Armored Saint was formed in 1982 by brothers Phil and Gonzo Sandoval, and guitarist David Prichard, while attending Woodrow Wilson High School. Next to join were singer John Bush and bassist Joey Vera. Gonzo Sandoval came up with the name after getting stoned with the other band members and seeing the film "Excalibur" at a theater in Monterey Park. Armored Saint recorded a five song demo that landed the song "Lesson Well Learned" on the compilation album "Metal Massacre II". Three of these demo songs were then used for the band's self-titled EP on Metal Blade Records in 1983. The group then signed with Chrysalis Records in 1984.
Armored Saint released their debut album "March of the Saint" in 1984 followed by 1985's "Delirious Nomad". The debut album yielded a minor MTV hit with "Can U Deliver?". After the release of "Delirious Nomad", Phil Sandoval left the group. Their third album, "Raising Fear", was recorded by the remaining four members. Unhappy with their lack of success on the Chrysalis label, Armored Saint returned to Metal Blade in 1989. Soon after the release of their first live album "Saints Will Conquer". Later that same year the band added Jeff Duncan formerly of the L.A. club band Odin as second guitarist.
While writing and recording rough four-track demos for their next studio album, Dave Prichard was diagnosed with leukemia. Prichard succumbed to the disease before recording sessions for "Symbol of Salvation" began. After a brief hiatus, Phil Sandoval returned to the band to replace Prichard. The following year, "Symbol of Salvation" was released to widespread critical success. It was dedicated to the spirit and memory of Dave Prichard, whose solo on the demo recording of the song "Tainted Past" was used on the album.
Following the successful "Symbol of Salvation" tour, John Bush was offered the position of lead vocalist in the very successful thrash band Anthrax. Unsure of Armored Saint's future, Bush accepted the job. The remaining members declined to continue, and Armored Saint was officially disbanded.
After Armored Saint disbanded, Joey Vera kept busy playing with such bands as Fates Warning, Lizzy Borden and Chroma Key. He released a solo album in 1994 and started a successful second career as a producer and engineer.
Gonzo and Phil Sandoval formed a new band called Life After Death, a song oriented rock outfit influenced greatly by the legendary band Thin Lizzy.
In 1999, with Anthrax on temporary hiatus, John Bush and Joey Vera decided to reform Armored Saint. The entire "Symbol Of Salvation" lineup returned to the studio and in 2000 the album "Revelation" was released. It included the band's first song with Spanish lyrics, "No Me Digas". A small club tour opened for Dio and Lynch Mob followed.
The following year, the band released "Nod To The Old School", a collection of rarities, demos and outtakes (many from the Prichard years), plus a few new tracks.Soon after, John Bush returned to the studio with Anthrax, and Armored Saint was on indefinite hiatus.
in 2004, Joey Vera re-joined Bush in Anthrax on a temporary basis, replacing bassist Frank Bello. In early 2005, Anthrax's Scott Ian announced that their classic "Among The Living"-era lineup was reforming, leaving the membership of Bush and Vera in question. Bush stated his involvement with Anthrax was over, and Dan Nelson took over vocal duties in the band in 2007. This move gave new hope to many that Armored Saint would soon again record. A one-off show with the "Revelation" lineup took place in 2005 and in 2006 the band embarked on a new tour.
As part of their 20th anniversary, Metal Blade Records released a special edition of "Symbol Of Salvation". Also reissued was the band's long out of print live video, "A Trip Thru Red Times".
In Fall 2009, the band returned to the studio to record a new album called "La Raza" which was released in March 2010.
On February 11, 2013, Vera officially announced that the band had begun working on their seventh studio album. The album, titled Win Hands Down, was released on June 2, 2015. Win Hands Down debuted at number 183 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album also reached number 33 on the German Top 100 albums charts.
On February 24, 2017, Armored Saint released their first live album in 29 years, Carpe Noctum.
On May 23, 2019, Armored Saint announced that they had begun writing and demoing songs for their eighth studio album. The resulting album, titled Punching the Sky, was released on October 23, 2020. Metal Hammer named it the 33rd-best metal album of 2020.
In October 2020, Armored Saint released a teaser trailer to their documentary "Armored Saint: The Movie" which includes appearances from such as James Hetfield from Metallica and Scott Ian from Anthrax.
In a July 2023 interview, Bush confirmed that he and Vera have "started writing some songs a little bit" for the next Armored Saint album.
