Warlord, The Holy Empire and the redefinition of Epic Metal.

Eleven years after “Rising Out Of The Ashes”, and many more since the mid 80s, Warlord returns with “The Holy Empire”. Guitarist / composer William J Tsamis and master drummer / percussionist Mark S Zonder along with vocalist Rick Anderson bring back Warlord's musical innovation and establish majesty and uniqueness once again. With them, we have the privilege to hear bassist Philip Bynoe, an amazing player, three-time Grammy nominee and Emmy Award winner, known from his appearance with Steve Vai, Ring of Fire and more.

The legacy of Warlord is growing. The music is here again. The myth becomes reality for all those who will witness Warlord live next month. But how did myth become reality once again?

I remember interviewing Mark Zonder around February 2010 during the “Parallels”-reunion - Fates Warning shows. Mark was, is and I guess will be forever, my favourite drummer (along with Neil Peart). He has this unique characteristic style beyond words. Sometimes I am listening to Fates Warning or Warlord and I concentrate only in his drumming. So, back then, he was kind enough to reply my interview-mail in one day, and when the questions strayed from Fates Warning to Warlord, he told me that he was amazed that Warlord didn’t become big back in the 80s. When we discussed for the Wacken Warlord live show in 2002, he told me that he would drop everything to play with Warlord again. At that moment, I knew that everything was up to Bill’s hands.

Forward in August 2011 and I had the opportunity to do an interview with Bill Tsamis, his first since many years, a huge and very informative interview with many unknown details. Then, when he was asked, he told me that he would love to play with Mark again, but they live three thousand miles away from each other and he had family health problems, plus his daughter will enter college very soon. He would love though to do another Warlord album. Since then, Bill started to be very active in the (soon to be) Warlord Battle Choir Facebook page. Old and new fans started to gather in this little group and then the news came. Warlord is back.

Like the butterfly effect in chaos theory, one by one, things started to move very fast and one day at Bill’s birthday, he present to us a gift, a new song entitled “Night Of The Fury”. A familiar voice was there, Rick Anderson, also known as Damien King III back in the last Warlord days from the 80s and also the voice of Lordian Winds. A Warlord Anthology came out, a Lordian Guard Anthology followed, along with the “Sea of Tranquility”, and of course three live shows are confirmed. Keep It True Festival in Germany and two dates in Greece (Athens and Thessaloniki) for 2013. A new, fan-based but absolutely professional management is here now, and Sons Of A Dream Music LLC, the official company founded by William J Tsamis and Mark Zonder to produce and promote the music of Warlord.

The Holy Empire is here. Eight songs, 55 minutes of music, engineered and mastered by multi-Grammy award winner Phil Magnotti, this album is about to open a new chapter in the long history of the band. Bill created this album with the “Warlord fan” in mind, but without letting him obstruct his artistic creativity. I don’t think there will be any Warlord fan that won’t like (at least) The Holy Empire and I don’t think that Bill could offer something better at the moment. This album is made for all the Warlord fans. Mark’s contribution is something more than obvious and Rick’s voice has the Damien King aura that Warlord needs. I always believed that, even if Bill is the composer, there cannot be Warlord without Mark also.

There are songs (70000 Sorrows, The Holy Empire) that go back to the “lost” demo and rehearsal tapes of Lordian Guard - for those who know. “The Holy Empire” also, was supposed to be the title of the third Lordian Guard album, which was never recorded / released. The Lordian Guard touch is vivid in “The Holy Empire” and it wouldn’t be otherwise, since this is the evolution of Tsamis’ musical vision. There is also “Father”, known from Lordian Guard’s “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God” (actually it is dated back in the 80s Warlord days), but the arrangement here is superb, even if I love Vidonne’s version. The Lady’s voice after all, is something more than a simple voice for me. It is part of the music, the way Lordian Guard’s music has grown inside my heart.

