Search - Armored Saint :: Revelation

Revelation....The Saint is BACK!

Susan Wright | Laurinburg, NC United States | 03/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a long time fan of Armored Saint, some may say i'm biased. Not so. As a matter of fact, i was afraid the time apart would make them rusty, and almost foreign to each other. Well, imagine my surprise when i put this cd in my stereo, only to have my senses knocked flat by an all-out heavy metal assault, the likes that havent been heard since Mtv and the music industry decided that metal was too extreme for the masses to indulge in. Every track held a new, brutal surprise. John Bush is in excellent voice...sounding as if he gargles with razor blades and bleeds acid from his vocal cords! The guitar work is ambitious, reaching for new heights of thrashdom, and succeeding with ease. The bass lays the groundwork for gut-wrenching crunch, proving Joey Vera hasnt lost the soul of metal, in this world where only alternative, college geek bands are considered acceptable, or in fashion. The drums are thunderous and brutal, leaving no room to question why Gonzo Sandoval is called "Animal." All in all, this album rears up, spits in the eye of conventional radio and the Mtv set, and declares.... ALL HAIL METAL! THE SAINT IS BACK!"

Can U deliver? Armored Saint Can!

maddman7820 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 03/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Standing out on the playground, seeking refuge from the hum-drum lessons of Algebra and proper writing skills, recess is always such a fun time of the day, then that blasted bell tolls, signalling the end of the fun and with that, SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION...... and that's what Armored Saint does to us with REVELATION...They take us back to school, but this time the lesson is heavy metal. Armored Saint return to the basics with what is their crowning jewel. Revelation fires up with the powerful, yet sleek "paydirt" and kicks lower lumbar extremity all the way through to the equally powerful yet harmonic "upon my departure." Now, new metal heads unfamiliar with the Saint, do not expect thrashing blast beats nor doomy,gloomy double bass pounded black metal..Armored Saint deliver a record of what is, and what was in the good old 80's plain old fasioned heavy metal with big razor sharp guitar riffs, solid thumping bass, straight forward tight drumming, and throaty, yet intelligible vocals. "Paydirt" explodes into a fist pumping riff and harmonized chorus breaks, ending in a footstomping guitar rich frenzy..then comes "The Pillar" with an intro riff that stands up to all the classics of our time and continues to provide headbanging motivation into my favorite track "After Me, the Flood." Most fans of the band know that Bush was recruited for the vocal slot in Metallica, and one can only imagine how that may have turned out listening to this track. The riffage matches power and finess of Metallica's later efforts and marks a direction in which basic heavy metal should have gone (take note metalli-men, a return to form is needed! )"Tension" has the groove to break up the straight ahead riffage of the first three tracks, while "damaged" displays the low end rhythms paying homage to Black Sabbath as it drudges along its path. "Den of Thieves" showcases the Saint's ability to inject harmony and catchiness into their songs with a really cool solo break, then the ryhtmm section takes over to power on "Control Issues" with a bottom ended bass heavy thumping. "Deep Rooted Anger" returns the power riffing, while "what's your Pleasure" showcases a faster tempo without sacrificing tightness...taking traditional galloping rock-n-roll and injecting a shot of crunch to it. Then "Upon my Departure" closes class out returning to the use of hooks and melodies to accent the power. In short, Revelation is packed with memorable moments, with all songs standing on their own as seperate moments, united into one enjoyable listen. This is done with solid riffing, slick applications of hooks and harmonies, and vocals with range and gusto, which can actually be understood. Revelation is a true return to form, capturing the real power and potential that the Saint's 80's releases hinted, bit lacked due to major label productions. This is a definite release to be considered album of the year, and metal fans need to own it. Period. Class dismissed."

Resurrected from the dead

Lunar Strain | United States | 01/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the group broke up after Symbol of Salvation in 1991 and vocalist John Bush hightailed it over to Anthrax, everyone thought the band and was dead and gone. Then, out of nowhere in 2000, the band reuinted for a tour and album. What a reunion it was as the album Revelation is spactacular. It's as if the band never broke up! Anthrax guitarist was busy with his side group S.O.D. so John Bush took the opportunity to hook up with his formor bandmates to give the fans one more Saint album. Hopefully this isn't the last from the truely underrated band!"