The Bands
The year 2024 has been monumental for classic heavy metal. Aside from the ongoing resurgence of interest in the bands that emerged during the metal boom of the 1980s, this past year also marked the 40th anniversary of many key releases from the period. Two of which happen to be shock-rockers W.A.S.P.’s self-titled debut and Armored Saint’s first major-label release, March of the Saint.
While each band was quite different style-wise, both distinguished themselves as some of the earliest players on the blossoming LA metal scene that would help launch a global movement that continues today.
The LA scene in the early ’80s was split into a few distinct groups. The first was the Van Halen camp, packed with virtuoso guitarists and flamboyant frontmen attempting to emulate their forefathers. The second was the leather-and-spikes crowd, heavily influenced by the UK, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden in particular. Lastly, early thrash bands like Metallica (before escaping to the Bay Area) and Slayer helped shape the era’s more aggressive edge.
Armored Saint fell squarely into the second camp, even taking the leather and spikes to a whole new level by adding armor to the mix. The band’s initial self-titled EP, released on Metal Blade Records in 1983, is a stone classic from the era, brimming with grit and attitude. Numbers like “False Alarm” and “Lesson Well Learned” have both a DIY feel and arena-rock swagger. Singer John Bush is a highly underrated vocalist in the larger heavy metal canon. At one point, Metallica offered him the frontman spot in their band, which Bush respectfully declined, instead focusing on furthering his own band’s fortunes. March of the Saint saw the band ascend to the major-label stage, and while it did a fine job in furthering the sound of the EP, it failed to cut through in a major way. After several more acclaimed major-label albums and even stronger subsequent releases on Metal Blade, the band would go on a long hiatus when Bush was asked to join Anthrax as its frontman.
W.A.S.P. and its decades-long legacy of heavy metal spectacle has possibly outlived everyone’s initial expectations. Frontman and mastermind Blackie Lawless may be the sole original member, but that doesn’t matter to the horde of fanatical followers that have helped keep the band in business for 40+ years. W.A.S.P. might not’ve fit neatly into the early LA scene, but they definitely knew how to make an impact. They took the whole leather-and-studs look to the next level, adding actual saw blades to the uniform and mock-torturing unwitting nuns on stage. And with song titles like “Animal (F** Like a Beast),” they certainly earned a special place in the hearts of conservative activists and concerned parents everywhere. While it may sound like high-concept shock gimmickry, Lawless knows his way around a tune and has always had a knack for a killer hook, and the band’s 1984 self-titled debut has them in spades—in songs such as “I Wanna Be Somebody” and “The Flame.” And while they may have sported makeup and disheveled hair, W.A.S.P.’s sound was far heavier than most of the day’s pop-metal bands.
The Show: December 13, 2024, San Francisco
The Warfield Theatre, an elegant and refined 2,500-capacity venue, was transformed into a metal battleground for the evening. While Armored Saint took the stage amidst W.A.S.P.’s stage props, it mattered little, given the band’s high energy level and ultra-tight execution. Featuring four of the five original players, Bush and company opened with a more contemporary number in the band’s canon, “End of the Attention Span,” before diving into legacy classics, “Raising Fear” and “Nervous Man.” Not letting age or the times slow him down, Bush was all over the stage and in top vocal form as he belted out the fist-pumping refrain of the band’s signature number, “March of the Saint.” Bassist Joey Vera added a scrappy punk element to the mix with his spidery bass lines and sly moves, while Phil Sandoval and long-time member Jeff Duncan provided the Judas Priest–styled dual-guitar assault. When it came time to perform the band’s early ‘80s anti-hit “Can U Deliver,” Bush pulled a Houdini and magically appeared at the top of the highest balcony, surprising the enthusiastic crowd with his snarling delivery.
Without elaborate props or bombastic stagecraft, Armored Saint delivered a rock-solid performance based on the strength of their catalog and passion for the music. The only issue was the exclusion of the aforementioned early burners, “False Alarm” and “Lesson Well Learned.”
With a small-but-mighty clutch of fanatical followers, Blackie Lawless. can generally be counted on to pack venues, regardless of whether there’s a new album out or not. As the only original member of W.A.S.P., it’s his show, but the band of long-time supporting players was impressive nonetheless. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band’s debut, the “Album One Alive” show kicked off with an intro tape featuring “The End” by The Doors before morphing into a brief medley of the tracks from the first album. As the lights exploded, the band launched into the album in its original track order in a flurry of smoke, lights, and hellish backdrops. Kicking off with the album’s lead single, “I Wanna Be Somebody,” the sound was vigorous and volatile. While rumors persist that the band uses backing tracks, when listening back to my own videos, this was not the case, at least on this track. The chain-gang chorus sounds gritty and imperfect, just like it should in a live setting.
From there on, the band performed the rest of the album, with highlights being “L.O.V.E. Machine” and “Tormentor,” both of which benefited from the extra push of adrenaline. In between songs, Blackie would pause for long raps about the origins of the tour, as well as the state of the world, something he’s been fairly outspoken about over the past couple of decades.
The band took a brief break after the debut album set, returning with a mix of fan favorites, including “Inside the Electric Circus” and a cover of The Who’s “The Real Me,” which sounded refreshingly heavy. The crowd went wild during “Wild Child,” with Blackie starting the song a cappella. To say the audience was eating it up would be an understatement, and it was both surprising and refreshing to see the enthusiasm for music made some four decades ago.
The Takeaway
For fans of the early ‘80s LA metal scene, this show was a powerful tribute to a beloved era. Four decades later, W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint proved they still have it.
For questions, comments, or something you’d like to see, drop me a line @JimKaz1.