“70000 Sorrows” is majestic with unique arrangement in all levels, a redefinition of Epic Metal… I could separate Epic Metal in three different forms:

1. The Barbaric - the Battle, and the quest for the Secret of Steel (Manowar).

2. The Wisdom of the Ancient Gods and the Old Ways, before the cometh of Christianity (Bathory).

3. The lyrical – Dark & Holy - Knighthood, that battles beyond Good and Evil (Warlord).

Warlord, in 2013 manage to redefine Epic Metal and take it to higher levels, combining all the different forms in one EPIC masterpiece, and keep also the uniqueness of their music untouchable. There are few active bands that can play Epic Metal and take it to another level, both musically and lyrical, because if the lyrics are childish, no matter how epic or “big” the music sounds, it remains incomplete, and if Warlord, Manowar and Bathory are the ones that define the different forms of Epic Metal over the years, there are also many others inspired from them, that continue their legacy, like War Dance, Doomsword and Atlantean Kodex.

“70000 Sorrows” has this huge emotion that dwells (for sure) in the heart and soul of Bill. His personal emotions are strong enough to touch every contemplative listener. Inspired guitar and vocal melody lines and amazing drumming from Mark lift the song to heavenly heights. 

 “Glory” has this familiar Tsamis guitar melody, a melody that fills the listener with positive bittersweet memories of lost childhood years. The lyrics are the kind of words that everyone could relate to. In a fair world, songs like “Glory” would be taught in music schools as an example of how a musician can transform emotions into musical notes.  

“Thy Kingdom Come” is a title dated long time ago and keeps the “epic” element in a more sentimental way. Anderson shines on that one and the structure of the song has a unique escalation that fades to redemption before the walls are cracked… “City Walls Of Troy”, one of the lost Warlord songs finally sees officially the light of day. A Dark Epic Metal composition in the vein of the “old”, dark, mystical Warlord-style. A song that could fit in “Deliver Us” and that means that Warlord of 2013 have strong bonds with Warlord of 1983. 30 years later and the magic cannot be lost. This is not a “usual” reunion. I can’t remember something equal; I can’t remember a reunited band with such a great release in general. Maybe Celtic Frost’s “Monotheist” is the only exception for their genre. But, there is also an unusual composition like “Kill Zone” (with Giles Lavery from Dragonsclaw in lead vocals), that somehow is so close but also so far to the “typical” Warlord style. That’s a great Power Metal moment and I would like to hear more from Warlord in this style. Obviously, Bill Tsamis is a charismatic composer and he has listened to Metal all these years, so he cannot be “out-dated”. And how could he be? After all, Warlord music is eternal. “Kill Zone” transports Warlord through time and space, from the swords and walls of Troy, to recent history and wars of the new millennium - “Night Of The Fury” continues the war but the music is more lyrical. Bill hates war; he doesn’t promote the power of America. War exists over the years in different forms and territories. Humanity can’t look away and just pass by. Same goes for some artists. War is cruelty, but it’s for real.

“Father” has a very special meaning for Bill and I am somehow related also with this song (and also “Bridge” from Queensrÿche) because of personal reasons. I can’t say more, it is always difficult to express such deep feelings in words…

And finally, “The Holy Empire”, a song that probably compact what creating music means for William J Tsamis at the current time. The spirit of Lordian Guard is here and Bill, like a musical architect, builds an Empire of unique harmonies and melodies. Mark and Philip are the stones that hold the Kingdom and the vocals are the poetry that chants what’s inside… The final march comes upon us, and this time it’s here to stay.

Don’t let “The Holy Empire” pass you by. It is an album that grows inside you day by day. It has songs that can mark your life. It stands above the mediocrity of today’s music. It is a gift. It is honest and comes from the heart and soul of William J Tsamis. It has the magic touch of Mark Zonder. It is what I was expecting, and my expectations are always high…

WARLORD - SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC

SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC official announcement:

SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC is pleased to announce the worldwide re-release of Warlord’s “Deliver Us” in order to celebrate its 30^th Anniversary.

