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.
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Armored Saint Lyrics
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Straight out of Peyton Place
Pseudo movie star
Total disgrace
Beggin' on her hands and knees
Won't you just love me please
I've got my life to lead
Lead yours as well
Beautiful home
White picket fence
Fairytale
The pain starts When the Quaalude ends
Learn to pacify
Then you justify
Never satisfied
The truth always hurts
Well I woke up in heavy sweat
The sheets stretched I was soaking wet
A light bulb in my sleep
Went off in my head
Two places at one time
Can't be done by mankind
I hate to say I'm feeling confined
From the top of the world to a sunken ship
No in between
Karma sure can be a frazzled trip
Learn to testify
Can't be rectified
Ain't no lullaby
The truth always hurts
Learn to pacify
Learn to qualify A
lways mortified
The truth always hurts
Bet your ass
One day you're king of the world
Indestructible T
hen you're knocked off your pedestal
Just been crucified
Harmed and horrified
Ain't no alibi
The truth always hurts
Time to occupy
Simply no deny
Better say goodbye
The truth always hurts
Learn to pacify
They you justify
Never satisfied
The truth always hurts
The story goes on and on and on
Somebody else will be a victim
The ends is here
It's a fact of life
The truth always hurts
The Truth Always Hurts by Armored Saint is a song that speaks about the harsh realities of life and the consequences of our actions. The song starts with a description of a woman who is a pseudo-movie star, living in a beautiful home with a white picket fence, and living a fairytale life. However, the story takes a turn, and the woman is shown begging on her hands and knees for love, to no avail. The lyrics suggest that she is a total disgrace, reminding fans that beauty can be fleeting and appearances aren't always what they seem. The pain starts when the Quaalude, a class of sedative-hypnotic drugs, wears off, indicating a life built on a shaky foundation is bound to crumble sooner or later.
Later on, the song explores the idea that the truth is always going to hurt. The lyrics, "Learn to pacify, then you justify, never satisfied, the truth always hurts," indicate that when we try to cover up the truth or justify wrongdoings, we're only delaying the inevitable. Whether it's waking up in a heavy sweat or realizing you've been knocked off your pedestal, there's no escaping the consequences of our actions. In the end, the song reminds us that the story goes on and on, and somebody else will be a victim, reiterating the importance of taking responsibility for our actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes you should have seen her face
She displayed a look you would not forget
Straight out of Peyton Place
She's from a town rumored for scandal and disgrace
Pseudo movie star
She thinks she's a star, but it's only for show
Total disgrace
Nothing but shame attached to her name
Beggin' on her hands and knees
She's desperate for affection, pleading on her knees
Won't you just love me please
She longs for love that may never come
I've got my life to lead
I have my own destiny to fulfill
Lead yours as well
You should take responsibility for your own life
Beautiful home
A stunning residence to call home
White picket fence
A stereotypical image of a perfect home
Fairytale
It's a make-believe life that isn't real
The pain starts When the Quaalude ends
The unbearable pain resumes when the drug wears off
Learn to pacify
Learn to appease people and avoid conflicts
Then you justify
After calming people down, you explain your actions
Never satisfied
There's always something that is never enough
The truth always hurts
The reality is always painful
Well I woke up in heavy sweat
I had an alarming dream that disturbed my sleep
The sheets stretched I was soaking wet
I woke up in a sweat that soaked my sheets
A light bulb in my sleep
An idea came to me in my dream
Went off in my head
It clicked that my dream had relevance to my life
Two places at one time
Being in two different places simultaneously
Can't be done by mankind
It's impossible for humans to do
I hate to say I'm feeling confined
I'm feeling trapped and oppressed
From the top of the world to a sunken ship
From immense success to utter failure
No in between
There was no middle ground
Karma sure can be a frazzled trip
The consequences of one's actions can be chaotic
Learn to testify
Learn to speak the truth in front of others
Can't be rectified
It can't be corrected or undone
Ain't no lullaby
It's not a lovely song or story
The truth always hurts
The truth is always harsh
Always mortified
Feeling embarrassed and ashamed all the time
Bet your ass
Be sure to bet all you've got
One day you're king of the world
One day you're invincible with all the power
Indestructible Then you're knocked off your pedestal
Suddenly you lose all your worth and status
Just been crucified
Just been wrongly accused and punished
Harmed and horrified
Injured and frightened concurrently
Ain't no alibi
It's impossible to prove one's innocence
Time to occupy
Time to reside in a specific place
Simply no deny
There's no possibility of refuting the truth
Better say goodbye
It's time to leave and never return
The story goes on and on and on
The tale never truly ends
Somebody else will be a victim
Someone else will face similar misfortunes
The ends is here
At this point, the conclusion has arrived
It's a fact of life
It's how life is in actuality
The truth always hurts
The reality always stings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GONZALO SANDOVAL, JEFFREY ROSS DUNCAN, JOHN ROBERT BUSH, JOSEPH JOHN VERA, PHILIP SANDOVAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind