JOHN BUSH: 'I Champion' The Fact That ARMORED SAINT Has Kept Same Lineup For More Than Three And A Half Decades

In a new interview with Stevie J of TotalRock, ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush was asked how he and his bandmates have managed to keep their lineup almost entirely intact for most of their four-decade-plus existence. John responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm not gonna say that it's always wine and roses for us because we're human beings that don't always agree on things. But at the end of the day, it's pretty remarkable that, other than [guitarist] Dave Prichard, who died back in 1990, it's the same guys. It really is the same guys. The two Sandoval brothers — Gonzo [drums] and Phil [guitar] — Jeff Duncan [guitar], who came in when Dave was still alive and started writing songs with us that became [1991's] 'Symbol Of Salvation' [album]. Jeff wrote [the song] 'Last Train Home'. And then, of course, me and Joey [Vera, bass].

"A lot of bands, there's different versions of them, but it's pretty safe to say there's not a lot of bands like ARMORED SAINT where the majority of the people are still in the band," John continued. "I mean, METALLICA's one. ANTHRAX, actually, is one. There are some exceptions. Some people have died. What are you gonna do? Dave died back in, like I said, 1990. But I really champion that kind of thing that ARMORED SAINT is the same guys. You're not coming to see John Bush and four other dudes that you don't know, or Joey Vera and three other guys that you just don't know.

"I know, like I said, other bands sometimes have to make those kind of sacrifices because people pass away or people just don't wanna be in the same room with somebody," Bush added. "And I get it. But, yeah, it's a cool aspect of ARMORED SAINT, for sure."

As previously reported, 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.

"Emotion Factory Reset", ARMORED SAINT's ninth studio album since 1984's "March Of The Saint", was released in May via Metal Blade Records. The LP was described in a press release as "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.