On Thursday evening, metal fans of all ages were treated to a blizzard of ear piercing, nostalgic metal madness! The Origins Tour with Queensrÿche and Armored Saint rolled through Sacramento’s Ace Of Spades nightclub with brutal force, making this a night to remember.  This 34 date North American Tour began for Queensryche in Houston Texas at the Hell’s Heroes Festival, making Sacramento the 5th stop on the tour with a stellar plan to play the bands self titled E.P. and their first full length album in its entirety.  I Personally was excited to hear an entire set list of 'Deep Cuts' instead of the usual set list comprised of radio hits with a few a few ‘B sides” sprinkled in.  This was going to be a night of 100% 'deep cuts' and one I just couldn't miss.  Let's dig in!

The evening began with Los Angeles’s power metal giants, Armored Saint. Right out of the gate, we were treated to Guitar Hero shreds and classic 1980’s  Metal Mayhem. Armored Saint has some heavy hitters in their line up with the magical John Bush on vocals, Joey Vera on Bass, Jeff Duncan on Guitar and of course  the Sandoval Brothers - Phil on Guitar and Gonzo on the drums. Playing songs from their 40 year discography was a treat, beginning their set with “1812 Overture” and then steamrolling right into “End Of The Attention Span”.  It was a proper way to set off the tone for the entire night's festivities. They followed with many more bangers to round out the 9 song set list.

John Bush is always a delight to watch as he makes his way back and forth on the stage with confident fervor, hitting all the right notes at all the right times. Joey Vera never disappoints with his insane bass technicality .The Sandoval Brothers are a Tour De Force of musical genius. Jeff Duncan on guitar is a perfect fit for Armored Saint contributing to  a well oiled machine of metal.  At one point in the life span of  Armored Saint, they had lost Bush to Anthrax in 1992 only to return in 1999 for the bands reunion. Although the band has had some line up changes over the years they are back touring behind their 2020 release, Punching the Sky, we were thankful that Armored Said has taken time out of their busy recording schedule(for a the rumored new album dropping sometime in 2024) to wow us with their metal mastery - incredible!

After a brief stage change over, the crowd was ready for Queensrÿche to hit the stage.  They successfully amped up the  crowd with Pantera’s “Walk” as an intro. Then without warning, they jumped straight away into the 1981 self titled 4 song E.P,  beginning with the explosive “Queen Of The Ryche”.  That was immediately followed by “Nightrider” “Blinded” and “The Lady Wore Black” - what an explosive way to begin the set.

Following was Queensrÿche's first full length album The Warning, and it was played in it’s entirety. Released in 1984, The Warning was not one of the band’s most prolific releases (according to album sales), but was one the most brutally intense and  cerebral albums I can think of from this band. For those who don't know, it was inspired in part by the world events of the 1940's and George Orwell's classic novel, 1984. Michael Wilton was captivating to watch on lead guitar.  Joined on stage with the unbelievable talent of Mike Stone, they ripped through the track listings starting with “Warning", “En Force” and “Deliverance” and all all songs were simply astounding.  The crowd was in a trance throughout the set from the thought provoking lyrical content and mind piercing power metal. Todd La Torre was insanely impressive as the bands  lead singer and front man, hitting his pitch and high octave notes with perfection. "Take Hold of The Flame” was my favorite song of the night really showcasing Eddie Jackson’s reverberating bass licks. “Child Of Fire” really highlighted drummer Casey Grillo’s timing and plangent beats behind the skins. Ending the evening with “Roads To Madness” as we knew it was  the last track of the album, we all wanted more from Queensrÿche on this sensational evening. The show ended with a 2-song encore including "Prophecy" and "Empire" and highlighted in spades why this bad is so beloved to so many all around the world.

Queensrÿche and Armored Saint continue their 34 date tour which will conclude May 12th in Ft. Meyers ,Fl.  Then, Armored Saint will begin their Saints Will Conquer World Tour Summer 2024.  If you can see either of these incredible bands live, make it happen.  These are bands that you just don't want to miss!!