Armored Saint have always been a band I've wanted to love. They have this oddly Romanticized mystique to them: the band that John Bush started in, back when he made traditional, classic heavy metal. It would be lovely to silence Anthrax fellators with "Yeah, John Bush isn't bad, but he was just so much better in Armored Saint." Well, I guess that statement is true regardless, but the sad fact is that the music he made with Armored Saint was hit or miss. Their debut, March of the Saint, is their strongest effort, but nonetheless treads in lukewarm water.

Despite its blandness, there are some good cuts on this album. "March of the Saint" begins the album with catchy glory, but is still held back by John Bush's limited vocal abilities. The next song, "Can U Deliver" is pretty stupid, but fun nonetheless. After that we have the best song Armored Saint has ever written in "Madhouse," a frenzied, quasi-thrash rocker whose pace never lets up. Next is "Take a Turn," which has a few good riffs, but is mostly filler. And then the album falls off a cliff. None of the songs in the second half are memorable in the slightest. Honestly, I've listened to this album a dozen times or so, and the only memory I have of these songs is the halfway decent chorus of "Glory Hunter." They're that undistinguished and forgettable.

Not even the accomplished bassist Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Anthrax, Seven Witches) can help this album out. His bass work is relegated to the background, and becomes just as forgettable as the album's second half. Armored Saint are a prime example of traditional metal in the mid eighties, and March of the Saint has a few awesome songs, but it's ultimately a throwaway release. Sad but true.