JOEY VERA On ARMORED SAINT's Next Studio Album: 'Our Number One Thing Is Just Writing Really Great Songs'

In a new interview with Metal Kaoz, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", which came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're about midway through writing new music. We have about seven songs or something like that. So we're getting close to being finished. And with any luck, we're trying to get in the studio sometime in the spring to start recording. So, I don't really know what that means as far as a release date, but that's what that's what our goal is at this point. So, we've been working hard making demos at home. In fact, I'm working on a song as we speak, so I had to hit pause and do these interviews, and then I'll go back to it when I'm done. But, yeah, it's going really cool, really well. I love the stuff that's coming out."

Regarding a musical and lyrical direction of the new ARMORED SAINT material, Joey said: "Every record we've made has been a little bit different than the one prior to it, and this one will be the same case where it will be a little different than 'Punching'. But our number one thing is just writing really great songs. We're not so concerned about trying to outdo the last record or do as good as it is or do the same thing. I always think that it's cool to just see where you are at that moment. And these songs that we've written, just like the last three or four records we've made, they all represent a particular time and place for us. So this these batch of songs, they're a reflection of where we are at a time and place right now. We're in post-COVID, we're coming back out of it, back into the world, and different things are influencing me personally than they were in 2014 when I was writing for [2015's] 'Win Hands Down'. So all those things are at play again. I'm trying to take a few chances as well on this, which we always try to do a little bit. So, yeah, it's going really well."

When the interviewer noted that ARMORED SAINT seems to have a "more relaxed" schedule this time around in terms of when the band plans to enter the studio, Joey clarified: "It's more relaxed, but we're trying to unrelax that, because it's been a long time since 'Punching' came out — it's been four years already; we're going on five years now, and by the time this record is out and done, it could be closer to six — so it's too long, I think, between records. So we're trying to speed things up a bit. 'Let's just work. Let's get down to the work, do the work and let's make this record.' We're not trying to rush it. Rush it — I mean, it's been four years. What's taking us so long? But there's reasons for that, and we don't need to get into [that], but, yeah, the time is now for us to just start getting a record done. So we do have a soft schedule of getting in the spring. It's not hard — we don't have an actual booking yet — but we do, at this point, have a soft [schedule in mind]. But I imagine by the time January 1st comes around, we're gonna wanna book a date. So pretty soon we're gonna have a more strict schedule."

Joey also confirmed that ARMORED SAINT will spend much of next year focusing on making the band's next album and less time on the road. "As far as touring is [concerned], yeah, we're kind of taking a break from touring in 2025, so that we can concentrate on making this record happen, get done, actually get done," he said. "So we are not seeking anything. The only things that we have agreed to do, and they are two shows that we booked a month or two ago, is we're playing at the Bangers fest down in Brazil on May the 2nd, I think, 2nd or 3rd, and then we're playing the following weekend at another festival here in America. It's in Columbus, Ohio, and it's called Sonic Temple. It's a very big festival. So we're doing these two festivals, but other than those two shows, we're not taking any more touring dates and we're just trying to get the record done."

This past June, ARMORED SAINT released a rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". 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).

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

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.

Earlier in the year, ARMORED SAINT wrapped up a successful North American tour with QUEENSRŸCHE and is currently on the road as the support act for W.A.S.P..