you check them out!
40 years is a long time, give this reissue all the attention it deserves, turn it up as loud as you possibly can (fuck the neighbours), pour yourself a JD and Coke, and plunge yourself (Motor) headfirst into the audible delight that is ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. It’s what Lemmy and the boys would have wanted. We all miss you. RIP.
Phoenix thrash legends Flotsam & Jetsam return with their fourteenth studio album Blood in the Water, and what a barnstormer it is. The band has been around a long time, they were initially formed back in 1981 under different guises before settling on the Flotsam & Jetsam moniker in 1984. There have been many line-up changes in the band over the years, the one that most metal fans will be aware of is former bassist Jason Newsted leaving to replace Cliff Burton in Metallica. F & J enjoyed moderate success in the mid to late 80s with albums such as the classics, Doomsday for the Deceiver (the only album ever to get a 6K review in Kerrang!) and No Place for Disgrace, and they went on to build up a strong following as a live act. The band never really transcended any higher unfortunately but continued to record and tour.
This latest record continues hot on the heels of their 2019 release The End of Chaos the line-up is largely unchanged apart from new bass player Bill Bodily. The sound of the band has evolved into a more prog metal sound over the years, that said, there are some moments of sheer thrash brilliance on this album. The first single and video to be released from the album Burn the Sky features some blistering riffs and astounding drumming from legendary drummer Ken K Mary (one of my all-time favourite drummers). Vocalist AK Knutson still hits those high notes with ease and the guitar duo of Steve Conley and Michael Gilbert shred insanely.
More highlights include the frenetic Brace for Impact, Too Many Lives with its Painkiller era Judas Priest feel, and the superb Grey Dragon with more insane musicianship and full-on metal lyrics about a ‘metal creature flying through the air’. You really can feel that the band has channeled all their anger, frustration, and unspent energy from the last twelve months or so that has rendered most musicians helpless and unable to do the thing they love most.
A fantastic album that shows that aggressive metal written and played well is very much alive and thrashing!
Sweet Oblivion is a project that was put together by Frontiers Music guru Serafino Perugino around two years ago to give veteran metal vocalist Geoff Tate another musical outlet. The self-titled debut album was written, performed (apart from vocals) and produced by DGM guitarist Simone Mularoni and was well received in metal circles. This time around another Italian metal legend Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Timo Tolkki’s Avalon, Archon Angel) has taken the reigns. Tate has been much more involved with the song writing on this latest effort and there is plenty here that fans of classic Queensryche (and classic metal in general) can sink their teeth into.
The idea is simple but effective, give Tate a vessel that echoes his early work with Queensryche. Let’s be honest here, anyone who is going to listen to this is a fan of the Ryche and they want to hear Tate in a familiar setting. Tate has one of those “Marmite” voices (I happen to love his voice) but I know plenty of people that aren’t fans.
His legacy is a strong one though, Queensryche were a multi-platinum selling band at their peak and they have influenced many with their “Thinking Man’s Metal”. This project isn’t all about nostalgia though, there are some other musical influences at play here. There are elements of classical music as well as crunching riffs and European power metal. Tate sounds fantastic throughout the album and seems to have a new vigour to his voice. This is easily up there with his best vocal performances since the Empire album back in 1990.
The album has a similar direction to the debut and the change of producer/song writer doesn’t seem to hinder the material at all. Tracks like the single Strong Pressure, Remember Me, Let It Be and the fantastic Aria with Tate singing in Italian all hit the target. They are well crafted and performed, and the band who include Lonobile on guitar, Michele Sanna on drums, Luigi Andreone on bass and Antonio Agate on keyboards can quite easily be overlooked due to the emphasis being on Tate. Of course, without Tate there would probably be no Sweet Oblivion, even so, the band should get some well-deserved kudos.
Strong songs, great production and fantastic artwork makes the package a desirable one. Tate is back on top form, and the Sweet Oblivion name may even see the day when they won’t need the Featuring Geoff Tate tag.
I stumbled across the documentary ‘Suzi Q’ on TV back last year and I was amazed how much I didn’t know about the legendary Queen of rock, Suzi Quatro. Of course, I knew the classic songs from the 70s, ‘Devil Gate Drive’, ‘Can the Can’ and ‘48 Crash’, who doesn’t? The image of Quatro in a leather cat suit with a Fender bass that’s bigger than her slung low, is an image that’s ingrained into my mind (as well as many young, and not so young males). I also knew about the rasping voice and that scream that’s instantly recognisable. What I didn’t realise was how revered she is in the music world, with peers such as Debbie Harry, Joan Jett and Alice Cooper clambering over each other to sing her praises. As the Runaways Cherie Currie says, “If people have overlooked her, that’s their fault.”
