Armored Saint’s John Bush – Photo Credit: Hilary Crannage
1980s metal left its mark in Albany, New York with the arrival of metal veterans, Queensryche and Armored Saint last Friday night. Devoted fans filled Empire Live wearing band t-shirts from the 1980s to merchandise from both bands and their current show lineup dubbed The Origins Tour. Both bands have a history in the capital region with Queensryche opening for Judas Priest in 2022. Armored Saint, however, last made an appearance in the area in 1991 opening for Twisted Sister and W.A.S.P. before disbanding when vocalist John Bush went to sing for the heavy metal band Anthrax. Friday night ended their long hiatus from the area much to die hard fans excitement, who packed the the venue for the sold out show.
Armored Saint’s Gonzo Sandoval – Photo Credit: Hilary Crannage
Anticipation did not last long for Armored Saint did not keep the crowd waiting and took to the stage to a recording of Delivering the Goods by Judas Priest. A fitting choice as the band has played with their fellow metal veterans in the past. Drummer Gonzo Sandoval took his place at his drums, which were placed more towards the front of the stage, and raised his sticks high resting across each other. Bassist Joey Vera and guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan filed out to excited applause from the audience before Bush made his entrance and launched into the first of their 10 song set, End of the Attention Span. Moving from one end of the stage to the other, Bush belted out each song with his unique voice. Vera and Duncan brought in the back-up vocals and weren’t afraid to take center stage with Sandoval to show off their talent. The set consisted of songs from 6 albums with most being from one of the bands most recent albums, Punching the Sky that was released in 2020. Armored Saint more than made up for their absence in the capital region as they finished their set with Reign of fire from their Symbol of Salvation, leaving fans wanting more and ready for the much anticipated headliner.
Queensryche’s Todd La Torre – Photo Credit: Hilary Crannage
Fans were delighted to sing with the chosen song of Walk by Pantera as the Washington natives, Queensryche prepared to take the stage. “In the Millennium after the fourth great war, the world was in chaos,” A voice announced to cheers from the crowd as the lights dimmed. “An evil adventurer had discovered an ancient computer energized by a crystal so powerful that it enabled her to enslave the world and become queen…Queen of the Ryche.” Drummer Casey Grillo had entered during the recording and took his place on the drums, stationed high up and overlooking the stage. Bassist Eddie Jackson followed Grillo with lead guitarist Michael Wilton and rhythm guitarist Mike Stone and the four began the opening riff to their song Queen of Ryche. Not long after the song began, vocalist Todd La Torre entered and joined his bandmates. The band’s impressive setlist consisted of 15 songs played in chronological order of their release, starting with their EP released in 1982 and continuing through their entire album, The Warning, released in 2004. The stage was flooded with colored lights and fog, creating a more stylized effect compared to Armored Saint’s brighter stage lighting. Multi-colored lasers were projected periodically as the band played off of the audience’s nostalgia, playing classics like The Lady Wore Black. The band frequently made use of the platforms placed at the front of the stage. La Torre especially liked to frequent the center platform to engage the audience and encourage them to
Queensryche’s Michael Wilton – Photo Credit: Hilary Crannage
throw fists and metal horns in the air. Towards the end of their set La Torre addressed the audience and thanked them for attending the show and their longtime fans for their unwavering support throughout the band’s career. Well wishes followed the performance of Roads to Madness, seemingly to signal the end of the set and show. Queensryche exited the stage as the crowd cheered for more and returned after a pause to treat the audience to a two song encore. The encore rounded out the journey through the band’s EP with their song Prophecy and ended the night with an old classic, Empire, from the 1990 album of the same name. As the band exited, the theme song from the 1980s hit Knight Rider played as a fitting end to a night of classic 80s metal.
CLICK HERE to view QUEENSRYCHE photo gallery.
CLICK HERE to view ARMORED SAINT photo gallery.
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