“Deliver Us’, one of the most influential releases in the history of Heavy Metal music, underwent copious restoration and remastering in order to be presented in its intended form. For the first time in almost 30 years, SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC had access to the original ¼ tape masters and will present the album in its entirety (including the often overlooked, speed-infused epic “Mrs. Victoria”) unlike the original US release. Not stopping at the audio quality, the now-classic cover also went through an extensive restoration and will be presented in all its canvas-quality glory.

The album will be offered on September 30^th, 2012, initially via iTunes in special “Mastered for iTunes” DigitalLP format, AmazonMP3, eMusic, GooglePlay, Zune Marketplace and other major e-tailers worldwide.

CD as well LP releases will follow soon thereafter.

This SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC release, marks the first in a series of Warlord releases that will bring the glory of Warlord’s music to the 21^th century, making all their music available once again and allowing a new generation of fans to be exposed to the haunting melodies of William J Tsamis and thundering drumming of Mark Zonder.

Fully following William J Tsamis and Mark Zonder’s wishes, SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC will price all releases in all formats competitively, allowing fans with limited budget access to these otherwise unreachable until now epic works.

SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC, listening to fans requests, is currently working to secure the best possible physical distribution in order to make CDs and LPs available to as many fans as possible.

For more information regarding SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC, William J Tsamis, Mark Zonder, interview requests and media kits, email Warlord Management / SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC attn: Phoebus Dokos at: warlordmanagement@gmail.com

For the confirmed 2013 Warlord live shows, click on the photo:

On other news, during November it will be released for first time officially from No Remorse Records on CD format (limited to 500 copies) the personal project of William J Tsamis called "Sea of Tranquility". It was recorded during 1993-1994 and was originally spread back then among very few friends of William J Tsamis via mail. "Sea of Tranquility" contains keyboards' recordings in New Age style and among these songs there are some melodies that later were used in Lordian Guard songs. William J Tsamis considers this music as the music of his heart and in the booklet of the CD release, there will be detailed written all the story behind it's creation and the time William J Tsamis compose it. The remaster of these songs is already completed by Nick Papakostas at Entasis Studio.

"Sea of Tranquility was written during a time of great despair in my life - indeed during a time of deep contemplation. It is music for the contemplative listener and music for the inspiration. I have always told people that if they truly want to understand who I am, then they should listen carefully to Sea of Tranquility. It is within those compositions where my soul lives."

William J Tsamis

WARLORD on fire over Europe

Finally, European dates for the WARLORD live shows are announced: 

Keep It True XVI – Königshofen, Germany

April 20^th, 2013

Mylos Club – Thessaloniki, Hellas

April 24^th, 2013  

Gagarin 205 – Athens, Hellas

April 27^th, 2013

Prepare for the EXPERIENCE of a LIFETIME                                                                                             

As it is officially announced from Keep It True Festival:

Finally we are able to announce our big Saturday headliner. We tried the band since KIT 1 and now it becomes reality: Legendary WARLORD with William J Tsamis and Mark Zonder will headline the KEEP IT TRUE Saturday. This will be the first show of WARLORD since the two shows in 2002 in Wacken and Itzehoe. There will also be a brand new album released in 2013. So be prepared for the mighty return of WARLORD. Here are also some words from William J Tsamis himself:

"Warlord is very happy to be coming to the Keep It True festival this April 2013.  As you may know, there was a lot of tension whether Warlord should play Keep It True or Headbangers Open Air.  I have great respect for the promoters of HOA and I have great respect for Oliver Weinsheimer, the promoter of Keep It True.  In the end, however, our decision was based on one simple factor - and that was "the fans."  Apart from researching the venues and corroborating with our peers from other respected metal bands, it all came down to what the fans were saying. Our intelligence sources followed numerous discussions on the internet, and it was clear that the fans at Keep It True seemed to want Warlord more than the fans of Headbangers Open Air.  Thus, "Warlord is coming like a thunderstorm to deliver "epic power metal" in a way that you cannot even imagine… and we are doing it for "the fans" because we love "the fans."  In fact, to us, it's all about "the fans".  So when the fans tell us by a 10 to 1 margin that we should play Keep It True, we listen to the fans because our radar is up and running and our satellites are watching the situation.  We hope the energy and affection at Keep it True will be able to match the passion, power and shock that Warlord will bring, because what we have in store for you is something that you cannot even imagine!"

