ARMORED SAINT's JOHN BUSH Has No 'Sour Grapes' Over Other Bands Surpassing His Level Of Success: 'I Feel Very Grateful And I've Had A Lot Of Achievements'

In a new interview with link textMetallerium, former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush was asked if he is ever frustrated by the fact that "lesser vocalists" have achieved "massive stadium success in the '80s and '90s" while he remains "a cult icon". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I don't want it to sound like I have any sour grapes or anything like that, because I don't. I really don't. I think that we're [ARMORED SAINT] very fortunate that here we are, we're still making music in 2026 after the band basically began 41, 42 years ago. So for us to still be able to do that is quite an achievement, and I'm super proud of that.

"I think I'm honest with my career, and somebody probably wouldn't go ahead and say, 'Hey, I never really made it.' … People would probably wanna prevent the public from thinking that way, but I'm just kind of brutally honest with myself and circumstances," John explained. "So, sometimes I'm a little too transparent about everything, and a lot of people might say, 'Why are you gonna say that?' But I just do about a lot of things. So, that being said, we've made a lot of records. I made other records when I was in ANTHRAX. And now this CATEGORY 7 record came out. I have a lot of product that I've made. I've done a lot of shows in my life. I've done a lot of touring. I've been all over the world. So I feel very grateful and I've had a lot of achievements.

"Nobody said life's fair," Bush noted. "You're in the rock and roll music industry. Nobody said everybody's gonna have equal level of success here. No. Nobody said that. So, everybody's got different levels of success, and really the majority of people who've made music probably didn't get to that level of success. I don't wanna measure it based on METALLICA or IRON MAIDEN, because they're the top, and really very few bands will ever get there. Forget metal — any band for that matter. Then there's the lower tier, and then there's a tier below that and stuff. But at the end of the day, you do it because you love it, really, and I think that that's the driving force behind it."

John added: "I wanna make music because I love making music. Do I still want to want the records to sell and make as much money as I can within the parameters of it being something that I can feel like I have the highest quality with? Of course. I mean, we're not making music 'cause we don't want it to sell. That would be pointless. I'm not just playing it for my buddies in my bedroom drunk one night. I did that, but we're not doing that anymore. I want people to buy it and like it and be inspired by it. But I also want it to be based on my own values and what I think is something that best explains who I am and who we are. So I think that's the key thing, and that that's the goal of not selling out. If you can say, 'Okay, this is truly my kind of artistic vision,' then I think that it is what it is. You accept the success level of whatever it is. And I always have. Once you make a record, I kind of let it go. And you hope for the best. You hope people dig it. You hope you have success. But it doesn't really change my perspective on the quality of the album, 'cause once I finish with a record, I feel like it's awesome, and I believe that. So regardless of what it sells, I think that almost becomes irrelevant."

ARMORED SAINT's latest album, "Emotion Factory Reset", arrived on May 22 via Metal Blade Records. ARMORED SAINT's ninth studio album since 1984's "March Of The Saint" contains 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).

"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.