"After 6 weeks, the new Armored Saint record is done. Well, not entirely…we still have to have it mastered which should be done in the next 2 weeks. So technically, there's plenty of time for more arbitrary bouts of stress. But all of the tunes have been recorded and mixed. And I have the dark circles under my eyes to prove it!

As the producer of the record, I did in fact work very long and hard on this. But I didn't work alone. Everyone involved worked their asses off. Gonzo, John, Phil and Jeff all came in and gave it everything. Engineer Bryan Carlstrom and his assistant John Nuss were the work horses who kept up the pace in this session which for the most part meant putting in 12 – 14 hour days. I can't say enough about Bryan, Nuss and Annette Cisneros from Tranzformer Studios in Burbank. This is a first class operation and to boot, they all gave heart and soul into the project which these days you just cannot even pay for. We are in much debt with them. Truly wonderful people.

The result is just amazing, and I may be hasty when I say that this may be our best record ever. But all dopes in bands say that right? Well this time I think it's true and although my reasons may be purely personal, I still deem it truth. The songs are great and it sounds great. The title of our new record is "La Raza" which means, "The Race".

For all of you tech nerds out there, a few quick bits on how we made this one: We used nothing but analog gear, most of which was custom built by Rupert Neve for Bryan Carlstrom. We hit every signal (drum mics, guitars, vocals) with custom or vintage analog gear before recording into Pro Tools. We even used rare vintage amps for most of the guitar overdubs. At mix time, we mixed on an SSL 4000E console and went to a 1 inch tape reel (one of only 2 on the west coast) for our final masters. Uh… you DO know what tape is, don't you?

What does this all mean? It means we spit in the ear of the age of the mp3, teenie, tiny ear bud listening culture that has turned its back on what it means to experience music. This record is FAT. We mean, obese! Full on cardiovascular failure stuff! Old School, Baby!

We are finishing up the other crap that goes with making records. Photo shoots, CD artwork (you DO know what a CD is still, right?), mastering, the running order of the tunes. After that, we wait until it is released. I'm told it's coming out in March 2010 on Metal Blade Records.

More news coming soon…"
Joey Vera, Armored Saint