Until then, all the best,

William J Tsamis"

There is also a huge thrill and emotion among the Greek fans for the two shows in Hellas, and the addition of a third date is something that is not impossible...

By the end of 2012, William J Tsamis’ “Sea of Tranquility” will be officially released, in a special remastered CD edition from No Remorse Records, including the heart and musical creativity of William J Tsamis through songs written and recorded during 1993-94.

WARLORD / LORDIAN GUARD - William J Tsamis interview

We are earth, we are heaven.

We are flesh, we are blood.

We inherit Thy kingdom.

We are all, we are one.

Warlord is a legend among metal fans. With two albums in the 80s, they built a status of a band that everyone respects. Unfortunately, they split up but after the mid-80s, Lordian Guard appeared, the new band of mr. Bill Tsamis handling all instruments and lady Vidonne on vocals. In their two albums, they perform a unique epic renaissance apocalyptical metal, but after that they stopped… until 2002, when Warlord appears again, Rising out of the Ashes. That was the last appearance of legendary musician William J Tsamis.

Many things were unclear among Warlord/Lordian Guard fans and even if mr. Tsamis doesn't do interviews anymore, he was kind for an exception to clarify these matters.

As I told him, I personally want to thank him because his music was always a “friend” in difficult moments of my life and I can tell that for only a few bands like Warlord or Manilla Road. 
So here, Bill Tsamis speaks again in his first interview after a long long time...

How did Metal Blade get in touch with you in 1982 and how old are the compositions included in “Deliver Us” album?

Actually, I read in a local rock magazine that Brian Slagel was starting a record company called Metal Blade Records. Mark and I went to his place of work (Oz Records - a record store) and I asked for him. I had our demo tape and I told him to play it. He put it in and the song "Winds of Thor" came on. Within 15 seconds he offered us a place on Metal Massacre I which he was in the process of doing. We didn't have a singer. We thought of recording “Child of the Damned” with me singing it but decided against it.  So we told Slagel that we would like to be on Metal Massacre 2, first song on either side. At that point, Jack Rucker felt that we were going somewhere so he sang on “Lucifer's Hammer”. At that time, Metal Blade Records was in Brian Slagel's bedroom at his mother's house. There were no offices, no money, no nothing. So, unfortunately, during those early years with Metal Blade there was no money to promote us.

The compositions on “Deliver Us”, some of them are very old. Both “Child of the Damned” and “Black Mass” go back to when I was 17 or 18, which would have been 1978 or 1979. I remember playing “Black Mass” and “Child of the Damned” without the lyrics in high school.

Which bands influenced you back then? 

Rainbow, Sabbath, Priest, Angel Witch, Scorpions, UFO, Rush

“Winds of Thor” and “City Walls Of Troy” were unreleased material from those days. Did you have other unreleased songs in the early Warlord days?

Yes, but I forgot the names of those songs. We actually had quite a few songs.

“And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun” is all recorded live or did you add anything in the studio? Who had the idea for this release and why didn’t you record a studio album instead of that?

Actually, “And the Cannons of Destruction” was recorded in the studio and then presented as a live Warlord show (a showcase). Unfortunately, a couple of the cameras weren't working. We had the UCLA film school doing the filming as part of a school project. The vocals on the video were lip synced - there was no way Rick Cunningham could have pulled off that vocal performance live. We kept hoping that he would get better but then decided we had to find a singer who could sing perfectly live.

Why and when did Warlord officially split up?

Warlord officially split up in 1985 and it was because of a lot of circumstances. We couldn't get a major record deal, we couldn't find a singer, the metal scene in L.A. had become a pop scene, Rap started to become popular, etc. I think we just became discouraged after all those years and tensions arose within the band. We did finally find a good singer (Rick Anderson) but it was too late. I was heavily playing classical guitar and thinking of going into a different form of music altogether. Of course, we had no idea that the European metal scene would take off just a few years later. My father died that year and I'm sure that caused a lot of stress inside of me. It was just difficult. Metal Blade had no money. Again, if we knew that the European scene would take off, we would have stayed together. But how can you predict such things. I really got sick of the music “business”.

