American metal band Armored Saint will release its ninth studio album, “Emotion Factory Reset,” on May 22, 2026, via Metal Blade Records. Watch the music video for the first single, “Close to the Bone,” below, and pre-order the album here.
“Emotion Factory Reset” was produced, as were Armored Saint’s previous four albums, by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour).
“Each Armored Saint record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves,” Verasaid. “Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ is where our heads are at.”
“When we start coming up with songs, I always say we can do whatever we want,” vocalist John Bush said. “Use all our influences through the years, diverse music that we listen to and love, and let that seep in and bring something new out of us. It leads to something more adventurous.”
Bush operates from a place of passion and presence in the studio and on stage. About 85% of his vocals from the past three Armored Saint records were taken from the demo sessions. While Vera is a granular and detailed writer, like Bush, the bassist said, “I try not to overthink and be right where I’m at that time. I really don’t look over my shoulder much, like, ‘What did I do in the past? What’s going on in the next lane?’ Once the ball starts rolling, I just sit back and let it happen.”
The collaborative nature of “Emotion Factory Reset” led to the album title, a phrase from guitarist Phil Sandoval. “To me, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ means to reset yourself back to clarity. Take a pause and breathe before you respond or react. You can’t control outside events, but you can control your mind,” he said. “How you interpret things is what hurts you, not the event itself.”
His brother, drummer Gonzo said, “The world is going through a technological upswing/awakening. I look at our planet as the factory and in the most positive way we need to realign, reimagine, reset for our better selves.”
The title of the record, “Emotion Factory Reset” appears as the first line of the bridge in the single “Close to the Bone.”
“Musically, this song was inspired by my love and appreciation for metal that was coming out around the time of the NWOBHM, which is right when Armored Saint was formed,” Vera said. “As always, I try to reimagine my early influences by giving them a slight modern twist.”
Guitarist Jeff Duncan said, “I like to think that Armored Saint doesn’t keep making the same album over and over. ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ is another musical chapter for the band. When the five of us play together, we have a special chemistry and our first single ‘Close To The Bone’ demonstrates this perfectly; it’s musically sophisticated but still retains the Armored Saint signature sound.”
The album was recorded across several studios, including 606 Studios, Secret Hand Studios, Skullseven Studios, Constantine Studios, and Bridge Recording; engineered by Oliver Roman, Bill Metoyer, Joey Vera and Jason Constantine; and features cover art by DDKing.
The record will be released on CD digipack and digital formats, as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
- Amber Marble (US)
- Orange and Red Marble (US)
- Citron Smoke (US – Brutal Panda Exclusive)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Beige Gray Marbled (EU)
- Clear Black Gold Smoke (EU – Ltd. 500)
- Metallic Gold Black Dust (EU – Ltd. 300)
- Clear Gold Splatter (EU – Ltd. 200)
Additionally, a special European edition of the CD digipak will include the bonus track “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison),” only available digitally until now.
A special European edition of the single gatefold LP will come with an insert and DL card and 7” vinyl “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison), a poster and slipmat.
“Emotion Factory Reset” track listing:
1. Close to the Bone
2. Every Man-Any Man
3. Not on Your Life
4. Hit a Moonshot
5. Buckeye
6. Compromise
7. It’s a Buzzkill
8. Throwing Caution to the Wind
9. Ladders and Slides
10. Bottom Feeder
11. Epilogue
Armored Saint tour dates:
4/19/2026 Rainbow Bar & Grill – West Hollywood, CA w/ L.A. Guns, Pentagram, Alien Ant Farm, Boy Hits Car
5/17/2026 San Luis Metal Fest – San Luis Potosí, MX
5/22/2026 Rock Hard Festival – Gelsenkirchen, DE
6/06/2026 Milwaukee Metalfest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
7/30/2026 Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK w/ Metal Church
7/31/2026 Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, SE
8/01/2026 Pustervik – Gothenburg, SE w/ Testament, Metal Church
8/02/2026 Mejeriet – Lund, SE w/ Testament, Metal Church
8/05/2026 Brutal Assault – Jaroměř, CZ
8/07/2026 Alcatraz Festival – Dessel, BE
8/08/2026 Poppodium Boerderij – Zoetermeer, NL * headline show
8/09/2026 Keep It True Legions – Geiselwind, DE
8/11/2026 Progresja – Warsaw, PL w/ Savatage, Nevermore
8/12/2026 Collosseum – Kosice, SK w/ Vio-Lence
8/13/2026 Klub Studio – Krakow, PL w/ Testament, Metal Church
8/29/2026 Stonedead Festival – Newark, UK
Leave a Reply