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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Armored Saint - Win Hands Down (Jap. Ed.) + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Aug-28-2015 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2015 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........10 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.armoredsaint.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Armored Saint Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Win Hands Down (Jap. Ed.) Label : Rubicon ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ A distant five years ago La Raza did ║ │
│║ surprisingly little for me, and while it was ║ │
│║ great to see the classic Armored Saint lineup ║ │
│║ (sans Prichard of course) return with a followup ║ │
│║ to the obscure and naturally underrated stopgap ║ │
│║ Revelation, the sequel to Symbol of Salvation ║ │
│║ many of us were pining for just wasn't in the ║ │
│║ cards at the time. My anticipations were ║ │
│║ measured when Win Hands Down was announced some ║ │
│║ months back, yet here we are with another ║ │
│║ Armored Saint record stuffed to the gills with ║ │
│║ classic metal riffage and infectious vocal ║ │
│║ lines. I personally found great relief in the ║ │
│║ fact that the band's distinctive (albeit ║ │
│║ spartan) style has survived the last twenty- ║ │
│║ something years with the majority of its ║ │
│║ integrity intact, and the fact that Bush sounds ║ │
│║ as motivated as I can remember in recent years ║ │
│║ is another huge plus. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ But at the same time, Win Hands Down is without ║ │
│║ a doubt post-reformation Armored Saint, which ║ │
│║ means that the band is much more open to ║ │
│║ experiment with modern trappings as opposed to ║ │
│║ steadfast reliance on their original heavy/speed ║ │
│║ metal nucleus. This obviously means that this is ║ │
│║ quite far removed from Symbol of Salvation, ║ │
│║ although to its credit the album does feature a ║ │
│║ high level of variation and features enough ║ │
│║ throwback moments to get the heart pumping. ║ │
│║ Consistency is somewhat suspect, as I found the ║ │
│║ B-side of the album a somewhat unnerving listen ║ │
│║ when forced to follow up the spectacular opening ║ │
│║ trio of songs. The singular highpoint as far as ║ │
│║ I am concerned is "Mess," which features the ║ │
│║ most classic Saint chorus here, and is the one ║ │
│║ song that could fit seamlessly on Symbol of ║ │
│║ Salvation; easily the greatest tune the band has ║ │
│║ penned since then. "Muscle Memory" features some ║ │
│║ gleaning acoustic melodies and excels within the ║ │
│║ "Last Train Home" template pursuant to its ║ │
│║ slightly longer running time, and "That Was ║ │
│║ Then, Way Back When" features a smattering of ║ │
│║ gusto to go along with John's nostalgic ode to a ║ │
│║ time before social media became omnipresent; he ║ │
│║ certainly won't get an argument from me. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ And with plenty of classic Saint riffage ║ │
│║ ingrained within, Win Hands Down finds a way to ║ │
│║ mitigate some of its shakier moments by virtue ║ │
│║ of its origins alone. Despite featuring an ║ │
│║ interesting trade-off with a female vocalist, ║ │
│║ "With a Full Head of Steam" would be pretty a ║ │
│║ pretty standard radio rocker if not for Phil's ║ │
│║ guitar patterns redolent of the burlier moments ║ │
│║ on Raising Fear. But while "Muscle Memory" earns ║ │
│║ more than a passing grade, "In an Instant" feels ║ │
│║ far too understated and formulaic to warrant ║ │
│║ such length. Bush himself saves the day on ║ │
│║ "Dive," which is a very moody pseudo-ballad ║ │
│║ hampered only by the fact that it follows up the ║ │
│║ already low-key "In an Instant." In a way, I ║ │
│║ don't really agree with the track placement ║ │
│║ here, and my initial concerns spawned by a ║ │
│║ cursory glance at the track lengths is mostly ║ │
│║ realized. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ That said, a kinetic, tactile crawl through Win ║ │
│║ Hands Down proves that the band is still ║ │
│║ functioning on a high level, and are at least ║ │
│║ wise enough to carry over most of their original ║ │
│║ appeals, woven throughout a slightly more ║ │
│║ alternative template with Bush's idiosyncratic ║ │
│║ set of pipes manning the ship. I don't think ║ │
│║ that this will change many minds out there, ║ │
│║ especially those that were impartial to La Raza, ║ │
│║ but I did find it a superior twin in both style ║ │
│║ and arguable substance to its direct ║ │
│║ predecessor. A functional effort, albeit ║ │
│║ somewhat lopsided, Win Hands Down is yet another ║ │
│║ solid entry in the (hopefully) ever-growing ║ │
│║ catalogue of one of heavy metal's most ║ │
│║ chronically underrated acts. The Saints have ║ │
│║ already conquered long ago, but these old men ║ │
│║ can still teach us a thing or two. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Win Hands Down [05:08] │
│ 02 - Mess [04:38] │
│ 03 - An Exercise In Debauchery [06:03] │
│ 04 - Muscle Memory [07:16] │
│ 05 - That Was Then, Way Back When [05:10] │
│ 06 - With A Head Full Of Steam [05:20] │
│ 07 - In An Instant [07:38] │
│ 08 - Dive [04:43] │
│ 09 - Up Yours [05:26] │
│ 10 - Dive (Deep Remix) (Bonus Track) [04:41] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [56:03 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
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