Armored Saint - Win Hands Down

It has been 5 years since Armored Saint has released any new studio material.  Thank god their back!  I have been a fan of this band, since the first release, so I'm always geeked, when I hear that they have new product out.  Well, the Saint have just released their 9th full release, Win Hands Down, which might be their strongest, since they re-united in 1999.  To be honest, I have not been that blown away, by the band's material, since they reunited, until this latest release.  This release embodies the passion and fury, that these guys had, back in the day.

Win Hands Down starts off in fine form with the title track.  It is an uptempo rocker that starts the CD up in high gear.  John Bush is on top of his game, vocally, on this release, and is sounding better than ever.  The whole album is solid, with the exception of the last track Up Yours, which comes off a bit cheesy, for me.  It is the deeper cuts like Muscle Memory and Dive, that steal the show for me.  It is so cool to hear how much they have grown, since their inception 30+ years ago.  There is a lot of variety on this disk, which makes it a total keeper.  One minute your grooving, with a track like An Exercise in Debauchery and the next you're mellowing out, with the dark track Dive, which is a departure from the original sound, and I totally dug.  Great record.  A Top for 1015.

Bottom Line: Armored Saint retuning to the scene, with their best releases, in over a decade.  Great songs, with lost of variety.  This is a candidate for CD of the year.  Catch these guys live if you can, because I know I will, if they can take the heat in Tejas.

Standout Tracks: Muscle Memory, An Exercise in Debauchery, Dive, With a Full Head of Steam

-Ragman is pissed their not coming to Texas with Saxon, WTF!