With their 40th anniversary just around the corner, Armored Saint is ready to unleash their eight full-length album, entitled “Punching the Sky”. Written and recorded in the last two years, it’ definitely a step up from its predecessor, 2015’s “Win Hands Down”. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. Since their reunion in 1999, they found a much sought after creative freedom, which allows them to take more chances and not be confined to a single style.
Aside from the usual lineup – John Bush (vocals), Joey Vera (bass) Gonzo Sandoval (drums), Jeff Duncan (guitars) and Phil Sandoval (guitars) – the record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette. The album kicks off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, courtesy of expert Patrick D’Arcy from Los Angeles. Guns ‘N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, delivering a strong performance throughout the album. The band’s own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on “Never You Fret” – a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out.
Like many bands in the digital era, rather than writing together, the group would work on material separately and share whatever they came up with via file sharing, the majority of the music written by Vera and the lyrics penned by Bush. Eight albums in a forty year career may seem too sparse, but they do make it count, and always chose quality over quantity.
Sonic Perspectives collaborator Rodrigo Altaf, talked to John Bush and he describes the writing and recording process of the album, goes into detail of the lyrics of certain songs, and talks about their immediate plans to release the album. Find out their video chat in the link below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.
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1 Comment
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