This must be fate or something. My New York Mets finally won a game after 12 grueling, faith-shattering losses and now heavy metal outfit Armored Saint dropped a new single called “Hit A Moonshot”. For those that aren’t familiar, a “moonshot” is baseball parlance that means to hit a baseball high and far for a homerun. Which isn’t something I’ve seen a lot of this year, but that’s beside the point….
With their new album Emotion Factory Reset set for release on May 22 via Metal Blade Records, this is that album’s second single. Perhaps frontman John Bush can elaborate a little further on the whole “moonshot” thing and how it pertains to the track:
“It’s like you knocked something out of the park. I use a lot of sports analogies because I love sports. Sports IS entertainment…’Hit A Moonshot’ is inspired by the people who keep landing on their feet. Like, no matter what the fuck this person does… Some people just get lucky. This applies to anyone. And landing on your feet is commendable. So, I’m busting balls, but I’m also giving accolades. Sometimes people can do that all the way to their grave. Then there are other people who are so good or talented or creative, and they struggle forever. I don’t think life is balanced all the time, and I don’t think it’s fair.
“It has a ferocious riff, cool tempo changes, scorching leads, huge chorus with lots of backing vocals. We love Queen and The Sweet! It’s a cool breakdown with an epic ending. Once again, it sounds just like Armored Saint.”
This is a heavy metal banger through and through. Lots of driving riffs, a shredder of a solo, and some kick ass rhythms serve as the backbone that makes you want to bang your head. I mean, at least that’s what it did to me. It also helps that the video’s full of action with some humor mixed in there for good measure. Who doesn’t love a metal concert with some bare knuckle beatdowns?
Bassist Joey Vera said the song’s intro riff is based on something he wrote when he was just a teenager, though it’s obviously morphed since then.
“The intro riff is an echo of a memory from age 17 when I was in a garage band in Los Angeles. After I came up with this new version, the familiarity of it revealed itself once I stood back and listened. The riff is very different from the original one but there’s no doubt the feel and vibe has stuck with me ever since then. I added a half-time feel to the chorus to steer the arrangement away from predictability. It feels like classic Saint to me.”
You can check out the track and accompanying video below. If you have plans to head to Europe (or you already live there — lucky), you can catch Armored Saint live at any of the dates listed below.
Emotion Factory Reset will be released on May 22 via Metal Blade Records, but you can preorder your copy today.