Armored Saint Premiere New Single & Music Video "Close To The Bone" From Upcoming New Album "Emotion Factory Reset"

Armored Saint have chosen “Emotion Factory Reset” as the title of their ninth studio album, which is set for release on May 22nd via Metal Blade Records. Bassist/vocalist Joey Vera handled production on the record, while Jay Ruston — known for his work with Stone Sour and Anthrax — took care of mixing duties.

“Close To The Bone” serves as the launch point for this latest chapter from the band and is now available to stream alongside a music video directed by David Brodsky (Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation).

Vera said of the album:

“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.”

Adds vocalist John Bush:

“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.”

As for the title, the band credit guitarist Phil Sandoval with coming up with it, explaining it as follows:

“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.”

Comments Phil‘s brother and bandmate, drummer Gonzo:

“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.”

Bush commented on the new track:

“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 added:

“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 also weighed in:

“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.”

“Emotion Factory Reset” track-list:

01 – “Close To The Bone“
02 – “Every Man-Any Man“
03 – “Not On Your Life“
04 – “Hit A Moonshot“
05 – “Buckeye“
06 – “Compromise“
07 – “It’s A Buzzkill“
08 – “Throwing Caution To The Wind“
09 – “Ladders And Slides“
10 – “Bottom Feeder“
11 – “Epilogue“

A bonus track titled “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” will appear on select editions of the album, including the European CD digipak and a 7? bundled with the European vinyl version.