Release Date: October 23, 2020
Metal Blade Records

​Musicians:
John Bush (Vocals)
Joey Verra (Bass)
Phil Sandoval (Guitars)
Jeff Duncan (Guitars)
Gonzo Sandoval (Drums)

 Armored Saint is back and back with a vengeance they are.  

The band released their eighth studio album 'Punching the Sky' back in October and haven't looked in the rear view ever since. Saint has never wavered in style and sound as they refuse to be held back by labels or formulas.  Their just a kick ass metal band trying to have fun. 

​While the band always releases killer material, they have always remained a mystery as far as name value goes.  In fact, Armored Saint may very well be the most underrated band in all of metal.  

The veteran headbangers know a thing or two about making a great record and this release harkens back to the classic era of the band.  One thing that sets Armored Saint apart from most bands is their strong work ethic.  This hard working mentality enables the group to combine their elite musicianship with pristine songwriting.

As mentioned; 'Punching the Sky' has the band firing on all cylinders. 

There are zero filler tracks as this record represents plug and play at it's finest.  When one can listen to an album over and over again, that is a tell tale sign of a great record.  I've been listening from the moment it came out and it never gets old! 

This is definitely the band's most gratifying record since 'Symbol of Salvation' way back in 1991.  The album combines all of the trademark elements of Saint with an added punch of modern flavor.  This is a balls to the wall record that keeps the pedal to the metal.

The album starts off with an ode to Irish folk music before rapidly changing paces.  "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" is an epic thriller that takes the listener on a magical journey.  Clocking in at just under seven minutes; the track shares many twists and turns.

​A slow build intro quickly ramps up to a signature John Bush bellow.  Beefed up dual guitar leads set the tone and the rest is masterful music to your ears.  Bush's powerhouse vocals are on full display as the song begins to beat like a battering ram of metal madness. Clean crisp lyrics resonate throughout and the song features a catchy chorus to boot.

The track then meanders through the bridge and hooks like a fish out of water, before descending into a stellar lead guitar solo.  This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the record and may be one of the bands best all-time; it's that good folks.

If you thought the first track was transcendent among their catalog; then you better get a load of track #2.  "End of The Attention Span" just kicks ass.  It's that simple.  If track #1 is robin then track #2 is certainly it's batman.  A meat and potatoes platter that leaves you with a fistful of forks.  

Pissed off vocals, driving guitars, aggressive riffs, loud drums and bashing bass.  This is the one you turn the volume up to ten on and let er' rip!  The musicianship on this track is pristine and tight.  While the lyrics paint a picture of society's obsession with social media and the dangers it poses.  Another "A" list track that I definitely rank at the top of their all-time best.

The hits just keep on coming with tracks like "Bubble" and "My Jusrisdiction" which provide a similar sound to early style Armored Saint.  Full of raw attitude and emotion, they are hard rock anthems to the core.  Another gritty hard nosed rocker "Do Wrong to None" continues the gut punch assault on it's audience.  All three tracks could find themselves among the local watering hole's setlist. 

At this point we come to the middle of the record. 

This is the point where many albums go off the rails and drop off musically.  Not this one though, folks.  Instead of veering off the tracks, this song has it's sights set on a crash course for stardom.

"Lone Wolf" is undoubtedly this album's masterpiece.  If your looking for 'Symbol of Salvation' vibes then this is your pick!  The track features all of the bells and whistles of a kick ass metal tune.  This song has it all: a stellar intro, up tempo riffs, killer lyrics, pinpoint rhythm section, melodic vocals, harmonizing guitars, and an epic awe inspiring solo!

Bush screams with vengeance.  Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan leave you saying KK. Downing and Glenn Tipton who.  Gonzo Sandoval tells Dave Lombardo to stand at the back of the line.  And Joey Vera leaves Nikki Sixx in the dust.  Stellar musicians at their absolute best here!

Wow, how do you follow up such a magnificent track moving forward?  Easily...you reset the bar!  "Missile to Gun" is an Anthrax-esque rocket of thrashing metal.  This missile is ready to fire and it's all guns blazing.  The tone is set early as the missile reaches take off.  An anthem that appears destined as a regular live set staple, John Bush flexes his vocal muscles showing why he's still the best in the bizz.

As the album moves along we now reach a crescendo of sorts with "Fly in the Ointment."  A change of pace is in order as this one screams Alice in Chains.  Bush does his best Layne impersonation which sounds eerily similar to the fallen great.  Another full fledged hit as this album has now reached star power status.

The album is rounded out by "Bark, No Bite", "Unfair" and "Never You Fret".  "Unfair" is a harrowing ballad that rings out true.  While the final two tracks are bursting apart at the seams with energy and volume.

This is a standout record from beginning to end.  Elite album composition sees the tracks flow together in seamless transition.  It is no wonder that Armored Saint are one of the hardest working bands in metal.  They represent all of the good things in music while displaying a top notch professional demeanor. 

The band has hit a home run with this album. They deserve credit for defying the odds and putting out such a killer record so late in their careers.  These guys are truly underrated at their craft and should be praised! 

