March of the Saint by Armored Saint

March of the Saint, the debut album from Los Angeles heavy metal band Armored Saint, came out on Chrysalis in October 1984, the year after their self-titled EP. John Bush sang, Joey Vera played bass, Gonzo Sandoval drummed, and Phil Sandoval and Dave Prichard handled the guitars, and the songs are straight-ahead metal, all gallop and grit. The trouble was the production. Michael James Jackson, who had worked with Kiss, pushed a far more commercial sound than the band wanted, and Vera and Bush later remembered the sessions as frustrating and disappointing.

It cost them, too: Vera said the bill ran past $300,000 and left the band in debt for years. Still, "Can U Deliver" became a minor MTV hit, and Delirious Nomad followed.

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