She has inspired generations of her own gender to pick up an instrument as well as being completely aware of her sexuality and she has used that to her advantage in the best possible way over the years. It’s testament to her talent and determination that she’s still releasing material today and her latest effort ‘The Devil in Me’ hints back to her roots in Detroit, you can hear everything that makes the motor city such a great music town, from the Stooges, the MC5, the blues legend John Lee Hooker as well as the monstrous pop factory Tamla Motown in the twelve tracks that make up the album. While this isn’t as good as Alice Cooper’s own recently released homage to the motor city, ‘Detroit Stories’, there are some fine moments to be heard here.
This is Quatro’s seventeenth studio record and it’s been written and produced by Suzi and her son Richard Tuckey. There are nods to the glory days of the 70s with the title track, starting with some blaring feedback and a crunchy riff and plenty of those trademark screams, it’s a great opener with some fantastic honky tonk piano and harmonicas pushing the song along nicely. ‘Hey Queenie’ utilises my favourite drum, the cowbell to great effect with a funky feel and a fist pumping chorus to boot.
‘Betty Who?’ Grooves along nicely with more tasteful guitar licks and some soul style backing vocals. Another catchy chorus here with some great bass playing by Quatro. It’s not all great though, ‘You Can’t Dream It’ is a bit throw away with a lacklustre performance and Christmas song ‘My Heart and Soul’ won’t be popping up on one of those NOW That’s the Best Christmas Album in the World….Ever compilations any time soon. Things pick up again for Get Outta Jail with its chain gang vocals adding character to the song. ‘Do Ya Dance’ is another mid paced funky number with loads going on. Things quickly go downhill again; however, ‘Isolation Blues’ is very predictable and not really what we want to hear from Quatro.
‘I Sold My Soul Today’ is an up-tempo rocker that would sound great in a car chase scene in a Hollywood blockbuster, Love’s Gone Bad is another throw away track that doesn’t really go anywhere. ‘In the Dark’ is a sultry number with some nice saxophone playing (I love a sax solo). The album closes with some good old greasy rock ‘n’ roll with ‘Motor City Riders’, this is where Quatro sounds most comfortable, and the best tracks on the album all have this kind of feel. This is more like it! She can certainly kick out the jams with the best of them. Her chapter in rock ‘n’ roll is a very important one, and we all need to remember how tough it must have been for Suzi to carve out a career for herself back in the 70s. All hail Suzi Q!
Sea of Snakes are the latest signing to LA based Metal Assault Records and ‘World on Fire’ is their debut EP. The band consist of drummer Jeff Murray (Ex- the Shrine), guitarist Jim McCloskey (Ex – Motorsickle), bassist Mick Coffman and vocalist Tracy Steiger (Ex- Saul of Tarsus). Their aim is to “be loud, be heavy, and do what the fuck we want,”.
They certainly are loud and heavy, with a sound akin to classic Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, Down and Alice In Chains they have offered up an impressive debut that left me wanting to hear more. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands then you really should check out Sea of Snakes.
The band recorded the EP at the famous Total Access studio where such luminaries as St Vitus, Dio, Guns N Roses and Black Flag have recorded in the past. Studio owner Wyn Davis produced the EP and it has a great, thick, and sludgy sound. The cover art with skulls with snakes coming out of them is a good indication of what Sea of Snakes sound like. Opening track ‘Let the Fire Burn’ has the swagger and chug of Vol 4 era Black Sabbath, a real head banger. The rhythm section of Murray and Coffman really take the lead here with lots of swooshing crash cymbals and tom fills and thumping bass. McCloskey is no slouch in the guitar department either with plenty of wah pedal action. I really hope he was wearing bell bottoms whilst recording this! The accompanying animated video for the track is fantastic, full of snakes and winged demons. Of course!
‘Ride the Line’ is a more up-tempo affair with lyrics about lights in the sky and guns in hand. White Zombie comes to mind here with Steiger barking out the vocals with the rest of the band pounding away to their hearts content. ‘Son of Man’ is next up with more tasteful use of the wah pedal and vocalist Steiger sounds like Scott Weiland in parts here. That’s certainly no bad thing! The ‘take no bullshit’ lyrics fit the track perfectly and there’s more groove-laden drumming from Murray.
