This is the second album to be released by the Los Angels Metal band Armored Saint. The debut album saw the band releasing an album that promised to put them in the same league as Metallica, yet the sales were not quite as strong. Their label decided that the next album would be THE album to take them to the top. They brought in producer Max Norman from Ozzy Osbourne fame and recorded what they hoped would be the album to make all the difference.

From the beginning the fans were split, some thought Armored Saint had captured their live sound, while others thought Norman had tamed them down too much. The band had the songs on their sophomore effort as “Over the Edge,” “For the Sake of Heaviness” and “In the Hole” are classic cuts that helped usher in a new kind of Metal. “Aftermath” is the best song on the album as the harmony guitar playing is amazing. “You’re Never Alone” and “Released” are also considered some of the best of the, at the time, New Metal.

However, the entire album lacks the energy of the debut and fails to kick it into overdrive. Looking back at it now, with this re-release, the music stands the test of time better than one would have imagined. The feel is still not the same as Armored Saint’s debut, but it is still one hell of a Heavy Metal album.