Armored Saint--Nod to the Old School

Armored Saint--Nod to the Old School (2001/Metal Blade) Rating--8.3

A variety 2-CD package from these old-school metalheads, as there are a couple of new tracks, some covers, a few live cuts, a batch of unreleased demo songs, and more.
The two new cuts -- "Real Swagger" and "Unstable" -- are patented nasty Saint. There's a revamped version of "March of the Saint," and the covers include Robin Trower's "Day of the Eagle" and Priest's "Never Satisfied," with the latter being a nice, bottom-heavy update.
The 'Symbol of Salvation' slasher "Tainted Past" makes an unplugged appearance, and then a full-turn is made as the crushing live distortion of "After Me, The Flood" and "Creepy Feelings" hits you hard.
From the band's 1983 demo comes a handful of tracks, with the group sounding a lot like Di'Anno-era Maiden.
Disc two starts off with "You Can Run But You Can't Hide," which is a kickin' track from the 'Decline of the Western Civilization Part 2' soundtrack. Sounding just like their early career staples, it's good to have this one on disc.
Some of the best gems are from some 4-track demos in '89. A fast rhythm marks "Get Lost," "Pirates" is cutting and slashing, and "Medieval" is another good one. All of these are album-quality tracks, bar-none... So why didn't they ever end up a regular release? Strange, indeed.
A bonus is the two live videos that are a part of this 2-CD enhanced version: "March of the Saint" and "Long Before I Die".
Longtime Saint fans will absolutely love this package; power fans in general will find little to complain about, either.
TRACK LIST: DISC ONE--Real Swagger/Unstable/March of the Saint (2001 version)/Day of the Eagle/Never Satisfied/Tainted Past (acoustic)/After Me, The Flood (live)/ Creepy Feelings (live)/Lesson Well Learned (from 1983 demo)/False Alarm (from 1983 demo)/On the Way (from 1983 demo)/Stricken by Fate (from 1983 demo sessions)
DISC TWO--You Can Run But You Can't Hide (from 'The Decline of Western Civilization Pt. 2')/Betty '79/People (1989 4-track demos)/Get Lost (1989 4-track demos)/ Tongue and Cheek (1989 4-track demos)/Pirates (1989 4-track demos)/Medieval Nightmares (1989 4-track demos)
ENHANCED CD TRACKS--March of the Saint (live video)/Long Before I Die (live video)

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