Armored Saint
Symbol Of Salvation

THE REVIEW

As we know, history isn't written with "ifs" and "buts", but for Armored Saint, perhaps, we can make an exception to this rule for once. What would have happened if their singer, the great John Bush, had given in to the allure of Metallica who called him in the very early days of their career to replace Hetfield as the vocalist? What would have happened if, years later, bassist Joey Vera had also left Armored Saint to replace the late Burton, again in Metallica? What would have happened if their esteemed guitarist David Prichard had not died a year after the release of this "Symbol of Salvation" from leukemia?

The answers, fortunately, are printed in the manuals of Heavy Metal music and have three titles: "Master of Puppets" (1986), "...and justice for all" (1988), and "Symbol of Salvation" (1991).

"Symbol of Salvation" is, to all intents and purposes, one of the best Metal albums released in the nineties. An album that, almost twenty years after its release, still evokes emotions, a kaleidoscope of grit, melody, technique that has few equals in American Power-metal. Without a doubt, it can also be considered the band's best studio work, at least the most mature and balanced one, not that the debut "March of the Saint" (1984) and "Raising Fear" (1987) should be underestimated. In the eighties, Armored Saint were the flag bearers of that typically American power-metal that perfectly combined the classic NWOBHM European metal with Bay Area thrash, with the addition of epic-fantasy themes never too invasive. Together with bands like Metal Church, Vicious Rumors, Savatage, Sanctuary, Riot, Omen, Crimson Glory, they formed a scene rich in talent that however never broke through worldwide, remaining cult groups, with the pleasant exception of Savatage's popularity in the nineties.

The demos of "Symbol of Salvation" were recorded by the band's founding guitarist David Prichard, a symbol of American power-guitar (a singular destiny he shares with the unfortunate Criss Oliva), but fate took him away just as they were about to enter the studio in the early months of 1990.

After a few months of hiatus, the band decided to continue their journey; the material was top-notch, and letting it fade away would have been too much. To honor Prichard's work, two former guitarists of the band were called back: Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval, completing a fearsome lineup with John Bush on vocals, Joey Vera on bass, and Gonzo Sandoval on drums. The opening, entrusted to "Reign Of Fire", is a mid-tempo monolith with cascades of solos and Bush's voice proving to be unrivaled, melodic and gritty at the same time—also listen to "Dropping Like Flies" to believe it. The new Armored Saint have certainly rounded off the edges and raw energy of the eighties, gaining in melody, songwriting, and the knack for surprising, as in "Last Train Home" or the "almost" tribal "Tribal Dance", the true masterpiece of the album. With the evocative semi-ballad "Another Day", the first part of the album closes, which then reserves the more aggressive compositions on the then B side, such as the thrashy "Spineless", "Symbol of Salvation", and "Warzone".

An essential album, as they don't come out anymore, those albums without filler, where every song was worth the purchase. If you want to make it yours, a few years ago a beautiful remastered version was released with three CDs, the original, the demos with Prichard's guitar, and a third CD with videos and interviews with the band members. I dare say that "Symbol Of Salvation" is one of those albums to play when someone asks you: "what is Heavy Metal?"