An Exercise In Debauchery
Armored Saint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Body's feelings once
Pushed in the corner with his shame dressed
Up like a dunce
Is it crowth or decay when
You peel off the skin
Magazines dvds jeez
Where have you been
Easy to spot the perverts today
They're ripe like low hanging fruit
Keep dirty secrets tucked away or lie and
Murder all with the truth
An exercise in debauchery
If all's revealed a grim catastrophe
Bizarro ways ends up in misery
It's an exercise in debauchery
You won't care about this later
When you're finished I'm sure
You need to figure things out
But your vision's a blur
Will you come out of this phase
Is what I ask of myself
It's your addiction to smut man
You really need help
Hard not to run from creeps today
They're cross so give him the boot
You claim your actions are
Safe and sound
But that's not getting down to the root
No it's an exercise in debauchery
Hanging out with ugly company
We should talk and deal accordingly
With your exercise in debauchery
In fairness and kidding aside
Your choices are something to hide
In fairness it's painful to watch
Won't be there the day you get caught
You're hiding behind the sun
Look at what you've become
When darkness gives way to glare
You'll be there
Beware
An exercise in debauchery
If all's revealed a grim catastrophe
Bizarre ways a form of sorcery
It's a exercise in debauchery
"An Exercise In Debauchery" by Armored Saint is a song that seems to be a commentary on how easily accessible and accepted pornography has become. The song starts off by talking about someone who may not be a killer, but they've hurt someone emotionally in the same way that murder does, which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The lyrics then go on to describe how easy it is to spot someone who is into pornography today as they are "ripe like low hanging fruit." Despite the ease of access and lack of punishment, there are still people who hide their interest in porn and bury it as a dirty secret. The song calls for people to come out of this phase and mentions the need for help as they need to figure things out, but their vision is a blur.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "It's an exercise in debauchery" which reinforces the fact that the song is a commentary on the harmful effects of pornography. The lyrics continue to describe how those who indulge in porn are hanging out with ugly company and that their choices are something to hide. The song warns that though they may think they are safe, there will come a time when they will be caught and have to face the consequences of their actions.
Overall, "An Exercise In Debauchery" by Armored Saint is a sobering commentary on how pornography can be addictive and harmful not just for the person taking part in it but for those around them as well.
Line by Line Meaning
He never killed anyone but he hurt some
Body's feelings once
The person in question has never committed a severe crime but has caused emotional pain to someone.
Pushed in the corner with his shame dressed
Up like a dunce
The person feels guilty and ashamed, like they have been punished, and they view themselves as foolish.
Is it crowth or decay when
You peel off the skin
Peeling off a layer of skin can be seen as both growth and decay, depending on the context.
Magazines dvds jeez
Where have you been
The person seems surprised or confused about their own involvement in consuming sexually explicit material.
Easy to spot the perverts today
They're ripe like low hanging fruit
Perverts are easily identifiable and can be exploited or exposed because of their vulnerability.
Keep dirty secrets tucked away or lie and
Murder all with the truth
Concealing or lying about one's perverse habits can lead to disastrous consequences if exposed, but revealing the truth could also end up harming others.
An exercise in debauchery
If all's revealed a grim catastrophe
Bizarro ways ends up in misery
It's an exercise in debauchery
Participating in immoral or perverse behavior can result in catastrophic consequences and leads to misery in the long run.
You won't care about this later
When you're finished I'm sure
You need to figure things out
But your vision's a blur
In the moment of indulging in evil desires, the person might not care about the consequences, but later they will realize their mistakes and feel confused.
Will you come out of this phase
Is what I ask of myself
It's your addiction to smut man
You really need help
The artist wonders if the person will be able to stop indulging in perverse desires and acknowledges that the person is addicted to sexual material, which requires help to overcome.
Hard not to run from creeps today
They're cross so give him the boot
You claim your actions are
Safe and sound
But that's not getting down to the root
It's difficult to avoid or confront perverts before they become threatening, and the person claims their perverse habits are harmless, but they fail to address the root of the problem.
No it's an exercise in debauchery
Hanging out with ugly company
We should talk and deal accordingly
With your exercise in debauchery
Indulging in perversion involves associating with immoral and unsavory characters, and it should be dealt with by talking and taking appropriate action.
In fairness and kidding aside
Your choices are something to hide
In fairness it's painful to watch
Won't be there the day you get caught
You're hiding behind the sun
Look at what you've become
When darkness gives way to glare
You'll be there
Beware
The person's choices are not funny, and they should be kept hidden. Ignoring the problem is difficult for the artist, and they won't be there to support the person once they get caught. The person is hiding their true self, but they will be exposed eventually, and they should be cautious.
Bizarre ways a form of sorcery
It's an exercise in debauchery
Weird and perverse habits can be seen as a type of dark magic, and they involve indulging in debauchery.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BUSH JOHN ROBERT, VERA JOSEPH JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
azwris
most honest metal band ever! Always up there with the best. Love ya all Saints!
David Gadea
They Are Awesome !!! One Of The Greatest Bands In The Planet !!! Salud y Vida Pa'lante !!! Cheers and Life On !!!
Ron T. - Investigativ
win hands down was my favorite album of the year. full of emotion and a world class of a frontman. armored saint kicks ass
Tom McMusic
Hope you checked out the new single they just put out today!
Thomas J. Vacchino
Love it! Since day one Armored Saint has never failed me.
Thomas J. Vacchino
+NonFiction46n2
Saw them with the late Dave Prichard. Great guys all around and the most "honest" Metal Band there was/ is.
NonFiction46n2
Yep lol Saw one of their first shows at Woodstocks
Thomas J. Vacchino
So you must be an old "Rivet head" like me?
NonFiction46n2
+Thomas Vacchino NEVER!!
Zachary Blatt
this album is fantastic