Armored Saint
Win Hands Down
(Metal Blade Records)
Perhaps best known as the band John Bush left to fill the empty lead singer position in Anthrax for (only to return back to…twice), Armored Saint have been gong on-and-off for over three decades. I found myself going back and revisiting some of their older material before listening to Win Hands Down, and although the “armored” image of their ‘80s-era may be long gone, the spirit remains very much the same. The album opens with the title track/first single, a straight-forward, catchy number that manges to hook one in right off the bat. Other stand out moments include a duet with Pearl Aday on “With a Full Head of Steam,” and the epic, seven-plus minute “Muscle Memory.” Wins Hands Down isn’t about to win any Grammy’s, but with any luck it just might help win over a new fan or two. (Jesse Striewski)
