Consistent, reliable, yet somehow never scaling the upper limits of the world of Metal, Armored Saint have long straddled the boundary of Thrash and Heavy Metal. For me, they have always been a classy band whose melodies and songwriting sit in the same ballpark as Metal Church. Solid Heavy Metal in the traditional sense with a contemporary flavour.
Armored Saint – Emotion Factory Reset
Release Date: 22 May 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
I can still recall picking up the debut album, March Of The Saint, in 1984. The striking cover of the knight with the sword above his head, accompanied by his four loyal companions, was enticing to a young teenager whose head was turned by such artwork.
And whilst I have never been the most diehard fan, their releases have always provided great enjoyment and some absolute quality. That is perhaps, in part, because in John Bush, the band possess one of the best Metal singers in the game. He does not let you down here either.
2020’s Punching The Sky still seems fresh. It was a fantastic album, arguably as strong as anything the band had ever released. Emotion Factory Reset runs that album very close and may even surpass it in quality and consistency.
“Each Armored Saint record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves. Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, Emotion Factory Reset is where our heads are at”. So says bassist Joey Vera, and I can see what he means.
There is plenty here to spin the head, and little that is repeated from previous recordings.
Of course, the band have a distinctive sound. Bush is in the form of his life here, from the anthemic opener Close To The Bone and recent single Hit A Moonshot through to penultimate track Bottom Feeder, this is the sound of a band hitting top gear.
There is more than a nod to their past, something that would be wrong to ignore, but there is plenty that says 2026 rather than 1984.
Hit A Moonshot is possibly that track. It straddles everything the band have ever done in one song. “I think the song defines what Armored Saint sounds like now,” guitarist Jeff Duncan says. “I really dig it. I used my Les Paul and an EVH amp for the rhythm guitars on everything. My solos were done with a couple of different guitars. It’s simple, just good guitars plugged into a good amp and let it rip.”
Buckeye is probably the runt of the litter for me. Surrounded by some gems, it is a weakling of a track, Bush having to push the limits of his voice, and the song sits more in the generic pile than the more impressive tracks that sit next to and around it.
As for the title of the album, brothers Phil and Gonzo Sandoval can provide their own unique explanations. “To me, Emotion Factory Reset means to reset yourself back to clarity. Take a pause and breathe before you respond or react. You can’t control outside events, but you can control your mind,” says Phil.
Brother Gonzo adds, “The world is going through a technological upswing/awakening. I look at our planet as the factory, and in the most positive way, we need to realign, reimagine, and reset for our better selves.”
If you want the fist-pumping anthems, then Close To The Bone, Not On Your Life, and It’s a Buzzkill should tick the boxes. All solid thumpers, each sees the five members of the band hitting the heights.
With Vera once more producing, alongside mixing by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour), this is a crisp and impressive record that does not let you down.
Lyrically, Bush is all about opening minds. “I’m not telling people, ‘You should think like this.’ It’s more that I like to raise points, and maybe somehow, some words in a song might make people go, aha!”
42 years since Armored Saint dropped that debut album, they remain a vibrant force in the world of Metal. “At the end of the day, as long as we feel it’s great, that’s the most important thing.” John Bush is not wrong.
Armored Saint release Emotion Factory Reset on 22 May 2026 via Metal Blade Records. For pre-orders, visit the Metal Blade Records website.
