Battalion of Saints

Battalion of Saints came out of Los Angeles in the late 1980s, a hard rock band with a lineup that included vocalist Chainsaw Kelly, guitarist Razorblade Ray, bassist Thrash, and drummer Bone Crusher. They put out their first album, 'Soldiers of Fortune,' in 1989. The song 'Ace of Spades' arrived in 1990 and got a lot of attention for its heavy riffs and Kelly's vocal style, which some found haunting.

They followed up with albums like 'Holy War' in 1991 and 'Empire of Sin' in 1993. Other tracks in their catalog include 'Animal In Man' and 'Cops Are Out.' Their lyrics and stage presence sometimes stirred up talk, with critics pointing to themes that could be read as provocative or aggressive, though the band pushed back against those interpretations.

By the mid-1990s, they had released 'Redemption' in 1995. Their sound never quite fit neatly into the hair metal scene that was big in L.A. at the time, leaning more toward a raw, energetic approach that appealed to a certain rock audience. They kept a fairly steady lineup through those years, without much of the revolving-door membership that affected some of their peers.