Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation
| Release date: | 14 May 1991 |
| Style: | Heavy metal |
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Owners: |
166 have it 11 want it |
01. Reign Of Fire
02. Dropping Like Flies
03. Last Train Home
04. Tribal Dance
05. The Truth Always Hurts
06. Half Drawn Bridge
07. Another Day
08. Symbol Of Salvation
09. Hanging Judge
10. Warzone
11. Burning Question
12. Tainted Past
13. Spineless
02. Dropping Like Flies
03. Last Train Home
04. Tribal Dance
05. The Truth Always Hurts
06. Half Drawn Bridge
07. Another Day
08. Symbol Of Salvation
09. Hanging Judge
10. Warzone
11. Burning Question
12. Tainted Past
13. Spineless
Guest review
Lyrics Re-Released in 2003 as a 3-CD-Boxset (pictured) by Metal Blade (3984-14429-2):
CD 1 contains the regular ''Symbol of Salvation'' album plus two enhanced videos.
CD 2 (''Symbol of Salvation - 4-Track Demo Versions 1988 - 91''):
1. Reign Of Fire [Demo] (4:34)
2. Dropping Like Flies [Demo] (5:10)
3. Last Train Home [Demo] (5:18)
4. Tribal Dance [Demo] (3:53)
5. The Truth Always Hurts [Demo] (4:25)
6. Another Day [Demo] (5:45)
7. Symbol of Salvation [Demo] (4:21)
8. Hanging Judge [Demo] (3:45)
9. Warzone [Demo] (3:44)
10. Burning Question [Demo] (4:21)
11. Tainted Past [Demo] (7:40)
12. Spineless [Demo] (4:26)
Interview with Brian Slagel Part I
13. Intro
14. The Writing process begins
15. Illness hits home
16. Now What?
CD 3:
Interview with Brian Slagel Part II
1. Now what? (continued)
2. Pick up the pieces
3. Dave Jordan
4. Choosing the songs and the recording process
5. The Songs: Reign of Fire
6. Dropping Like Flies
7. Last Train Home
8. Tribal Dance
9. The Truth Always Hurts
10. Half Drawn Bridge
11. Another Day
12. Symbol Of Salvation
13. Hanging Judge
14. Warzone
15. Burning Question
16. Tainted Past
17. Spineless
18. Mixing
19. Cover art
20. Looking back
21. Goodbye and Thank you
Rating:
9.0
9.0
|
Rating: 9.0 |
"Symbol of Salvation" is considered by many to be Armored Saint's greatest album. The heavy metalhard rock band from California hit it big with this 1991 masterpiece, re-released in 1998 with bonus discs. It features vocalist John Bush, guitarists Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval, drummer Gonzo, and bassist Joey Vera. This is a great example of classic metal. I consider it 'classic' because it is in the vein of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, descended straight from the line of great heavy metal of the '70s and '80s, mixed in with a hint of glam and hair metal. John Bush's excellent vocals are the high point of the album. He can hit some very high notes and has a great range. In my opinion, Bush is competent even with the great heavy metal singers such as Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, and Rob Halford. I even think Bush's voice is similar to that of Steven Tyler. The other instruments - guitars, bass, and drums - are all very well done. They seem to be placed very well within the song; they are able to both show off and fit within the context of the song at the same time. The songwriting is exceptional on this album. Now for the actual songs. "Reign of Fire" is probably the best song on the album, being both very heavy and having an incredibly infectious chorus. "Dropping Like Flies" is also a very strong song, probably my favorite. It too has a very infectious chorus. I dislike "Last Train Home" because it reminds me too much of an '80s power ballad, like something Motley Crue would do. It is a single however, and also a good song at that. "Tribal Dance" has an interesting tribal percussion part at the beginning and turns out to be a decent heavy song. "The Truth Always Hurts" is a funky sort of song that has more of a loose feel to it. "Half Drawn Bridge" is a great atmospheric guitar solo played over a slow bassline. "Another Day" and "Tained Past" also show tendencies toward the power ballad style. The title track, "Symbol of Salvation" is an excellent metal song that picks up the slack where the mellowness of "Another Day" left off. It sports high-pitched vocals and Iron Maiden-style riffs. "Hanging Judge", "Warzone", and "Burning Question" keep the end of the album rocking hard. The final song "Spineless" is a fast and thrashy metal song that will please the fans of heavier genres. The production on this album is exceptionally good, as is expected for this genre. The lyrical content mainly includes emotion, such as romantic attraction ("Burning Question"), cynicism ("The Truth Always Hurts"), and grudges ("Hanging Judge"). "Tribal Dance" has the oddball lyrics of the track, which talk about the war on drugs. The cover art is quite unusual, featuring a female suit of armor in a frame. Overall, this is a well written and well executed album that shows a great example of classic metal and hard rock. This album will appeal to a variety of metal fans, including fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, and others. Also fans of Dokken, Whitesnake, and other hard rock bands may appreciate this record. I highly recommend this album and rate it as a 9. |
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Comments
Comments: 10
Visited by: 396 users
| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
Finally got around to checking out this (what seemed to be from reading reviews and user comments) unappreciated metal band. This album has a pretty sweet blend of 80's and 90's sounds. I like it. Reminds me of early Soundgarden and Alice in Chains at times... which I wasn't really expecting.  I was expecting something much more 80's, I think.
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| Dr. Strawberry Posts: 698  |
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| Dr. Strawberry Posts: 698 |
According to the review, if this album is in between Iron Maiden (NWOHM) and Judas Priest (Heavy Metal) then it should be called Progressive Metal. I always called this album progressive metal until I discovered many websites claimed this a pure Heavy Metal album.
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| raveneffect Posts: 541  |
Doesn't sound Prog at all imho, still it's not Heavy 1-0-1. Always loved the Saint, great band with awesome records. This might be one of my actual favourites.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Nothing progressive about this album or any other Armored Saint album at all. Heavy metal with some lower US power metal leanings. Great album.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Fearmeister Account deleted |
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| Metalheart35 Account deleted |
Metalheart35
Account deleted
Best Armored Saint album. Can only rate it with 9 or 10 points. Power, melodies & the voice of John Bush. Excellent Heavy Metal, can listen to that album every week. 
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| SebaRaven36 Posts: 678  |
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| Metal Rasputin Posts: 1259  |
Symbol Of Salvation is a great album, they really hit the nail in the head with this one. The early 90's style production has stood the test of time perfectly.
---- You've got a lot of guts. Let's see what they look like!
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| majormalfunction Posts: 1507  |
When people ask what kind of music I listen to I quite often refer them to Reign of Fire. This album is such a attitude filled and fun ride... definitely among my favourite heavy metal records.
---- Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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