American heavy metal icons, Armored Saint, are back with their anticipated new studio album, “Emotion Factory Reset”, set for release on May 22nd, 2026, through Metal Blade Records.
“Emotion Factory Reset”, the lineup’s ninth studio album since 1984’s “March of the Saint”, is a resurrection of sorts, a tearing down and a rebuilding in eleven songs of diverse musicality and lyrical themes. Produced, as were the previous four albums, by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour), the record finds the quintet challenging themselves. Songs like “Close to the Bone”, “Hit a Moonshot”, and “Every Man-Any Man” have Armored Saint honoring their past as one of the most respected and recognizable bands in heavy music while making forward-thinking music rooted in the present.
“Each Armored Saint record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves”, says Vera. “Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ is where our heads are at”.
“When we start coming up with songs, I always say we can do whatever we want”, notes vocalist John Bush. “Use all our influences through the years, diverse music that we listen to and love, and let that seep in and bring something new out of us. It leads to something more adventurous”.
Bush, one of music’s most respected vocalists, operates from a place of passion and presence in the studio and on stage. In fact, about 85% of his vocals from the last three Armored Saint records are taken from the demo sessions, capturing the raw power. While Vera is a granular and detailed writer, like Bush, the bassist says, “I try not to overthink and be right where I’m at that time. I really don’t look over my shoulder much, like, ‘what did I do in the past? What’s going on in the next lane?’ Once the ball starts rolling, I just sit back and let it happen”.
The collaborative nature of “Emotion Factory Reset” led to the album title, a phrase from guitarist Phil Sandoval. “To me, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ means to reset yourself back to clarity. Take a pause and breathe before you respond or react. You can’t control outside events, but you can control your mind”, the guitarist says. “How you interpret things is what hurts you, not the event itself”.
His brother, drummer Gonzo notes: “the world is going through a technological upswing/awakening. I look at our planet as the factory and in the most positive way we need to realign, reimagine, reset for our better selves”.
In advance of the record’s release, today the band presents the first single and album opener, “Close to the Bone”. Comments Bush: “The first track on the record sounds like vintage Armored Saint. Yet vintage that comes out in 2026! How did we do that? The title of the record, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ appears as the first line of the bridge. Killer riffs, awesome rhythms and attacking vocals gets this train rolling. The title implies the human response to withdraw and keep things to yourself instead of being confrontational; Something I believe we all struggle with as humans. Do you just say, ‘aww, whatever man’, or do you say, ‘hey, fuck you!’ Depends on the moment, I guess”.
Adds Vera: “Musically, this song was inspired by my love and appreciation for metal that was coming out around the time of the NWOBHM, which is right when Armored Saint was formed. As always, I try to reimagine my early influences by giving them a slight modern twist”.
Guitarist Jeff Duncan agrees: “I like to think that Armored Saint doesn’t keep making the same album over and over. ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ is another musical chapter for the band. When the five of us play together, we have a special chemistry and our first single ‘Close to the Bone’ demonstrates this perfectly; it’s musically sophisticated but still retains the Armored Saint signature sound”.
Watch the official video for “Close to the Bone”, directed by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, below.
“Emotion Factory Reset” was recorded across several studios including 606 Studios, Secret Hand Studios, Skullseven Studios, Constantine Studios, and Bridge Recording, engineered by Oliver Roman, Bill Metoyer, Joey Vera, and Jason Constantine, and features cover art by DDKing.
The record will be released on CD digipack (w/ 20-page booklet) and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
• Amber Marble (US)
• Orange and Red Marble (US)
• Citron Smoke (US – Brutal Panda Exclusive)
• 180g Black (EU)
• Beige Gray Marbled (EU)
• Clear Black Gold Smoke (EU – Ltd. 500)
• Metallic Gold Black Dust (EU – Ltd. 300)
• Clear Gold Splatter (EU – Ltd. 200)
Additionally, a special European edition of the CD digipak includes the bonus track “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)”, only available digitally until now!
A special European edition of the single gatefold LP comes w/ insert and DL card + 7” vinyl “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison),” (only available digitally until now!) w/ an etching on the B-side, a poster, and slipmat.
Find all preorders here.
Tracklist:
1. Close to the Bone
2. Every Man-Any Man
3. Not on Your Life
4. Hit a Moonshot
5. Buckeye
6. Compromise
7. It’s a Buzzkill
8. Throwing Caution to the Wind
9. Ladders and Slides
10. Bottom Feeder
11. Epilogue
Catch Armored Saint live throughout the Spring and Summer months with more dates to be announced in the weeks to come.
Tour Dates 2026:
4/19/2026 Rainbow Bar & Grill – West Hollywood, CA
5/17/2026 San Luis Metal Fest – San Luis Potosí, MX
5/22/2026 Rock Hard Festival – Gelsenkirchen, DE
6/06/2026 Milwaukee Metalfest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
7/30/2026 Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK#
7/31/2026 Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, SE
8/01/2026 Pustervik – Gothenburg, SE**
8/02/2026 Mejeriet – Lund, SE**
8/05/2026 Brutal Assault – Jaroměř, CZ
8/07/2026 Alcatraz Festival – Dessel, BE
8/08/2026 Poppodium Boerderij – Zoetermeer, NL @
8/09/2026 Keep It True Legions – Geiselwind, DE
8/11/2026 Progresja – Warsaw, PL***
8/12/2026 Collosseum – Kosice, SK %
8/13/2026 Klub Studio – Krakow, PL**
8/29/2026 Stonedead Festival – Newark, UK
* (w/ L.A. Guns, Pentagram, Alien Ant Farm, Boy Hits Car)
** (w/ Testament, Metal Church)
*** (w/ Savatage, Nevermore)
# (w/ Metal Church)
% (w/ Vio-Lence)
@ (headlining show)
Line-up:
John Bush – Vocals
Joey Vera – Bass
Jeff Duncan – Guitars
Phil Sandoval – Guitars
Gonzo Sandoval – Drums
Weblinks:
www.armoredsaint.com
www.facebook.com/thearmoredsaint