‘Fear Behind the Stare’ starts off innocently enough with some clean, almost pretty guitar work from McCloskey before another pulverising riff kicks in. The final track ‘Drink Your Teeth’ has a ‘Facelift’ era Alice In Chains feel to it with its solid backbeat and dream-like guitar tones. The track flows seamlessly into a thrashy crescendo with Steiger screaming like Cobain on ‘Territorial Pissings’
When the EP was finished, I really wanted to hear more and felt like I’d just got started with my Sea of Snakes journey. This is a solid effort from the band and I eagerly await to see what comes next from these guys.
Ah, the mighty Saxon. The band that turned me into a metal head back in 1986. Up until that point it was all about the top 40 and whatever was on Top of the Pops for me! A friend from school did me a mix tape and lent me his vinyl copy of the compilation ‘Strong Arm Metal’ and I was hooked. It was all about heavy metal for me from that pivotal moment. There was something about early Saxon that I connected with and I’ve (mostly) been a fan ever since. They have been through their ups and downs over the years and a few line up changes, but Saxon have had a resurgence over the last 10 years or so and have released some fantastic albums. 2013’s ‘Sacrifice’ and 2015’s ‘Battering Ram’ is up there with their best work, as is 2018’s ‘Thunderbolt’. Enlisting Andy Sneap (Sabbat/Judas Priest) as producer gave their sound a thunderous edge and pushed Saxon back into the big leagues of metal.
The band had been busier than ever in the live arena until the dreaded virus put paid to any dates that were scheduled. What do you do when you have lots of free time on your hands? Put out an album of covers from the bands and artists that have influenced you of course! That’s exactly what Saxon have done here with some fantastic results. It’s a celebration of the music that makes Saxon the band they are. They have gone down the old school route to record the album at Brockfield House near York, using real drums, and lots of Marshall amps! Frontman Biff Byford along with Jacky Lehmann have produced the album and it benefits from a great mix.
The band have dabbled with covers in the past with a great version of The Sweet’s ‘Set Me Free’ on 1984s ‘Crusader’ album and this foray into the bands influences throws up some tracks I would never have dreamed of a band like Saxon covering. The albums kicks off with a crunchy version of The Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black’, this was the first release from Inspirations and there’s a cool behind the scenes video to accompany it. Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ is up next and Biff shows his vocal prowess here (yes, he handles the high notes in his own inimitable style), the bands groove is relentless behind him, this is a great version. The next track is one of the songs that shouldn’t work but it does somehow! The Beatles ‘Paperback Writer’ sounds great with heavier guitars and the vocal harmonies really work well.
We get back on more familiar ground with Black Sabbath’s ‘Evil Woman’, a real showcase for Tim ‘Nibbs’ Carter who is undoubtedly one of metals most underrated bass players. Next up we have a version of Jimi Hendrix’s classic anthem ‘Stone Free’, the band sound like they are having a blast with this one, you can feel the energy. I don’t think Saxon fans would be very happy if there wasn’t a Motorhead cover on here, of course they deliver with a brilliant version of ‘Bomber’ with drummer Nigel Glockler in full double bass monster mode. A great tribute to their old friends.
A frenetic take on Deep Purple’s ‘Speed King’ again highlights the vocal range of Biff Byford, he screams like a man possessed here and guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt play an absolute blinder with some serious shredding. A lesser know Thin Lizzy track gets the Saxon treatment, ‘The Rocker’ is a welcome addition instead of the usual Lizzy covers. Byford surprises again here with his range and really carries the song. A true to the original version of ‘Hold the Line’ by Toto grooves along nicely with Glockler showing he can handle the famous ‘Porcaro Shuffle’ with ease. (Google it kids). AC/DC’s ‘Problem Child’ doesn’t have the raw energy of the original, but it’s a solid effort all the same with Biff doing his best Bon impression. To close the album, we have a version of The Kinks ‘See My Friends’ which is probably the only track that doesn’t transition very well over to the metal titans even though it does chunk up towards the end.
Saxon have done a great job here and the main thing is to remember that it’s a bit of fun to try and lighten up these darkest of days that we have all been experiencing over the last year. Don’t take it too seriously, Saxon certainly haven’t. Crank it up with a beer in hand and sing along, you know the words!
Ricky Warwick is one of those artists that we all know from one of his many guises in the Rock ‘N Roll world. For me, Ricky will always be the growling, tattooed frontman of The Almighty, a band I saw live many times and I was a big fan of their first three albums. They established themselves in the late eighties/early nineties and were very successful. They toured with such luminaries as Motorhead, Megadeth, The Ramones, etc, as well as many headline tours of their own.
