Bang your head — it’s one of rock’s most recognizable phrases. Metal is community, culture, and connection. It’s one of the few genres of rock music that is never on trend. It’s always powerful, potent, and unapologetic — and always gaining fans.
I’ve been a metalhead since the ’80s, loud and proud. Watching what I call the “Sing Kings” still bring it, 40-plus years after starting their journeys, is nothing short of inspiring. Halford, Dickinson, Hetfield, Tate — and Bush. Yes, Bush. Jon Bush from the legendary California metal band Armored Saint.
Since the early 1980s, Armored Saint has been making music, doing shows, and banging heads.
A Band That’s Been Through It All
As with every band, there were a few bumps in the road — most tragically, the death of guitarist Dave Prichard in 1990 from leukemia — as well as a band breakup, during which John joined the legendary Anthrax, and the inevitable ups and downs of the music business. John was also part of the killer metal supergroup Category 7.
Now, the legendary Armored Saint is back with a dynamic new album. “Emotion Factory Reset” — their ninth — is out on Metal Blade Records, and I sat down with vocalist John Bush to discuss the new music, the highs and lows of the business, and how his R&B influences and soulful approach to metal vocalizing have set him apart from the traditional style we associate with the genre. John joined me on the Carr Stereo Podcast for a “Metal Catch Up.”
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
“We Set the Barometer Pretty High”
Terrie Carr: I marvel at artists who are able to still put out material so true to who they are, yet with this familiar-but-fresh feel. When I first heard “Emotion Factory Reset,” I was like, wow. It comes out fighting with “Close to the Bone,” and I was just like, oh man, Armored Saint are back. Did you feel like, when you closed out the recording, the mixing, everything for this record — did you kind of feel like, “S—t, this is a real keeper for us?”
John Bush: We did. And we usually do, especially on the last couple of records we made. We really do. We set the barometer pretty high. We push ourselves. We don’t want to be just one of these bands from the ’80s who put out new music so they can go out and do some touring. And, you know, it’s always a beer or bathroom break for people when they come see you live, when you say, “We’re going to play a new song.” We want people to really love our new material — and they usually do.
And this is no exception. I don’t think we would do it otherwise, quite honestly. I mean, I don’t think I would make new music if I didn’t feel like it rivaled our past, or even in my opinion, surpassed it. I think it’s really important to do that. And it’s important for me; it’s important for us. Joey Vera is the leader of the band, and he’s just a spectacular talent — really underrated, quite frankly, in the world of rock and roll. And like I said, we set the bar pretty high and we push ourselves. So if we feel anything is coming under that, we’ll just keep going. And that’s probably why Armored Saint records take so long to come out. But in the end, they’re pretty top notch.
Terrie Carr: Because you guys are like a sporting event. It’s like a sporting event when we get an Armored Saint record!
John Bush: (Laughs) That’s what Gonzo — Gonzalo Sandoval, drummer and founding member — always says when we play! He’s like, “IT’S SPORT!” We’re really like that!
The Jay Ruston Connection
Terrie Carr: Well, you mentioned Joey. Joey produced this record. You also worked with Jay Ruston. I love Jay.
John Bush: Jay is awesome.
Terrie Carr: I just love what he does, especially with metal records. He just produced another record that I love from an artist — a guitar player named Jared James Nichols.
John Bush: Jay’s been working with us now since “Win Hands Down” in 2015, which was two records ago, and then he did “Punching the Sky” in 2020, which was our last one. He mixed them both and he mixed this one as well. He’s just a great guy. He knows what he’s doing — let’s face it. I mean, he produces a lot of records. As a matter of fact, he’s produced the last couple of Anthrax records, including the new one. But he’s just a really talented guy. I mean, he did The Donnas, which is really, really cool. I love that band.
Rhythm and Bang: The Soul Behind the Metal
Terrie Carr: Your vocals have always been very unique because you still, to me, have this very soulful kind of vibe. I spoke with Lajon from Sevendust — he has it too. I call it “Rhythm and Bang,” because you’re still bringing the f—ing metal, but there’s a soulfulness that not every metal singer has. I have always heard it in anything John Bush was singing. Is it something from your past? Are you an R&B fan? Do you take it to church? What am I hearing here?
John Bush: (Laughs) That’s funny. Well, Lajon has that advantage because he’s Black. I’m a white guy who wants to be Black in terms of being an R&B singer. (Laughs) That’s my aspiration. Now, again, I always say we go back to the early days of listening to music. As much as we would come home from junior high school and put on Kiss Alive, the following record was Earth, Wind & Fire’s Gratitude. So even back then, we were really into R&B. We were into the Commodores and Stevie Wonder, Al Green — you name it. And the Four Tops — you know, Armored Saint covered “One Chain,” which is a killer song. Levi Stubbs is an amazing vocalist. So as much as I loved Halford and Bon Scott and Ozzy, I loved those guys too — Maurice White, Al Green, and Stevie.
John discusses being one of the first bands on Chrysalis Records, losing his bandmate, and how Armored Saint is primed for the future in he full Carr Stereo interview— watch or listen.
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