Touring across North America as direct support for Queensryche on their “Origins” tour, Armored Saint booked an off-day headline show at The Montage Music Hall, a highly anticipated & well-sold event for the local area.
At times lost in the agenda, many local Support Acts don’t get the focus they deserve, but on this occasion, it was quite the opposite, with the local area opening Acts highly contributing to the overall ticket sales through their own grass-roots efforts. There is a lot of talent in the Rochester area, something to be proud of! A little bit about each of them ….
Explosive newcomers, Comfort In Violence, opened the night bringing a furious blend of thrash, nu-metal, and rap metal that had the crowd throwing elbows in the pit. With their EP on the horizon, be on the lookout for these rising stars!
Gates of Paradox stood out with their delivery of melodic heavy & epic power metal, & opened some eyes, as evident with the focus of the audience. Hailing from a town with an abundance of extreme metal acts, this unit was a breath of fresh air.
And Daylight Black, the powerhouse thrash metal cover band, offered up blistering renditions of metal classics such as “Creeping Death” & other iconic tracks. With members hailing from Rochester's elite metal scene, they had the whole venue shaking by the finale.
Armored Saint unleashed an inferno of thrash metal fury upon "The ROC's" metal-hungry masses, reaffirming their status as one of the genre's most influential legacy acts. John Bush, the charismatic frontman, commanded the stage with unwavering confidence, his powerhouse vocals hitting every note with precision as he prowled back and forth. Joey Vera, whose bass technicality reached mind-bending levels of insanity, drives the band forward with relentless energy, while the Sandoval brothers, a true Tour De Force of musical genius, laid down the thunderous rhythms. And let’s not forget Jeff Duncan, who's guitar prowess adds an extra layer of ferocity to their already formidable sound.
Their 40-year discography was a treasure trove of metal goodness, with classics like "1812 Overture" and "End of The Attention Span" kicking off the night's festivities in epic fashion. Hits like "Raising Fear" and "Tribal Dance" from the '80s, kept the energy at a fever pitch. But it was the newer tracks like "Standing on the Shoulders Of Giants" and the title track from "Win Hands Down" that truly showcased Armored Saint's timeless appeal and musical evolution. And when it came time for closers, "Can You Deliver" and "Reign of Fire" delivered the goods with all the raw power and intensity of their '80s heyday. Yet, the pinnacle came with the encore, as they dug deep into their repertoire to deliver the ultimate treat, "Mad House," sending the crowd into a frenzy of headbanging euphoria. The dedication to their craft is unwavering, & Armored Saint remains a beacon of metal excellence!
As Metal Mayhem ROC celebrates our 5-year anniversary this May, we would like to send a huge "HORNS UP" to all of the listeners, readers and viewers that have supported us along the way. Just like you, we are all fans of this lifestyle and culture of Heavy Metal and Hard "ROC" and the passion is what drives us. Here are some candid pics from The Montage Music Hall during the concert as well as some video clips courtesy of Metal Mike 666 - Thank you for supporting. Vernomatic, Metal Walt and the entire Metal Mayhem ROC Team.
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