Armored Saint were one of the most influential Heavy Metal representatives in California in the 80s. The band broke up twice for long years when its singer, John Bush, left to join Anthrax. Only a few days before the official release of their first studio album in nearly 10 years, bassist Joey Vera found spare time to answer some questions regarding the band’s current situation as well as their past and future plans.

La Raza, due to hit the shops on 15th March 2010, is the first album to be recorded by Armored Saint in nearly 10 years. What can the fans expect?
They can expect good songs. John Bush and I were the main song writers. I once again was the producer and I think I wanted it to be big and fat, a little more ambient than Revelation was.

Who came up with the CD cover concept? What is the idea behind it?
It came from a few conversations between myself, the photographer Stephanie Cabral and Gonzo. We really wanted to show our connection to this city of Los Angeles. The place represents home for us but it also is a place of much movement. The title La Raza means the race, and we say it in the Human Race form. So the imagery made sense to tie it into our city.

Is there a video clip being made for any of its tracks?
Yes, we’re putting together a video right now for 'Left Hook from Right Field'.

The band had 2 long hiatuses, both caused by John Bush’s departure. Were both occasions friendly?
Yes, we’ve never had any falling out with John.

When Armored Saint first broke up, in the early 90s, you joined prog metal band Fates Warning. Were you looking for something more challenging, musically speaking? If the last 3 Armored Saint albums never happened, would you be fulfilled, as a musician, playing only on Fates Warning?
I wasn’t really looking as they approached me. But in the end, I was glad because is was indeed more challenging than anything I’d done before. It’s made me a better player. Yeah I guess I would still be satisfied, I mean I get different things our of each band.

Like John, you also joined Anthrax, though for much less time. Were you (both, John as well) disappointed with Scott Ian’s decision of reforming the Among the Living line-up? How was it to be part of Anthrax, like shows, rehearsals, composing new material, relationship with the other members etc?
I can’t speak for John about this. But for me it wasn’t such a surprise. The thing that was not great was the way they went about executing the ideas. I had a great time playing in Anthrax. I got to play in places I’d never been to before, played some really killer shows and right next to me onstage was my best friend. I got along great with everyone. Good times.

A long time ago, in the early 80s, you were nominated to replace Cliff Burton in Metallica. Did you audition for it? How much were you considering joining the band? What happened was that shortly after the accident, the band was auditioning lots of people they didn’t know and it was very depressing. They wanted to jam with people they knew. So Lars called and asked if I wanted to come jam. I was in the middle of recording Raising Fear at the time so I declined. I was recording my third record on a major label with my band mates of 6 years. I wasn’t ready to walk away.

Ok, back to the present. I read somewhere, a couple of months ago, that John Bush didn’t want to play small clubs anymore. How are you planning to promote La Raza, are you going to be touring worldwide? Will the gigs be mostly at festivals, or also at medium-size venues?
We had hoped for playing at some festivals this summer. But as our luck would have it, John has agreed to play a few shows with Anthrax this summer so it look unlikely we’ll be doing that. Hopefully in the future, we’ll be able to do some good shows in Europe and abroad.

In your opinion, is there a chance of Armored Saint lasting another, say, 10 years uninterruptedly? Are all members interested in recording more albums if the response for La Raza is positive?
I’m gonna guess and say we would not wait another 10 years to do anything again. I’d be 56!

Denis Augusto
photo: promo