Few bands of the early 80s metal scene of frizzy hair and tight leather were as mysterious as California’s Warlord. They had stage names like “Destroyer,” “Sentinel,” and “Thunderchild” that formed their esoteric image and the provocative song titles like “Child Of The Damned,” “Black Mass,” and “Lucifer’s Hammer” that helped fuel the Satanic Panic of the 80s. It ain’t Stryper but there was an element of illustrating the destructive forces of evil with a whiff of the sacred in “Deliver Us” that made it attractive to faithful metal fans.
Warlord was formed by guitarist Bill “Destroyer” Tsamis and drummer Mark “Thunderchild” Zonder (Fates Warning). After a promising start, frustration with unstable lineups led to an early exit from the scene by 1986. Bill and Mark reformed Warlord in the early 2000s, wielding a timeless traditional heavy metal style mixed with a medieval vibe inherited from Bill’s Lordian Guard work. A critically acclaimed album in “The Holy Empire” and some live shows kept the band going until Bill’s death in 2021. In 2023, Warlord rose once more when 2024 saw them release “Free Spirit Soar,” an album of new songs that were partially written and recorded by Bill before his death.
“The Lost Archangel,” is a compilation of rerecorded Warlord material along with some live recordings from 2013 and 2024. It is a sprawling release of over 75 minutes of music that showcase the quintessential Warlord sound with refreshed performances and modern production.
Warlord has a progressive edge. Songs anchor to simple melodies that have a haunting catchiness that hooks me in for the long haul as the songs will lead to vistas of twin guitars, guitar solos, and serpentine chord progressions, before dropping me off somewhere else in the end. Vocals have an early power metal style that emphasizes melody over technicality and range. The guitar work tends to be high leads giving the bass its own space and the keyboards are a meaningful melodic partner to the guitar work. When the heavy power chords crash, the sound is majestic. Every instrument has its place.
The album starts with four rerecorded songs from 2024 in honor of the four festival dates they played that year. “Golgotha (Place Of The Skull)” is a Lordian Guard song about Jesus’ passion and death at Golgotha and starts with a catchy keyboard motif that lays the foundation for the melody’s reprise in the guitars. “The Rainbow” is an early Warlord song that retains that early metal character without sounding old, blending clean guitars and a grand crescendo through heavy guitars. “The Lost Archangel” is another Lordian Guard song that patiently opens up through the story of Lucifer’s fall from Heaven. “Stygian Passage” starts with solo guitar melody, a Bill Tsamis trademark, which has a hypnotic effect as the song moves through winding chord progressions where the heavy guitars elevate to majestic heights.
The next three songs are 2025 recordings of 2000s era Warlord. “Enemy Mind” comes from the 2002 comeback album “Rising From The Ashes.” It focuses on heavy traditional riffs for Giles’ power metal vocals to shine. “70,000 Sorrows” comes from “The Holy Empire” and is an epic retrospective over the sorrows of the battlefield. “The Night of The Fury” comes from the same album and tells of a modern story of nighttime air-raids of AC-130s in the war against terrorists.
The six live songs start with the two most spiritual songs on the album with the prayerful “Father” and the Arthurian “Glory,” both of which comes from “The Holy Empire.” Then the clock turns back for four shots from the early Warlord releases to show that 40 years on these songs are still a part of who they are. Even though these are live recordings, they are well done where every instrument has its space and the band puts forth much heart into it where it sounds great next to the studio tracks.
I really enjoy this album and it has spawned a mini-Warlord revival in my research and listening. The style is not very common, somewhat close to Wytch Hazel. Bill had a genius for melody showing it doesn’t have to be crazy to be good. Mark’s drum work make these epics work well, retaining a journeying character even in the midst of the slower and repetitive sections. Warlord finally landed a steady vocalist in Giles, whose performance fits well with the band, slight intonation issues not withstanding. “The Lost Archangel” is pivotal in the journey for the post-Destroyer Warlord as they renew their sound for a new generation. If you were wondering where to start your relationship with Warlord, this is a great first step.
Rating: 9.0/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist:
1 – Golgotha (Place Of The Skull)
2 – The Rainbow
3 – The Lost Archangel
4 – Stygian Passage
5 – Enemy Mind
6 – 70,000 Sorrows|
7 – Night Of The Fury
8 – Father (Live in Athens 2013)
9 – Glory (Live in Athens 2013)
10 – Soliloquy (Live in Athens 2013)
11 – Lucifer’s Hammer (Live 2024)
12 – Black Mass (Live 2024)
13 – Child Of The Damned (Live 2024)
Warlord is:
Giles Lavery – Vocals 1-13
Eric Juris – Guitars 1-5 / 11-13
Diego Pires – Guitars 1-5 / 11-13
Jimmy Waldo – Keys 1-5 / 11-13
Philip Bynoe – Bass 1-5 / 11-13
William J Tsamis – Guitars 6-10
Mark Zonder – Drums
Guest Appearances:
Angelo Vafeiadis – Keys 8-10
Paolo Viani – Guitars 8-10
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Record Label: High Roller Records
Discography:
Deliver Us (1983) (EP)
And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun… (1984)
Rising Out of the Ashes (2002)
The Holy Empire (2013)
The Hunt for Damien (2015)(Remix)
Free Spirit Soar (2024)
The Lost Archangel (2025)
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
The Rainbow (Official Music Video)
The Lost Archangel (Official Music Video)
Stygian Passage (Official Music Video)