American heavy metal icons, Armored Saint, are pleased to present their new single, “Hit A Moonshot.” The track comes off the band’s upcoming new full-length, Emotion Factory Reset, set for release on May 22 through Metal Blade Records.
“Hit A Moonshot” is a band favorite. A “moonshot” is a baseball term referencing a homerun that’s hit at a high angle and distance. An avid sports fan, vocalist John Bush was considering the parallels between sports and entertainment.
“It’s like you knocked something out of the park,” elaborates Bush, “I use a lot of sports analogies because I love sports. Sports IS entertainment…’Hit A Moonshot’ is inspired by the people who keep landing on their feet. Like, no matter what the fuck this person does… Some people just get lucky. This applies to anyone. And landing on your feet is commendable. So, I’m busting balls, but I’m also giving accolades. Sometimes people can do that all the way to their grave. Then there are other people who are so good or talented or creative, and they struggle forever. I don’t think life is balanced all the time, and I don’t think it’s fair.
“It has a ferocious riff, cool tempo changes, scorching leads, huge chorus with lots of backing vocals,” he continues. “We love Queen and The Sweet! It’s a cool breakdown with an epic ending. Once again, it sounds just like Armored Saint.”
Says bassist Joey Vera, “The intro riff is an echo of a memory from age 17 when I was in a garage band in Los Angeles. After I came up with this new version, the familiarity of it revealed itself once I stood back and listened. The riff is very different from the original one but there’s no doubt the feel and vibe has stuck with me ever since then. I added a half-time feel to the chorus to steer the arrangement away from predictability. It feels like classic Saint to me.”
“I think the song defines what Armored Saint sounds like now,” adds guitarist Jeff Duncan. “I used my Les Paul and an EVH amp for the rhythm guitars on everything. My solos were done with a couple different guitars; it’s simple, just good guitars plugged into a good amp and let it rip.”
Watch the “Hit A Moonshot” video, directed by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, below:
Emotion Factory Reset, Armored Saint’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.
“When we start coming up with songs, I always say we can do whatever we want,” vocalist John Bush says. “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.”
“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.”
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 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.”
Armored Saint’s 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)
– Brutal Panda Exclusive – Citron Smoke (US)
– 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)
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 pre-orders here.
Additionally, Boone’s Overstock are offering an exclusive edition, pressed on Citrine-colored vinyl and limited to just 300 hand-numbered copies, making it a must-have for collectors and diehard fans alike. Pre-order here.
Emotion Factory Reset tracklisting:
“Close To The Bone”
“Every Man-Any Man”
“Not On Your Life”
“Hit A Moonshot”
“Buckeye”
“Compromise”
“It’s A Buzzkill”
“Throwing Caution To The Wind”
“Ladders And Slides”
“Bottom Feeder”
“Epilogue”
“Close To The Bone” video:
Catch Armored Saint live throughout the spring and summer months with more dates to be announced in the weeks to come.
Tour dates:
May
17 – San Luis Metal Fest – San Luis Potosí, MX
21 – Cafe Nord – Essen, DE (Free Listening Party)
22 – Rock Hard Festival – Gelsenkirchen, DE
June
6 – Milwaukee Metalfest at The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
July
30 – Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK w/ Metal Church
31 – Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, SE
August
1 – Pustervik – Gothenburg, SE w/ Testament, Metal Church
2 – Mejeriet – Lund, SE w/ Testament, Metal Church
5 – Brutal Assault – Jaroměř, CZ
7 – Alcatraz Festival – Dessel, BE
8 – Poppodium Boerderij – Zoetermeer, NL *Armored Saint headlining show
9 – Keep It True Legions – Geiselwind, DE
11 – Progresja – Warsaw, PL w/ Savatage, Nevermore
12 – Collosseum – Kosice, SK w/ Vio-Lence
13 – Klub Studio – Krakow, PL w/ Testament, Metal Church
29 – Stonedead Festival – Newark, UK
Armored Saint lineup:
John Bush – Vocals
Joey Vera – Bass
Jeff Duncan – Guitars
Gonzo Sandoval – Drums
Phil Sandoval – Guitars
(Photo – Travis Shinn)
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