After the Almighty ceased to be, Ricky could have easily sat on his laurels but he began a solo career in 2003 with his first solo effort – ‘Tattoos & Alibis’ and has since gone on to release a further seven (eight including this latest album) solo albums. In 2010 Ricky got a call from Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham who was putting together a reformed version of the band. Ricky fronted Thin Lizzy in a live setting for a few years and the band wanted to start writing new material. Out of respect for the Thin Lizzy name, they released new material under the Black Star Riders moniker, with their acclaimed debut album ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’. BSR has since released another three albums and are an established band in their own right.
With his latest solo album, Ricky drafted in Keith Nelson (Ex Buckcherry) to produce.
“Ricky is a true Rock-n-Roll soul…he’s got incredible stories to tell and a unique way of telling them. It’s been an honour to be asked to partner and contribute to this record.” (Keith Nelson).
Ricky has brought in his old friend Robert Crane (Black Star Riders) on bass and Xavier Muriel (Ex – Buckcherry) on drums. With top-notch performances all around they have created a strong body of work with some fantastic songwriting. Catchy, short, and to the point, this is a well-rounded collection of songs that will be going around in your mind long after listening.
With guest spots from Joe Elliot (Def Leppard), Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Luke Morley (Thunder), and Dizzy Reed (Guns N Roses) the album just oozes quality.
The album opens with the title track and it instantly sets the tone for the rest of the album. An anthem about chasing your dreams and losing friends along the journey of life, it’s one of those driving with the top down sing along tunes that everyone can relate to. With Joe Elliot contributing backing vocals it’s a fantastic introduction to the album.
‘You Don’t Love Me’ is straight to the point, a one-sided relationship that isn’t working is the theme, more fantastic performances here with a blinding guitar solo from Thunder’s Luke Morley.
‘I’d Rather Be Hit’ is next up, an up-tempo track with lyrical content around how the world is in such disarray politically. (You’re not wrong there Ricky), Duran’s Andy Taylor contributes with a guitar solo that has his distinct style all over it.
‘Gunslinger’ is a cover of a Mink Deville track that Ricky has wanted to cover for some time. He does a great job, if you’re not tapping your foot or nodding your head along to this then you’d better check your pulse! Brilliant. ‘Never Corner A Rat’ has an early Therapy? Feel to it, chugging rhythms and pounding drums, and rasping vocals. Another stand out track.
The next song ‘Time Don’t Seem to Matter’ is a revelation. Ricky’s youngest daughter Pepper joins her father on vocals for a deeply personal and moving track. The lyrics around being away from family and the difficulty of being a musician and father are explored here. A real stand out moment and lyrical content that every father will relate to. The version used on the album is a demo. Ricky tried to re-record the song, but he felt that the demo had the best vibe.
We get back on familiar ground with ‘Fighting Heart’ a track about sticking to your guns and not compromising yourself for others. A guitar melody that sticks in your head is the foundation of the song with some powerful drumming from Muriel.
Dizzy Reed adds keyboards to ‘I Don’t Feel at Home’, a mid-paced grower that deals with the horrors of drug addiction and the shame it brings. ‘Still Alive’ kicks off with some great slide guitar from producer Nelson and the song is based around the film ‘Hell or High Water’, another great driving track. ‘Clown of Misery’ is a demo that Ricky sang into his phone and sent to producer Keith Nelson. A very simple melody strummed aimlessly on an acoustic guitar works wonderfully well.
The final track ‘You’re My Rock ‘N Roll’ has an up-tempo, almost Wildhearts feel to it and is a fantastically bombastic end to the album. The 2CD digipak version of the album also has a bonus disc – ‘Stairwell Troubadour’ with Ricky performing cover versions of an eclectic mix of songs such as: ‘Summertime Blues’ (Eddie Cochran), ‘Wrathchild’ (Iron Maiden) a version of ‘Jesus Loves You…But I Don’t’ by his old band The Almighty and erm.. ‘Oops I Did It Again (Britney Spears)! They all work wonderfully well played acoustically.
Ricky Warwick has proved yet again that he’s no one trick pony. A fantastic album from start to finish that sits well with his extensive body of work.
Formed in 1982, LA metallers Armored Saint have been well respected and revered by fans and peers alike throughout their colourful and sometimes tragic career. Vocalist John Bush was given the opportunity to sing for Metallica after the release of their debut Kill ‘Em All as James Hetfield wasn’t confident enough as a singer and wanted to concentrate on guitar duties. We all know how that story ended, but I’ve often wondered how that collaboration would have sounded. Bush left Armored Saint in the 90s to join Anthrax after Joey Belladonna exited and that was effectively the end of Armored Saint until they reformed in 1999.
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