Armored Saint Get Better With Age on New Song ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’

Armored Saint are drawing closer to the release of Punching the Sky, their eighth full-length album. On the hells of lead single "End of the Attention Span" comes a music video for the opening track, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants."

This nearly seven-minute offering really builds the tension over the opening 90 seconds, establishing an ominous atmosphere that perfectly sets up Armored Saint, and singer John Bush in particular, to cut through it all with power and conviction, eyes fixed on rising to the top.

"When you're a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record," said Bush. "The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you're just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They'll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way."

"Part of me feels like I can't believe we've been doing this for that long," bassist Joey Vera reflected. "It's kind of incredible," he went on, "So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we've been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn't do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we've had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That's what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old."

Read the lyrics to "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" directly below and watch the music video further down the page.

Rise when the alarm abruptly sounds
Hope that opportunity knocks
Nemesis sow seeds of doubt
Leaves me feeling shell-shocked
Confident I think I got it all figured out
With help from osmosis
Sift through the crap hit the safety valve
Then put on Aegis

Scream race from the inferno
Turn left turn right go straight
Which way do I go

As I grow older I lift this boulder
With strength I chip it away
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday
As life gets colder flames they smolder
Climb so I can survey
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday

Nectar of the Gods taste bittersweet
Not out of the mire yet
Got to be a badass to take the heat
Not be saddled with mounting debt (forget)
Wolf appears with a nice wool coat
Draws me in with a smile
Rid myself of this spare change
And that’s how I reconcile

Scream race from the inferno
Turn left turn right go straight
Which way do I go (I know)

As I grow older I lift this boulder
With strength I chip it away
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday
As life gets colder flames they smolder
Climb so I can survey
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday

All these birds
Are coming home to roost
To fly in my face
Or to maybe give me a boost
Measure the man the amount of grit
Every ounce or send me adrift

Ain’t no thorn in my side
I cannot expel
Juggernaut of a stone moves well
Cause I know

As I grow older I lift this boulder
With strength I chip it away
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday
As life gets colder flames they smolder
Climb so I can survey
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Punching the sky everyday

Punch away