By Vinnie Apicella

Not since 1991's "Symbol of Salvation" has anyone heard from this once mighty powerhouse. After several years of inactivity as a unit, the stars were ready to align again and on that one mystical night, The 'Saint had a "Revelation" and was primed to conquer again… and long may Thy kingdom rejoice! Brothers in arms once more, at least for the moment, considering singer John Bush remains an active part of Anthrax, the "Symbol of Salvation" lineup reunites the 'Saint for yet another stab at the all powerful corporate rock enemy… Hitting their stride almost flawlessly some nine years later, "Revelation" upholds all of the true metal integrity we've come to embrace. "Pay Dirt" spews forth resoundingly as the lead player, impacting like a backhand across the cheek and it's here in less than 30 seconds that we'll come to know they haven't missed a beat! The signature Vera riffs are all present and accounted for and Bush's vocals are spirited to say the least. Detractors expecting a half-hearted rehash, look again. "Revelation" will require a few good listens to fully embrace-it doesn't jump straight at you all at once and may never pounce into the history books as their crowning achievement-but that's more due to the timeliness and superiority of their past work rather than to any of the negligible shortcomings found here. Less commercial than either "Symbol…" or even "Raising Fear", "Revelation" seems to fit well as a go-between from albums one and two with of course a few new tricks thrown in to keep 'em sharp. "Den of Thieves" and "Control Issues" make for a solid one-two punch toward the albums latter half. "Revelation" is like a fighter who possesses all the natural skills necessary to defeat an opponent and reign as champion but no matter what, they'll never receive the accolades truly deserving them. In that same context, Armored Saint has never been about flash or excess but instead gets by on desire and plenty of heart where here again they prove their mettle! Battle hardened, armed to the teeth and ready to take to the fight one last time, the 'Saint rises from the ashes at the dawn of this new era to raise their swords in defense of a kingdom that's never seen a more formidable threat to its very shaky existence.

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