Interview: John Bush Says Armored Saint Strives to Make Music ‘That Stands On Its Own’

On March 27, Armored Saint kick off a massive North American tour alongside Queensryche. Ahead of that first show in Anaheim, Calif., Armored Saint frontman and co-founder John Bush joined Loudwire Nights (March 12) to chat about the tour and the band's longevity.

"It's going to be fun, those guys are great," Bush told host Chuck Armstrong about Queensryche. "We did a tour with them back in 2016...they're just a fun band to tour with. They're really mellow. Easy. They're veterans, they're legends and they're a great band, obviously."

While Queensryche have some special plans in store for the tour, like playing their debut self-titled EP in its entirety, Bush said Armored Saint don't have anything like that in store for fans.

"But we are going to play a bunch of songs from our vast catalog," he said. "And a couple of new songs from the record Punching the Sky that came out in 2020."

He admitted that although that album is nearly four years old, the band still views it as new because they weren't able to do much touring in support of it.

"We're excited to play. It's always fun and we'll feel fresh and it should be a great tour for anybody who loves metal."

Armored Saint, 42 Years Later

While it's common for legacy bands like Armored Saint to undergo significant line-up changes over the years, Bush was proud to talk about their longevity together.

Besides Bush, guitarist Phil Sandoval, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and bassist Joey Vera have all played in the band since 1982. The "newest" member of Armored Saint, guitarist Jeff Duncan, joined in 1989.

"It benefits us, being around for so long because we know what to do and what not to do, you know," Bush said. "[We] just make sure that everybody is on the same page. When we're on the road, the objective is to have a great show every night. That's really the primary goal, it's to just go out there and have a great gig."

As Bush considered the nearly 42 years of Armored Saint's existence, he said part of the reason they're still here — and still excited to be doing what they do — is because they're willing to push the boundaries of what they're capable of.

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"It's always about kind of trying to do something new and at least pushing ourselves," he admitted.

"We love the fact that we're this legacy band, but we also want to be, you know, somebody who's making current music that really stands on its own as well and bridge those things together."

What Else Did Armored Saint's John Bush Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• Why he's slightly uncomfortable being called a living legend: "That's probably a little overrated for myself."
• What new music Armored Saint is working on: "We have about six songs that we've demoed at this point. We're going to put out a video, but I can't really talk about it yet. It's a cover song that we did from a '70s soul group ... Whatever, I'll just say it, 'One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)' by the Four Tops. It's a great song."
• What he tries to achieve as a singer: "I just try to strive for being as unique as possible. I know my capabilities and limitations, so I just kind of try to stay within those boundaries."

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

John Bush joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, March 12; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.