How do you feel now about the old Warlord compositions?

I enjoy them whenever I hear them. They bring back a lot of memories. Of course, we were starving musicians in those days and we didn't have much money to make an album. I think we spent $500 on the “Deliver Us” EP, which was actually pretty successful, getting a lot of radio play, etc. I remember that “Winter Tears” and “Child of the Damned” were the #3 and #5 most requested songs in the San Francisco bay area and there was radio play in other major cities in the U.S. For a while there we thought we had made it, or at least “crossed the line”. There were stacks of Warlord records featured in record stores, we did radio interviews, things were going well. But we had no money for promotion - Metal Blade was in its infancy and Slagel couldn't help us. I never liked the quality of the production - it sounded so cheap. That's one of the reasons we re-recorded “Lucifer's Hammer” on the “Rising Out of the Ashes” LP.  We always wanted to hear what Warlord would sound like if properly recorded. So when I listen to the old songs, I still hear them in my head the way they were supposed to sound and I discount the bad production quality. But I never thought I wrote a bad composition. And you have to remember that I pitched all the melody lines to both Jack Rucker and Rick Cunningham, sometimes line by line. Vocally, some of those songs were patched together verse by verse. They just didn't have the metal instinct to do it on their own. 

What have you done after the split of Warlord until Lordian Guard? What’s the story of “My Name Is Man” and “Lordian Winds”? Which songs did you compose that time?

Well, as I said, I started moving in a classical direction. I took a risk and worked with this classical producer who had this idea of a grand epic story. He told me to come up with something - I came up with “My Name is Man”.  It would be like 2112 but hopefully transferred to film (I had some connections in the film industry at the time). It's a story about “everyman”, represented by one man.  His story is everyman's story. At first, he is created and life is beautiful (“My Name is Man”). Then he is taken up to another realm to be shown the future (“Stygian Passage”) and warned that two forces will fight for his allegiance. While he finds himself asleep on a sandy beach, there is a terrific “War in Heaven” taking place. Lucifer is cast out of heaven and the “Man” on the sandy beach hears some beautiful choral voices coming from a cave. He decides to go toward the sound and enters into the cave. It is the song “Lost Archangel”. The cave is full of beautiful creatures, including Lucifer, and caverns full of tempting riches.  The “Man” decides to give his allegiance to this being Lucifer and he is given civilizations and riches. “The Rise and Fall of Civilization” is kind of a montage of “Man” building and destroying civilizations and leaving a path of ruin and destruction in his path. Somewhere in the middle of the story there is “redemption”. Anyway, the story goes on and on… and ends up with “Revelation XIX”. The Lordian Winds demos were just rough cuts. I had written the whole thing out (75 minutes worth of music on staff paper for an orchestra). I had meetings with the producer and conductor. Everything was fine, but the producer told me that it sounded “too catholic”. Remember, I was thinking big, like Michaelangelo and Milton and all the great epic artists of history. When he told me this I was completely defeated. “Too catholic?”, “Some of the greatest art was catholic”, I told him. He didn't think it was popular enough. I got sick of the whole industry. I can't tell you how much work I put into that, writing everything out “note for note” for different orchestral instruments.

I then tried to enter the film score field, but that field is dominated by so few composers. It, too, was very difficult. After 1986 I finally got sick of L.A. altogether and moved to Florida with my wife. I decided to study philosophy and theology. I had already read a lot so I was a fairly advanced student. I decided to go to college and get formal degrees, both undergraduate and graduate so I could be a professor of both philosophy, theology, ethics, and ancient history. I love to talk about those subjects so I figured it would be great to do that in a college setting in front of a bunch of students. But around 1990-94 certain people were telling me that Warlord was very popular with certain people in Europe. That was new to me because I had tuned out of the heavy metal world altogether. Jürgen Hegewald (one of my best friends) talked me into doing “something”. I didn't feel like going out and assembling a band or anything. I knew my wife could sing and do various accents (and she had no ego), although, at the time, I knew using female vocals in metal was not really acceptable. So I kind of toned everything down a little bit and used a lot of keyboards, took some ideas that I had from the past, came up with some new ideas - thus, Lordian Guard. I didn't like the mastering of those records. Here I was in Florida and I had to trust the mastering to someone in Germany. It didn't end up as well as I wanted. I always like to be there in the studio when my music is being printed.

