Armored Saint With One World (R)evolution – Celebrating 40 Years of DELIRIOUS NOMAD!

ARMORED SAINT played The Space LV on Friday, October 16, 2025, with support act One World (R)evolution.

Over 40 years after their debut album, Armored Saint is still going strong as one of the all-time great classic heavy metal bands. Still making new music on Metal Blade Records, the quintet continues to rock the world, having recently played as a support act on a tour for guitarist Michael Schenker. And while Vegas audiences didn’t get a show on the Schenker tour, they got something none of those other stops got – Armored Saint as the headliner! Meaning a longer and more comprehensive set, much to the delight of headbangers in Sin City.

This show was originally to take place at Count’s Vamp’d, however the closure of that venue meant that the group needed to find another spot to bring this show to the masses, and they got that in the form of The Space LV! This is truly one of Vegas’ best places to see a show with an intimate spacious showroom and great lighting for the bands that take the stage. I truly wish the room got used more often for rock and roll shows; there’s no place I’d rather catch one!

One issue I do need to get out of the way before moving on with the review is that the opening band started half an hour later than advertised, and the time between bands was excruciatingly long, though this is fortunately my only substantial complaint with an otherwise stellar evening of rock.

One World (R)evolution started the show. The support act was one that I’d never heard of before, but I was certainly eager to see who Armored Saint brought along for support for this gig at The Space. They were certainly an interesting group to kick things off, featuring three younger and quite competent musicians with a woman fronting the group who looked like she had a generation or two on the other members, but quickly proved herself no slouch – able to go from more melodic to guttural vocals without warning! They rocked the audience and got them warmed up for the headliner. Personally, I’d love it if they’d add one more member to the band who could play keyboards/additional instruments, so they didn’t have to use pre-recorded elements for aspects like this that were utilized on a few tracks. But I’ll be keeping my eye on the band and wishing them well on their ascension!

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Between sets, plenty of KISS and Ace Frehley music was played over the speakers in memory of the KISS guitarist who had passed away earlier in the day. It was good to see the venue paying tribute in some way. Even many members of the audience, including members of Vegas’ own Count’s 77, were wearing their Ace gear.

After a lengthy time between sets, Armored Saint took the stage. Remarkably, this is one of those bands that has kept most of their classic lineup over the years. The band consists of vocalist John Bush (who has also sung for Anthrax), Joey Vera on bass, Gonzo Sandoval on drums, and guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan. Original guitarist Dave Prichard passed away in 1990.

This tour has largely been about Armored Saint celebrating the 40th anniversary of their Max Norman-produced sophomore album, DELIRIOUS NOMAD. Right from the get-go, these guys hit the stage all guns blazing and took no prisoners. Their stage presence is better than most bands with members half their ages; these guys rarely stayed in one place for very long, with everyone in the audience’s faces and keeping the crowd on their toes. Not to mention the group wasn’t above some humorous banter between songs, and of course, shouting out a tribute to Ace Frehley.

The band played a setlist packed with 15 tracks from throughout their career, ranging from their debut MARCH OF THE SAINT to the more recent efforts, WIN HANDS DOWN and PUNCHING THE SKY. Four cuts were played from DELIRIOUS NOMAD, it being the most represented studio album in this set due to the anniversary. Classic tunes like “March of the Saint,” “Can U Deliver,” and “Reign of Fire,” the latter of which from Duncan’s debut, 1990’s SYMBOL OF SALVATION, were all done justice on the live stage. Probably my one minor complaint is the band didn’t play their cover of “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” which came out in recent years, but that’s a minor issue. The band did tease a new album due out next year, but did not play anything from it, perhaps to keep it a surprise to listeners.

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This was a killer set at The Space LV from some of heavy metal’s true heroes from the classic era, of course performing in one of Vegas’ best venues. It was a great night, and no headbanger in the crowd was disappointed in what these titans of the hard and heavy unleashed on a surprisingly good-sized Thursday night crowd. No hard rock/metal fan should pass up an opportunity to see Armored Saint on the live stage!
PHOTO CREDIT: All photos by Taylor Carlson for ZRockR Magazine ©2025 – All Rights Reserved