Armored Saint is simply an institution in American metal, playing since 1982 and still going strong with their ninth album, Emotion Factory Reset, coming out soon via Metal Blade. We took the chance to talk about the band’s longevity and relevance with guitarist Phil Sandoval.
So, Phil, тhanks for calling the Velvet Thunder website. First of all, tell me what you think the main reason is for Armored Saint’s longevity, and the fact that almost the entire lineup is still consisted of original members.
-I think it has a lot to do with respect and camaraderie. It also has to do with, you know, accepting each other’s personalities for who they are and what they do, and everything. There’s a lot of things that could have happened, but, I think the music has a lot to do with it too. We have good music that we write and stuff. And the longevity also is because we’re kind of like brothers, you know. Of course, I have my brother Gonzo in the band but I think that translates to how we are with each other. And mostly it’s because we respect each other.
You mentioned your brother. It’s a rare occasion to find two brothers playing together for so long in such a famous band. So why did you leave the band before the recording of Delirious Nomad? Can you remind us what made you come back for the Symbol Of Salvation album?
-Well, it’s not like I left. I think, to be quite personal, I didn’t get along with the producer and he didn’t like certain things that I probably wasn’t very well prepared for. And then they kind of used that to push me out of the band, which is what happened. I didn’t just leave the band, to be honest. I wasn’t drinking, I wasn’t doing any drugs and stuff like that. And I don’t know, it was weird because the producer’s girlfriend was there all the time, and it was just a weird thing. But I think now I play better and stuff, and I’m very serious when we record. And I think maybe the producer didn’t think I was able to record my parts the way I should have, and they could have just had Dave do them. But I don’t think I needed to get kicked out of the band, so to speak, to be honest. But it is what it is.
And I was living in San Francisco, and my brother got a hold of me around that time when Symbol Of Salvation was going to happen. And he said that John Bush is going to call me so I need to accept the phone call, and he called me and he said that we’re doing Symbol Of Salvation album, would you like to come back to record with the band and stuff like that, and that’s how that happened. And of course, we recorded Symbol Of Salvation, and then he left to go join Anthrax, you know what I’m saying? That’s my version of it.
Phil, your new album, Emotion Factory Reset, is 100 percent the U.S. metal we know and love with Armored Saint, but there is also a freedom to experiment a bit, which I find in the new songs, and you have thrown in a broader hard rock influence, I think. So do you still challenge each other as composers within the band?
-I think so. I mean, one of the things that now is the identity of Armored Saint is that we’re able to have different influences and different styles in the music. Sometimes it’s just not metal, it’s something else that has something else, and I think it’s interesting. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that Armored Saint didn’t make it big, you know, as like Metallica or stuff, because of so many different influences. But now, at this point in our time, it’s like, let’s just be who we are, you know, and that’s what it is: Armored Saint music. It is what it is, we have our own identity and it has a lot to do with groove, melody, and differences. And I think we’re the Led Zeppelin of American metal because we like to put different things in our music, you know, and every album is different.
What do you think is the most important thing, in your opinion, to stay relevant nowadays, with so many new bands coming out and the flood of new music being released every week?
-I think the most important thing that makes Armored Saint relevant is the music. You know, we keep writing good music, and I think our connection to each other is really important, and it helps move things along. And we still are learning new ways to communicate with each other and compose. Like, for instance, when I was on tour with Queensrÿche, I gave John like 50 song titles, and he said, I don’t mind getting lyrics too. So then I wrote some lyrics, and he used them on the new album. And I got lyrics in Hit A Moonshot, Close To The Bone, Not On Your Life, It’s A Buzzkill, on top of the two songs that made it to the album, which are Throwing Caution To The Wind and Ladders And Slides. So that’s how we keep relevant, by kind of still growing.
That’s so nice to hear, this camaraderie and brotherhood within the band: that it’s still something that happens every day within Armored Saint, and it shows through the music, actually. Phil, you have always had a unique sound and style of composing with Armored Saint and the band as a whole. So what were your main influences when you first started the band in L.A. in the early ’80s?
