ARMORED SAINT And METAL CHURCH Announce November 2026 North American Co-Headlining Tour

ARMORED SAINT will join METAL CHURCH for a North American co-headlining tour this fall. "The Metal Saint Tour 2026" will commence on November 2 in San Juan Capistrano, California and run through November 21 in Agoura Hills, California. Additional support will be provided by LIVEKILL.

Comments ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush: "Two classic metal bands from the '80s on tour together doing headline sets and both with brand new awesome records out [ARMORED SAINT with 'Emotion Factory Reset' and METAL CHURCH with 'Dead To Rights']. If you call yourself a metalhead and you don't come to this show when we roll into your town, you better have a damn good excuse. AS and MC. Let's do this!"

Comments METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof: "It's incredibly exciting to be getting back on the road with our friends and an honor to be sharing the stage with one of America's finest metal bands! Definitely a show you won't want to miss!"

Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 29 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

ARMORED SAINT and METAL CHURCH tour dates with LIVEKILL:

Nov. 02 - Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Nov. 03 - The Glass House - Pomona, CA
Nov. 04 - The Nile - Phoenix, AZ
Nov. 06 - Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM
Nov. 07 - Sunshine Studios - Colorado Springs, CO
Nov. 08 - The Federal - Denver, CO
Nov. 10 - Neurolux - Boise, ID
Nov. 11 - The Newberry - Great Falls, MT
Nov. 13 - Dantes - Portland, OR
Nov. 14 - Redwood Theater - Bremerton, WA
Nov. 15 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
Nov. 17 - Great America Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
Nov. 18 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
Nov. 19 - Whisky A Go Go - Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 20 - Observatory North San Diego - San Diego, CA
Nov. 21 - Canyon Club - Agoura Hills, CA

"Emotion Factory Reset", ARMORED SAINT's ninth studio album since 1984's "March Of The Saint", is a resurrection of sorts, a tearing down and a rebuilding in eleven songs of diverse musicality and lyrical themes. Produced, as were the previous four albums, by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR),the record finds the quintet challenging themselves. Songs like "Close To The Bone", "Hit A Moonshot" and "Every Man-Any Man" have ARMORED SAINT honoring their past as one of the most respected and recognizable bands in heavy music while making forward-thinking music rooted in the present.

"Emotion Factory Reset" was recorded across several studios, including 606 Studios, Secret Hand Studios, Skullseven Studios, Constantine Studios and Bridge Recording, engineered by Oliver Roman, Bill Metoyer, Joey Vera and Jason Constantine. It features cover art by DDKing.

A special European edition of the CD digipak includes the bonus track "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)", only available digitally until now. The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

ARMORED SAINT's current lineup of singer John Bush, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and Vera has been together since 1989 — not including a few hiatuses while Bush served as ANTHRAX's lead singer.

At various points in the 1980s, Bush and Vera each had offers to audition for spots with fellow heavy metal giants METALLICA but decided to stay with ARMORED SAINT.

In July 2023, ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In May 2023, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, "Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

METAL CHURCH released its 13th studio album, "Dead To Rights", on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The album marks the first release from the band's latest lineup, featuring founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof alongside longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, joined by former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, powerhouse drummer Ken Mary, and dynamic new vocalist Brian Allen.

"Dead To Rights" was produced by Kurdt Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z.

Born out of the explosive West Coast metal scene of the early '80s, METAL CHURCH quickly established themselves as one of the genre's most formidable and musically sophisticated bands. After signing with Elektra Records, the group released two landmark albums — their self-titled debut "Metal Church" and its follow-up "The Dark" — both of which remain essential listening in the heavy metal canon. As the U.S. metal wave surged, METAL CHURCH hit the road with labelmates METALLICA, further solidifying their reputation for precision, power, and uncompromising intensity.

The band continued to evolve into the late '80s and early '90s, tackling political and social themes with vocalist Mike Howe on the acclaimed albums "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor". While many peers shifted toward the era's commercial trends, METAL CHURCH stayed true to their heavy roots — a commitment that earned them a loyal global following.

In 2016, the band reunited with Howe for their eleventh studio album "XI", which debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Top 200 and charted internationally, marking one of the strongest comebacks in modern metal. Its 2018 successor, "Damned If You Do", continued that momentum with additional worldwide chart success and reaffirmed the band's enduring relevance.

Singer Marc Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. Lopes's first and only studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.