Search - Armored Saint :: Nod to the Old School

Once again, the Saint delivers!

Chris Seeman | Novato, CA USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Following up their awesome reunion album of last year (Revelation), LA metalmeisters Armored Saint deliver yet another feast of metallic delights to their hungry fans. "Nod to the Old School" is not a new studio album (though it does contain some original material); instead, it is the ultimate collector's item for the die-hard Saint aficionado. It opens with two new songs very much in the same style as their Revelation material. Next comes a[n]... awesome new studio version of the band's 1986 anthem, "March of the Saint," followed by equally awesome covers of Robin Trower and Judas Priest songs. (The Saint is not ashamed to show where their musical sympathies lie.) The sonic assault continues with live cuts of two Revelation tracks from their epic tour last year. At this point, we shift gears to the "old stuff." This comprises the entirety of their extremely hard to find 1983 debut demo (at last!) plus some never-before heard or equally hard to find material. I use the expression "demo" advisedly, because the sound quality is extremely good. In fact, we are even treated to the demo of "Reign of Fire" (from the Saint's Symbol of Salvation masterpiece). Old school Saint fans will treasure this track, because it was recorded before the death of the late great Dave Pritchard, the band's original lead guitarist. For those who are familiar with the album version of this song, it is interesting to compare and contrast. A feast for the metal connaisseur! The turn of the millennium has been made better by the reunion of Armored Saint, and "Nod" is a fitting tribute to the band's glorious achievements. John, Joey, Jeff and the Brothers Sandoval will be going their separate ways again for a while, but there is no question in my mind after listening to "Nod" that the Saint will return!"

MARCH OF THE SAINT!!!!!

factory31 | Albany, NY USA | 08/02/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Regardless if you are a fan from the 80's metal scene or trying to complete your Metal/Saint collection, this is a great compilation. Love the fact that they added the complete '83 Demo, and that some live tracks were recorded from the last tour..Hopefully this wont be the last we hear from Armored Saint. they are a special band that never got their due respect!!! Great musicians that have always made excellant, straight forward metal. Even though the members work other projects (Anthrax, Fates Warning) its good to know that they have a desire to keep the Saint alive! Only complaint that I have is the lack of material from the Raising Fear/ Delerios Nomad times. I would think that there has to be more material from that period which could have been added, but who knows. A fine compilation from a band that has never disappointed their true fans."

Great for completists like me

Erik R. Bresnihan | Port Jefferson Station, NY USA | 07/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a big Armored Saint fan, you'll probably be purchasing this sometime soon, since most Saint fans tend to be hardcore and own everything the band has done. As such, I'm not going to waste time talking about the content (which is fantastic), but describing the differences between this and the import version. The import version (from Europe) has two extra songs on it..."Reign of Fire" (1989 demo - basically the same, but a little slower) and "Nothing Between the Ears" (1988 demo and a good song). ALSO - the song listing on the back of the import is incorrect - it DOES INCLUDE "You Can Run But You Can't Hide" (one of the band's finest moments w/ Dave Prichard) and "Tongue and Cheek"...they are extra songs on disk 2, but not listed. ALSO, there are 4 videos on it, "Long Before I Die" (live), "March of the Saint" (live), "Reign of Fire" and "Last Train Home". Verdict - if the import is only a couple of bucks more, get it. However, if there's a huge difference in price (and you have a copy of "Decline of Western Civilization" (which has "You Can Run..."), then get the domestic. Either way, you win...the Saint rules. Anthrax is 10 times the band they were since they got Bush. Now let's hope Metallica makes the right choice and picks their old buddy Joey Vera for the bass job."