Arsenal: Armored Choir...And More! | Those Weird Old Hairstyles…
(2025 – Roxx Records)
Do you remember those old days when aesthetics seemed almost as important as the music? Well, yes, in the 80s, image was no minor detail, but beware, if the music didn’t measure up, you ran the risk of getting lost among the hairstyles and curly hair, and nothing else. Is this the case with Arsenal?
Let’s start from the beginning. Arsenal was a band from the ’80s, focused on the genre of “Hair Metal” or Californian-style Hard Rock, very much in vogue at the time (despite being based in Tampa Bay, Florida). Their message and lyrics, centered on a Christian message, bring them closer to bands such as Holy Soldier, Guardian, Angelica, etc. In 1990, they released their most classic album, aptly titled “Armored Choir,” which went somewhat unnoticed, and then released a second independent work called “Peace Child,” about which little was known, apart from the release of several songs on digital platforms in recent years because, yes, the band is still active and, apparently, preparing for future projects.
Thanks to the Roxx Records label, which, as it has been doing with various historical materials, rescues Arsenal from its ostracism and gives it added value, it is worth taking into account because, after all, Arsenal, like so many other bands, is part of the history of White Metal, of course!
First of all, it should be clarified that “Armored Choir…And More!” is not the complete 1990 album in its entirety, even though the cover is practically the same as that album. In fact, it is a kind of compilation of various recordings made by Arsenal throughout its more than 35 years as a band, but it is centered on its most classic album.
Among the songs on “Armored Choir” we find “Turn Around,” which gives the album its title, “Coming Back To You,” “Forever Yours,” “The Valley,” “You’re No Good For Me,” “Bishop Of Souls,” and “The Candle…The Flame,” leaving out only two songs from that recording. Arsenal, as we mentioned, leans toward melodic hard rock, without anything that distinguishes them from the many bands of the same genre from that era, but today they can sound much more distinctive and even appealing. What stands out most is Christine Steel’s impressive vocals, which give Arsenal’s music a much wilder touch. The band’s foundation, consisting of Kevin Pike on guitars, Kandi Slaughter on bass, and David Calianno on drums, maintains a classic and basic sound. “Coming Back To You” is one of the most notable tracks on this part of the album, being a strong, short, direct, and pleasant ballad.
What follows are three songs taken from other sources. On the one hand, we have “Man Made Religion,” from the 1986 demo, a great song that, inexplicably, had not been included on any of the band’s albums. “Missionary” seems to be Arsenal’s most heavy metal side, and although we don’t have the details, it seems to be an old demo that we really appreciate being included. Clearly, its influence comes more from the metal side, and that in itself is very good. Finally, we have “Stand-Strong,” a song that was originally released on Arsenal’s first demo from 1985 and on the 1988 compilation “East Coast METAL.” It’s a direct, strong, and catchy rock style, undoubtedly an Arsenal classic, and perhaps what best defines the band.
As bonus tracks, the instrumental songs “Atomic Dragon” and “Guitar Graffiti” are included, both actually belonging to Kevin Pike’s solo project, which were taken from the albums “Heavenly Realms” from 2024 and “Guitar Graffiti” from 2022, as a kind of showcase for the virtuosity of Arsenal’s current guitarist, since JD Miller, who originally recorded the guitars on the album, was replaced after its release by Kevin Pike.
“Armored Choir…And More!” is a good excuse to return to the good old days of hard rock and discover the story behind the big names of white metal. The album itself, as we have already mentioned, does not have much to do with heavy metal, except for some slight influences or even in a few specific songs. It is traditional 80s hard rock, period. Our only regret is that the songs “Someone Believes In You” and “Take It Away” were removed, for some unknown reason, from this reissue.
The excellent news is that Arsenal is still active as a band and, according to reports, has upcoming projects. We will see later what they are up to, noting that the current lineup is the same as it was 35 years ago!
n terms of graphics, the cover is practically identical to that of the original edition of “Armored Choir.” The inner sleeve contains the lyrics to the songs included, many period photographs, and memorabilia from those years. Although the history of the band is explained a little, they forgot to give more details about the technical aspects or where the extra tracks included in this edition came from.
The sound is not the most remarkable feature, even with Rob Colwell’s mastering, but it is not possible to significantly improve what has already been recorded. Let’s keep in mind the era in which “Armored Choir” was released and that it was also released by a small label. Beyond that, there is a great deal of sound work in the songs that come from the band’s demos.
In addition to this compact disc edition, this album is also available on vinyl, so we recommend contacting https://wwww.roxxrecords.com to get your hands on a physical copy of this historic album. We’ll also leave you with Arsenal’s contact details so you can keep up to date with their news and updates, as well as the track “Stand-Strong” so you can hear something from this historic band.
https://www.facebook.com/arsenal.christian.band
https://www.instagram.com/arsenal.armored.choir
