Raising Fear by Armored Saint

Raising Fear, Armored Saint's third studio album, came out on Chrysalis in 1987, and the Los Angeles crew made it as a lean four-piece. Guitarist Phil Sandoval had walked out during the Delirious Nomad sessions, which left Dave Prichard as the lone guitarist alongside John Bush on vocals, Joey Vera on bass and Gonzo Sandoval on drums. What you get is meat-and-potatoes heavy metal, no frills and no apologies: Bush bellowing like he means every word, the riffs cutting clean, the rhythm section pounding away.

It was the end of the road on two counts. Chrysalis dropped the band after it came out, and it proved to be Prichard's last studio album with them. Leukemia was diagnosed in 1989, and he died a year later as the band prepared Symbol of Salvation. Phil Sandoval, for his part, eventually came back into the fold.

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