Christian art, apocalyptic concepts, Gregorian chants and Byzantine hymns, John Milton are some of your influences for Lordian Guard. What this music means for you?

In a way, this music is more meaningful to me than Warlord because there were no restraints. I didn't have to worry about writing for commercialism or anything. Plus, I didn't have to worry about the time element. Some of the songs could be 10 minutes long. I always wanted to use narrative in some of my music and I got a chance to do that with “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. I only wish it could have been recorded in a major studio with more instruments.

How did the critics and metal fans accept Lordian Guard? 

Some liked it, others I guess didn't, although I never got any bad fan mail for Lordian Guard. I think the true Warlord fans understood that the deep melodies which were characteristic of Warlord were even more present in Lordian Guard.

I’ve been reading your “Fidei Defensor” old blogspot. Which are your religious and political beliefs in general and how is your life as a Professor?

Well, I am a Christian of no particular denomination. I do respect academic atheism, but when I take everything in to account, I place my wager on the Christian worldview. Also, I am very much an existentialist and a Stoic - so a different kind of Christian. As far as politics, I am very cynical about politics. I do love lecturing to college students. There is a certain creativity and style to it that I find very natural and I love kids of that age. They remind me of myself when I was that age and inquiring about the existential questions regarding life. But these are highly academic lectures and we discuss some of the explore some of the deepest recesses of philosophy and theology. In the end, it is impossible to be certain about anything - it comes down to “faith”.

I know that this is a hard one but there are people interested and concerned about lady Vidonne, so can you clear the story and her health issues?

She has had numerous “failed” spinal fusions since 1989 (about 4 separate sugeries, all failed with complications). For the past 4 months she has been in 4 different hospitals due to a potentially deadly spinal infection and just Monday (Aug 8) she had her spinal hardware removed again in another surgery. Then on Fri (Aug 12) she had a skin graft surgery to cover a wound the size of a shotgun blast on her back (from the spinal infection). She is recovering in the hospital now and hopefully will be able to come home soon. But there are certainly a couple spine surgeries ahead. She is now seeing one of the top neurosurgeons in the Southeast United States.

In 2002 “Rising Out Of The Ashes” came out including you, Mark Zonder and Joacim Cans. Why didn’t you continue?

I was in a horrible car accident in May 2003 which pretty much wrecked my back. And the past year or so I've been sick with a terrible gastrointestinal order. It's too bad because we were planning on doing more stuff together.

Which are your memories of your first European show in Wacken?

Well, it was great to see all the fans and meet them. But I was disappointed with the promoter. He didn't deliver on his promises. The rehearsal space was too small. We were supposed to get the 9:00pm slot but ended up playing much later. Things were disorganized and everything was rushed. However, it was a good experience.

I interviewed Mark Zonder last year and he said that he would drop everything to do a Warlord show again and he would do anything to play again with you. Are you thinking again of that? Are you thinking about a new Warlord album and maybe a couple of shows? Are you willing to do this and can you find time for that or you can’t because of the University?

No, I would love to play with Mark again. But we live 3,000 miles away from each other. We have pressing health concerns in our family and I have to keep the family first. My daughter will be entering college next year so I want to be there for her to help her. Going out and playing old Warlord songs is not that appealing to me. I would rather do another album. But right now I am unable to do anything else except care for my family. Too much illness.

Do you have other projects in mind that you would like to release someday? The “My Name Is Man” story or some Lordian Guard songs including real choir and orchestra?

I don't see it happening.

Thank you Bill, my thoughts are with you and your family. Thanks for the music through the years.