Symbol of Salvation
Symbol of Salvation is the fourth album by American heavy metal band Armored Saint, released in 1991 on Metal Blade Records. It was their first release with guitarist Jeff Duncan and their last album before going on an extended hiatus that would last until 1999. The songs on this album were written and demoed in 1988 and 1989 with original guitarist Dave Prichard (except "Truth Always Hurts"), who died of leukemia in 1990 prior to recording. The first guitar solo on "Tainted Past" was lifted from a 1989 4-track demo recorded by Prichard. The album was produced by Dave Jerden, who had produced Alice In Chains and Jane's Addiction albums beforehand. Jerden would go on to produce vocalist John Bush's first album with Anthrax, Sound of White Noise in 1993.
| Symbol of Salvation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 14, 1991 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 55:48 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade Records | |||
| Producer | Dave Jerden | |||
| Armored Saint chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rock Hard (de) | 9.5/10[2] |
Reception
In 2005, Symbol of Salvation was ranked number 424 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reign of Fire" | John Bush | David Prichard | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Dropping Like Flies" | Bush | Prichard | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Last Train Home" | Bush | Jeff Duncan | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Tribal Dance" | Bush | Prichard, Joey Vera, Gonzo Sandoval | 4:07 |
| 5. | "The Truth Always Hurts" | Bush | Phil Sandoval, Duncan | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Half Drawn Bridge" | Instrumental | Vera | 1:27 |
| 7. | "Another Day" | Bush | Prichard | 5:32 |
| 8. | "Symbol of Salvation" | Bush, G. Sandoval | Duncan, Vera | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Hanging Judge" | Bush | Prichard | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Warzone" | Bush | Prichard | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Burning Question" | Bush | Prichard | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Tainted Past" | Bush, G. Sandoval, Vera | Vera | 7:04 |
| 13. | "Spineless" | Bush, Duncan | Vera, Prichard | 4:16 |
| Total length: | 57:04 | |||
2003 reissue on Metal Blade Records
In 2003, Metal Blade Records remastered and re-released the album as a 3-disc Special Edition, which in addition to the full 13 song track list, the first disc contains the music videos to "Reign Of Fire," and "Last Train Home." The second disc contains the original 1989 4-track demos (the same demos that the solo of "Tainted Past" came from) of every song from the album (except the instrumental "Half Drawn Bridge"), all which feature original guitarist Dave Prichard. The remainder of the 2nd disc is the first half of a retrospective interview with the band and Metal Blade CEO Brian Slagel, and the third disc contains the second half of the same interview.
Credits
- John Bush – vocals
- Joey Vera – bass
- Jeff Duncan – rhythm guitar
- Gonzo Sandoval – drums
- Phil Sandoval – lead guitar
- Dave Prichard – first guitar solo on "Tainted Past"
External links
References
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Allmusic review". Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- Kühnemund, Götz. "Rock Hard review". issue 50. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 40. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)