Album Review: Armored Saint – Symbol Of Salvation Live
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Symbol Of Salvation is a defining album for Armored Saint. Released back in 1991 it saw the band toiling from the tragic death of founding guitarist Dave Prichard just before the recording sessions of the album. Despite the tragedy and adversity the band faced in recording Symbol Of Salvation it ended up becoming the most beloved album in the Armored Saint discography both by fans and band alike. With 2021 being the 30th anniversary of the album's release, Armored Saint pay homage by releasing a live album with the whole Symbol Of Salvation album played from start to finish.
Recorded in 2018 at New York’s famed Gramercy Theatre in front of a mass of fans, this is a fabulous recording that encapsulates all that is special about this album as well as being an absolutely killer performance. Even thirty years later these songs still sound fresh and timeless. There are set staples such as Reign Of Fire, Dropping Like Flies, Last Train Home and the title track as well as lesser played belters such as Warzone and Spineless but it also gave the band the opportunity to play some songs that had never been performed live before which must have been a real treat for the fans in attendance that night.
The band sound on absolute fire with the killer guitar duo of Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan playing those killer riffs and sweet solos whilst the powerhouse rhythm section of Joey Vera on bass and Gonzo Sandoval on drums keeping everything going and of course frontman John Bush commands centre stage with his fantastic vocals. As an extra treat, the vinyl edition of this album contains five songs from the 1989 pre-production demo which contains the final recordings of guitarist Dave Prichard before he sadly succumbed to leukaemia. The five songs are ones that didn’t make it to the album and although they are a bit rough around the edges they are still incredibly solid songs and just shows how much of a peak that Armored Saint were at in 1989 with their writing and playing.
Live albums can be a bit hit or miss but Symbol Of Salvation Live is a definite hit. A testimony to an absolutely classic album that still sounds as good now as it did thirty years ago. Fantastic songs with fantastic performances and a fantastic mix means this live album ticks all the boxes. An essential listen for Armored Saint fans.
