New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In every genre of music, there are vocalists who shine through as among the very best in their field. Whether that be Pavarotti in opera,
Sam Cooke in soul or Mike Patton in... just about everything, there are vocals which stick in the ears of listeners across the world. Metal is of course no exception and while everyone will point to singers like Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate and King Diamond, another voice that can't be ignored is that of John Bush.
John Bush has had the kind of career that most musicians can only dream of, first making a name for himself as the frontman of heavy metal outfit Armored Saint, he was so revered that
James Hetfield even offered to step aside from vocal duties in
Metallica so that Bush could join, though the singer politely refused. Armored Saint would go on to release a string of solid albums, but broke up after the release of the classic "Symbol Of Salvation." It was then that he took on perhaps his most famous position, replacing Joey Belladonna in
Anthrax and releasing four albums with the band, as well as the compilation of re-recorded material ("Greater Of Two Evils.") Surprisingly, in 2005,
Anthrax announced the reunion of the "Among The Living" lineup and Bush focused his energy back on Armored Saint.
Today, Armored Saint are perhaps in a better position than ever before, with a label that understands them and each new album garnering just as much praise as the old material. This Friday, the band are set to release, "Punching The Sky," which may very well be their best work since the aforementioned "Symbol Of Salvation." After recently speaking to bassist Joey Vera about the album, I caught up with John Bush himself to learn even more about one of October's most anticipated albums, as well as some insight into his time with Anthrax, the possibility of him touring as "Bushthrax" and his surprising links to Metal Gear and Burger King!
Ollie Hynes has been a writer for Metal Underground.com since 2007 and a metal fan since 2001, going as far as to travel to other countries and continents for metal gigs.
