Win Hands Down
| Win Hands Down | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 2, 2015 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 51:00 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade Records | |||
| Producer | Joey Vera | |||
| Armored Saint chronology | ||||
| ||||
Win Hands Down is the seventh album by the Southern California heavy metal band Armored Saint. It was released on June 2, 2015.[1][2] The vocals were recorded at Bridge Recording in Los Angeles, guitars and bass were recorded at Travis Dickerson Studios in Chatsworth and drums were recorded at Clearlake Audio in Burbank.
Two videos have been released for the album: the title track and the song "An Exercise in Debauchery". The band toured extensively in summer 2015 with Saxon in support of the album.[3]
Critical reception
Metal.de rated the album 9 out of 10 points. Marek Protzak wrote, there was "no other band at the moment" who played "classical metal in such an inspired and versed manner".[1] German Rock Hard magazine editors voted Win Hands Down as "Album of the Month". Editor-in-chief Boris Kaiser called Armored Saint "one of the most underrated bands in US Metal" and compared the album to 1991's Symbol of Salvation. He rated it 8.5 of 10.[4]
Commercial performance
The album sold double the number of copies as the previous album La Raza.[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Joey Vera and John Bush except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Win Hands Down" | 5:06 | |
| 2. | "Mess" | 4:35 | |
| 3. | "An Exercise in Debauchery" | 6:00 | |
| 4. | "Muscle Memory" | 7:14 | |
| 5. | "That Was Then, Way Back When" | 5:08 | |
| 6. | "With a Full Head of Steam" | Vera, Bush, Jeff Duncan, Phil Sandoval, Gonzo Sandoval | 5:18 |
| 7. | "In an Instant" | 7:36 | |
| 8. | "Dive" | 4:40 | |
| 9. | "Up Yours" | 5:23 | |
| Total length: | 51:00 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dive" (Deep Remix) | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 55:41 | |
Personnel
- John Bush - vocals
- Phil Sandoval - lead guitar
- Jeff Duncan - rhythm guitar
- Joey Vera - bass
- Gonzo Sandoval - drums
- Pearl Aday - guest vocals on "With a Full Head of Steam"
