Armored Saint announce new album ‘Emotion Factory Reset’

ARMORED SAINT have announced a brand new album!

The American heavy metal icons have announced their long‑awaited new full‑length, Emotion Factory Reset. The record is set for release on May 22nd, 2026 via Metal Blade Records. Serving as the follow‑up to 2020’s Punching the Sky and marking their ninth studio album since their 1984 debut March Of The Saint

Produced once again by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR), Emotion Factory Reset sees the band embracing evolution while honouring the classic heavy metal identity that has made them one of the genre’s most respected names. Speaking about the record, Joey Vera says, “each ARMORED SAINT record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves. Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, Emotion Factory Reset is where our heads are at.”

Vocalist John Bush adds, “when we start coming up with songs, I always say we can do whatever we want. Use all our influences through the years, diverse music that we listen to and love, and let that seep in and bring something new out of us. It leads to something more adventurous.”

The album’s conceptual title emerged from guitarist Phil Sandoval, who explains, “to me, Emotion Factory Reset means to reset yourself back to clarity. Take a pause and breathe before you respond or react. You can’t control outside events, but you can control your mind. How you interpret things is what hurts you, not the event itself.” Drummer Gonzo Sandoval adds, “the world is going through a technological upswing/awakening. I look at our planet as the factory and in the most positive way we need to realign, reimagine, reset for our better selves.”

Alongside the announcement, the band have released the first single and album opener, Close To The Bone. Speaking about the track, John Bush comments, “the first track on the record sounds like vintage ARMORED SAINT. Yet vintage that comes out in 2026! How did we do that? The title of the record, Emotion Factory Reset, appears as the first line of the bridge. Killer riffs, awesome rhythms and attacking vocals gets this train rolling. The title implies the human response to withdraw and keep things to yourself instead of being confrontational; something I believe we all struggle with as humans. Do you just say, ‘aww, whatever man,’ or do you say, ‘hey, fuck you!’ Depends on the moment, I guess.”

Vera adds, “musically, this song was inspired by my love and appreciation for metal that was coming out around the time of the NWOBHM, which is right when ARMORED SAINT was formed. As always, I try to reimagine my early influences by giving them a slight modern twist.”

Guitarist Jeff Duncan agrees, “I like to think that ARMORED SAINT doesn’t keep making the same album over and over. Emotion Factory Reset is another musical chapter for the band. When the five of us play together, we have a special chemistry and our first single Close To The Bone demonstrates this perfectly; it’s musically sophisticated but still retains the ARMORED SAINT signature sound.”

Watch the official music video for Close To The Bone here.

Also, you can view both the track list and artwork for the upcoming new album below:

Track List:

1. Close To The Bone
2. Every Man‑Any Man
3. Not On Your Life
4. Hit A Moonshot
5. Buckeye
6. Compromise
7. It’s A Buzzkill
8. Throwing Caution To The Wind
9. Ladders And Slides
10. Bottom Feeder
11. Epilogue

Emotion Factory Reset is set for release on May 22nd via Metal Blade Records. Pre‑orders are available now and can be purchased here.