'Punching the Sky' gets a 9/10 rating and ranks at the top of their best all-time albums.  And right on cue, many music media outlets had the record at the top of their top album lists in 2020.

John Bush, Joey Verra, Phil Sandoval,  Gonzo Sandoval and Jeff Duncan...keep kicking ass and taking names!  While fans are left punching the sky, Armored Saint is on their way to punching their ticket to platinum!! 

RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2020

Reb Beach has announced that his long in the works instrumental solo album will now see the light of day. “A View From The Inside” is slated for a November 6th release via Frontiers Music Srl. An album that showcases the dynamic talents of the guitar virtuoso, hard rock fans will be transported back to the days of when giants like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani dominated the mainstream consciousness (and airwaves), while also simultaneously being shown a guitarist ever pushing himself forward into the future.

Reb Beach is one of the indisputable guitar giants of the current hard rock scene. His resume with ‘80s/’90s mega-stars Winger alone would earn him this distinction, but his legacy is cemented by his current membership and work with the legendary Whitesnake, his past efforts with Dokken, and his recent release with supergroup Black Swan, also featuring Jeff Pilson, Robin MacAuley, and Matt Starr.

Influenced by the legendary hard rockers of the ‘70s, Reb spent his teen years jamming along with the greats of that era like Aerosmith and Montrose, but it was Steve Morse, then with the Dixie Dregs, that had the biggest influence on him. The complexity and the speed of the Dregs was a unique challenge compared to the blues-based playing of most musicians of that era. The Dregs were ultimately the catalyst that drove his playing to the level he is now so well known to music fans the world over for. Beach eventually graduated from his home practice space to the Berkeley School of Music, but after a couple of semesters he moved on and soon became one of the most sought-after session players in the music industry, working with such all-time great talents as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Kahn, Howard Jones, and Twisted Sister.

While living in NYC, he hooked up with his future bandmate, bassist and frontman Kip Winger. Reb and Kip formed the band Winger and the rest is history. The two proved to be incredible writing partners, crafting multiple platinum records that featured no less than six Top Forty singles. with music that was commercial yet complex.

After Winger went on a hiatus in the ‘90s, Beach’s career continued thanks to collaborations with Alice Cooper, Dokken and Night Ranger and he debuted as a solo artist in 2002 with the album “Masquerade".

Following the Winger reunion in the ‘00s, Reb wound up getting a gig with a gentleman he'd been sending tapes to for many years, David Coverdale. The band? Whitesnake, of course. Since 2003, Reb has toured the world with the band and released multiple albums with them, such as “Good to Be Bad,” “Forevermore,” “The Purple Album,” and the recent “Flesh & Blood,” plus a number of live albums.

Reb Beach will now release his first instrumental album, but this is not a mere exercise of self-indulgence. It is the culmination of over 30 years of study and extremely hard work on his craft. Fans of Steve Morse and Joe Satriani will find a lot to love in the 11 songs on offer here, but while there is certainly a lot of ear candy for the musician types, fans of hard rock in general will find a wealth of melodies and transcendent moments where the songs simply make you forget there are no vocals.

Line-Up:
Reb Beach - guitars, bass on 4, 9, keyboards on 4, 6, 11, strings on 10
David Throckmorton - drums (except on 6)
Robert Langley - drums on 6
Michele Luppi - piano on 3, 10
Phillip Bynoe - bass on 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 11
John Hall - bass on 5, 6, 7
Paul Brown - keyboards on 1, 2, 5, 7

Happy new year from all of us here at Philly Rock Radio. This is the time when many resolutions are made, and hopefully met with success. 

We wanted to take this opportunity to renew our perennial resolution and commitment to bring you the best our local rock scene has to offer. That includes both indie and signed acts. Below you'll see a partial list of the music we've featured on Philly Rock Radio. And this year we plan to step it up by adding more special segments and live broadcasts featuring artists and bands from our area.

We refer to Philly Rock Radio as "The City Of Brotherly Love's Calling Card to the World." We feel it is our mission to introduce you to the hard workin', harder rockin', talented musicians, and artists in our tri-state area. This station believes that this music should play right along with the new music we love. Music made from around the world, as well as the hard rock and metal we grew up on in the '70s and '80s.

And the 'calling card' works both ways. We introduce you to our neighborhood, and we invite you to introduce your neighborhood rock scene to us! Tell us about the bands in your area that should be receiving more attention.

If you'd like to submit your professionally produced original music to us for airplay consideration, click this SUBMIT MUSIC link and fill out our form. Send us properly tagged .mp3 files at 192k or higher. And if we contact you, please be prepared to supply us with station IDs, your EPKs and news to promote for you.

We receive many submissions from all around the world, so please be patient. We will contact you if we intend to play your music. We can only accept properly tagged mp3 files and production quality of the songs count too. It wouldn't be fair to play rough mixes, demos or files that haven't been mastered, when others are putting in the time, money and attention to detail. Thank you in advance for understanding.

We're looking forward to you being a part of PRR in 2021, ROCK ON!