Armored Saint – Emotion Factory Reset
Release Date: 22nd May 2026
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Heavy Metal
FFO: Heaven or Hell, Saxon, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.
Review By: Eric Wilt
While bassist Joey Vera believes that “every [Armored Saint] album has been pretty different from the previous one,” you still know what you’re going to get when you pop on a new Armored Saint album. Their latest record, Emotion Factory Reset, is very much an Armored Saint album. Hard-hitting riffs? Check. Muscular bass lines? Yep. Thunderous drumming? Of course. Driving, anthemic choruses? Definitely. But that’s not a bad thing. When you have a back catalog like they do, sounding like Armored Saint is quite the complement.
Musically, Armored Saint has never sounded better. The production is huge, putting every instrument right up in the front of the mix. As far as the vocals go, John Bush sounds pretty good for his age and style of singing, but songs like Buckeye and Compromise show that his voice isn’t as strong as it used to be.
As for standout tracks, Close to the Bone is a pumped-up heavy metal jam that kicks off the album in a big way. Not on Your Life has a heavy blues feel, especially in the intro. Hit a Moonshot will get the horns up and heads banging, and Ladders and Slides is a grooving, mid-paced rocker that bores its way into your head and doesn’t want to leave.
While perhaps not contending for album of the year, Emotion Factory Reset is still an enjoyable set from a band of living legends. Fans of the band and anyone who likes good ol’ fashioned heavy metal should appreciate this one.
(3.5 / 5)
