Armored Saint are back in the UK for a select tour to support their highly recommended most recent album, Punching The Sky. The band, who recently resigned with Metal Blade Records, play Rebellion in Manchester tonight. Chris Dale caught up with Armored Saint bassist Joey Vera for a quick chat before the tour.
Armored Saint have been going for over 40 years now without mainstream press or radio support. “We’ve been very lucky to have a loyal fan base that always comes out to see us live,” Joey told MetalTalk.
Punching The Sky is a great listen and has certainly been well recieved by the old school fans. “Again, our fans have come with us on this long journey,” Joey said, “and for the most part, have embraced the music we continue to make.”
Armored Saint are a band that have never seemd to get stuck in a rut. How do they still keep coming up with creative new albums? “I think the key is to be in the moment while writing,” Joey says, “and just let the music lead you. Overthinking is the death of that.”
As well as the current UK shows, the band also reissues special vinyl LP editions for Revelation And La Raza full lengths. The response to last nights Nottingham show has been awesome. “The band is at a pretty high level of performance,” Joey says, “so you’re gonna get loads of energy in a room.”
Armored Saint were back on the LA strip scene in the early ’80s with Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Metallica and W.A.S.P. They sound like crazy times. “To be honest, while it was happening it was all so new,” Joey says. “It just felt like it was supposed to. None of us had any idea we would be talking about this 40 years later. But to sum it up, it was some dammed good times.”
Tommy Lee mentions Joey Vera in the Mötley Crüe book, The Dirt, as being on the back of his Harley in a crash in the Hollywood Hills back in the day. When did Vera first know Tommy? “Tom and I were in a band in late 1980,” Joey says, “and we both went different ways in early 1981 when he joined Nikki for Mötley Crüe. In fact, I went with Tommy when he first met Nikki at his apartment.”
Was Joey also one of the few bass players that Metallica called after Cliff Burton’s tragic death? “Yes, I was one of the guys they reached out to,” he says.
As well as Armored Saint, Joey Vera is a highly sought-after bassist outside the band, having played with Anthrax, Fates Warning, Merciful Fate and many more. What tips do he have for young bass players with aspirations of playingin already-known bands?
“I think it’s a good idea to try to make yourself a valuable team player,” Joey says. “Learn how to read a room. Do your homework and be on time and have all your shit together. You can’t just have the chops. You also need to be able to be an asset in a group situation. Take time to play with many different players and groups. It will do wonders.”
Finally, I had to ask a quick geeky question. What basses and rig is Joey using on this tour?
“For this tour, I am using ESP 87 Surveyor basses, DR handmade strings, Tech 21 VT Bass driver, Darkglass Hyper Luminal compressor, Hartke LH6000 Class D heads.”
Armored Saint plays Rebellion, Manchester, tonight, and KK’s Steel Mill on Friday 16th and Saturday, 17 they will be at The Dome and close the UK tour on Sunday 18, at The Crauford Arms, Milton Keynes.
Revelation And La Raza vinyl editions are available from here.