-Judas Priest, definitely. Judas Priest was a big influence for the band. And we were also influenced by movies, you know, like Mad Max with Mel Gibson, that kind of style, and that we incorporated. The name Armored Saint came to us through Gonzo, my brother, by watching a movie at college, Excalibur, you know. So movies and music combined made Armored Saint what it is, and I think that’s how it started, you know, with that. But Judas Priest was one of the main ones, yeah.
And tell us something more about those early years and early days of the band. What were the bands you played with most often back then?
-John, Joey, and Gonzo knew each other in elementary school. I was a little older, and became friends with them through Gonzo. And then we used to walk home from school, and we always used to talk about bands and stuff. And a lot of the bands that we talked about were Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest. And we also talked about bands that we didn’t like but Thin Lizzy was one that we really loved.
All those influences and talking about bands kind of formed the early influences of how we started it. And me, Gonzo, Joey, and John formed this band called Royal Decree in high school, and then, of course, when we graduated, we disbanded. Then me and Gonzo started again, Gonzo brought in David Prichard and we started playing. Then we got this bass player Michael Williams and then at one point, we got John. We got John, and we didn’t have Joey, but then Joey was working with Sweet 19, Greg Leon, and actually Jake E. Lee for a little bit. But then we got Joey in the band, and that’s how Armored Saint started.
Then we started rehearsing in my room, I mean, my house, with Gonzo in the garage. And thank God that our parents let us do that, because they were very supportive.
You mentioned the late Dave Prichard. What are your memories of partnering on guitars with him and how does your partnership with him differ from that with Jeff Duncan?
-Dave Prichard was way more skilled. He could play the piano, and he was just much more advanced than I was, you know, much, much more advanced. I remember we bought a Tom Scholz Power-Soak, kind of like a thing for the amps, and we found our sound, but they kept breaking down. He was very influential, though. He’d recorded demos, and he was kind of like a leader in the band. He was just a very, very special person, God rest his soul.
With Jeff, it’s more that we just get along, you know. He’s more laid back, and he’s been part of the band for a long time. He does really great, and he’s a great guitar player. We make a good team, also with Dave Prichard too, but it’s just a little different, you know. He is an integral part of Armored Saint, and we’re all just a team now.
Phil, I have only two more questions. First, I want to ask you: ever since the start, you’ve always worked with Metal Blade. Tell us why is your bond with this label so strong and so long-lasting?
-Because Joey is married to the president now (laughing)? No, okay, hold on. I think Brian Slagel was there from the very beginning when we started with the EP. It’s amazing how he has built Metal Blade Records from the early beginnings. He had bands like Ratt, Metallica, Marty Friedman was on one of the EPs, Armored Saint, and all these bands, and a lot of them became successful. He had a keen eye and intellect, knew his musical history, knew who to talk to, and stuff. And look where we are now, 2026, and we’re still on Metal Blade, and we’re still rocking and rolling. So I think it’s a positive thing, but I think it has a lot to do with the connection Brian Slagel has with many, many people. And today, Tracy Vera, Joey’s wife, is the president of Metal Blade, and I think that has a lot to do with us still being here, to be honest, haha! It’s a family thing, not only within the band, but with the label. It’s a family thing.
Is there anything you still wish to achieve under the Armored Saint banner?
-Oh, yeah. I mean, I hope to achieve a gold record, you know, which we’ve never done. Hopefully this album is successful. And if it’s not, it will be. But it’s successful in the fact that we write good music, and the music is there. It’s just that people need to buy it and help us move along and stuff. But there are many, many goals still to achieve with Armored Saint.
Emotion Factory Reset is out on May 22nd and can be ordered from HERE
A great American metal band, who have probably not had the recognition their talents warrant. In another world they, Malice, Fifth Angel and Riot would be the big 4!