Guitarist JEFF DUNCAN: 'I Really Don't Know The Future Of ARMORED SAINT'

Metal Bubba recently conducted an interview with ARMORED SAINT/DC4 guitarist Jeff Duncan. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: What do you think the future holds for ARMORED SAINT? You guys working on some more shows? Any songwriting going on? Any talk of a record?

Jeff: No. The thing is, I really don't know the future of ARMORED SAINT. I don't think anybody does. We could do another record, or not. We could go out on the road again, or not. It's really all up in the air. Joey [Vera, bass] just finished a solo album. I'm getting ready to go in an record with DC4, which Joey is producing. John [Bush] has a family now, as well as Joey. I know Phil and Gonzo have been recording some stuff and doing a couple of other projects. I think the reason the band sounds so good is because things are so relaxed. There's no pressure of any type. To finish a record or to go on the road or to hurry up and write songs. It makes us a lot stronger when we play live and it's just a really good atmosphere. It's all about just being Armored Saint and kicking some ass. Nothing else is attached to it. We're there at that point in time because we want to be there. So as for the future of the band, my guess is as good ad anyone else's. We'll just wait and see. After "Revelation"John went back to ANTHRAX and I thought, "Well, that was fun." The same thing happened this time. It wasn't expected. It came up and it was great. If I get the phone call, then I'm there.

Q: So what does Rowan [Robertson, ex-DIO] bring to [DC4], besides being a great guitar player? How will his participation in the band influence things?

Jeff: Well, something he has brought to the band is that he's a very dedicated musician. He's a rock and roller at heart. So he's brought a freshness to the band that's really nice. I don't mean this in a negative way, but with our old guitar player, due to his health problems, it was really hard to get rehearsals happening after awhile. The band became a bit of a downer and not exciting anymore. We were running on three wheels. So, what he's brought into the band is... well, he's an equal to us. His energy is the same and he's as excited as we are. He's got a real positive attitude. He's just a great rocker. The longer I do this, the more I love it. It reminds me of something Ronnie James Dio said to me once. He said, "The longer I sing, the more I love to sing." I understand that. The cool thing about doing it for a long time is that you get better at it. You're consistent. Rowan's been playing guitar for a long time and he's good. You have to be good to be in DIO at seventeen. We're very compatible guitar-wise. Since I'm playing and singing, I need another guitar player who I can count on to carry things. There are parts that I can't do when I'm singing, even though I do play while I'm singing. Things are just limitless. With him we can do whatever we want.

Q: What do you see DC4 doing and accomplishing over the next six months?

Jeff: Get the recording done and get a deal so that we can get the album out. I'd like to see the band go overseas to do some festivals. We'll gig a lot and keep on writing songs. Hopefully garner up some attention. I have a lot of faith in the band. It's really strong, the band.

Q: Let's speculate for a second. Suppose ARMORED SAINT decided to do a couple shows in southern California, stay close to home for a couple weeks and knock some shows out. Could there be a possibility of DC4 being the opening act? Could you handle doing a set singing for one band and then turning around and doing another set for ARMORED SAINT?

Jeff: Wow, you never know. I don't see that happening. An ARMORED SAINT show requires a lot of energy. I wouldn't want to go on stage with either band unless I could do it at one hundred percent. I could probably pull it off, but I wouldn't be one hundred percent for both bands. I only give everything I have to offer.

Read the entire interview at blog.myspace.com/dc4duncan.