In celebration of their successful 2015 release Win Hands Down album and tour, veteran metal act Armored Saint and Metal Blade Records are releasing what is surprisingly only the second official live album from the band, titled Carpe Noctum. This comes 28 years after Saints Will Conquer...yep, it's been a long time.
Culling together songs from their performances at the 2017 Wacken festival as well as a headline show in Aschaffenburg, Germany, Carpe Noctum shows a band still firing on all cylinders, the line-up of John Bush (vocals), Joey Vera (bass), Phil Sandoval (guitar), Jeff Duncan (guitar), and Gonzo Sandoval (drums) rock solid and just as energetic & powerful as they were 30 years ago. Though the track list here is somewhat short by normal live album standards, you get a host of Armored Saint classics plus two corkers from Win Hands Down. "March of the Saint" and "Stricken By Fate" kick some serious ass, Bush still belting it out with the best of them amid a torrent of tasty riffs courtesy of Phil & Jeff, and the catchy "Last Train Home" still remains one of the best moody, melodic metal ballads of the '80s. The two new tracks though slip into the set quite nicely, "Win Hands Down" a furious slice of classic sounding metal with some great guitar work, and "Mess" (my personal favorite from the latest album) is a furious example of tumultuous heavy metal with a strong message, Bush strutting his stuff with plenty of piss & vinegar. Throw in the effective "Aftermath" (featuring another stellar performance from Bush), a raucous rendition of "Left Hook From Right Field", and a blistering "Reign of Fire", and you have a torrid, but somewhat short, live set of killer tunes from the still strong Armored Saint. If you had any doubt that these guys can still bring it, go see them on the road as well as check out this raging slab of metal...the Saint are back!
Track Listing
1) Win Hands Down
2) March of the Saint
3) Stricken by Fate
4) Last Train Home
5) Mess
6) Aftermath
7) Left Hook from Right Field
8) Reign of Fire
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