Forgotten Scroll #5 Out NOW:

Double cover, 100 pages, pro printed, 100 copies limited, featuring:

SYRUS (US)
EXODO (SP)
STREET CHILD (US)
FORTRESS UNDER SIEGE (GR)
XCEL (US)
LATENT FURY (US)
RUFF JUSTICE (US)
POWER OF OMENS (US)
CROWHAVEN (US)
ZEN VENOM (AUS)
STEEL ANGEL (US)
ASHBURY (US)
LEGIONED MARCHER (US)
COMMANDMENT (US)
MENTAL POWERS (GR)
SPELLBOUND (GR)

Plus SPELLBOUND (GR) CD

Price 5 € (Europe) / 6$ USD (World) - P&P Included.

GET IT FROM:

WARLORD mastermind Bill Tsamis posted on FaceBook the following announcement about the band's live line up:

ANNOUNCEMENT: WARLORD -- "Live Line-Up" ------- First let me say this. When Mark, Rick, and I embarked on this new venture of doing a new Warlord album, I had no intention of doing any live shows, mostly because of my health situation (as many of you know). However, when we were invited by Oliver Weinsheimer of 'KEEP IT TRUE' to headline that German festival, and when I received clearance from my doctor that I could physically endure such a trip to Europe, suddenly we were approached by Greek promoters as well. Now, Thessaloniki and Athens were on the table. I realized (along with Mark) that the Warlord fans would primarily want to hear "classic Warlord." And as you know, there is a distinction between the "classic Warlord" sound and the "new Warlord" sound (which will one day become "classic" as well). Although Rick is the perfect (ideal) singer for the "new" Warlord, I knew we had to find someone who could approximate the "higher range" style of the early Warlord vocalists. I had heard our friend "Giles Lavery" sing "Lucifer's Hammer" already and I asked him to send me an audition tape of five songs . . . here, you will find excerpts from that audition tape (no 20 minute trailer here), and you will understand "why" I (we) decided to go with someone like "Giles," who is not only a great vocalist in the higher range (as well as the AOR style), but he is someone who has been a Warlord fan since his youth, and is a person who understands the mindset of "the Warlord fan." In sum, "Rick is better suited to sing the new Warlord material while Giles is better suited to sing the classic Warlord material." So, here is a taste of "Giles Lavery" as the Warlord vocalist for the upcoming live shows. The other players as mentioned above will be: Philip Bynoe (bass), Paolo Viani (guitar) and Angelo Vafeiadis (keyboards).

Here is the Live Singer Audition video teaser as posted by the band.

Warlord Mini Tour 2013 Live Lineup:
Giles Lavery: Vocals
William J Tsamis: Guitars
Mark Zonder: Drums
Philip Bynoe: Bass
Paolo Viani: Guitars
Angelo Vafeiadis: Keyboards

The following were posted by: Keith Menser on his facebook profile:

MYSTIC-FORCE news
Official Press Release: March 11, 2013

A very sad week in the MYSTIC-FORCE family with the sudden tragic loss of former vocalist - Bobby Hicks who past away in Virginia on Tues., March 5th. The reported cause of death was an internal infection due to liver failure. Bobby was diagnosed a few months prior and was told he had less then a year, however the progression of his illness took him much sooner then expected. Born on August 29th, 1960, he was at the age of 52 upon his passing. Much too young for anyone, the music world has lost another Vocal God!!!

Bobby Hicks was the original vocalist for the American (Baltimore, MD.) based progressive power metal group MYSTIC-FORCE and recorded his dynamic vocal skills on three studio albums with the group including "Take Command" (1990), "The Eternal Quest" (1993) and "A Step Beyond" (1995), among several early demos, EP's, compilation albums and a bootleg Live album entitled "Stagestruck...Live" (1991). Joining the group in 1986 Bobby Hicks proved to be that of a professional front man and together with the band toured North America with their high energy live show, entertaining audiences for years to follow. Together as a team with vocalist - Bobby Hicks, Bassist - Keith Menser, Guitarist - Rich Davis, and Drummer - Chris Lembach, MYSTIC-FORCE soon began to establish itself within the International music scene. Building a strong worldwide fan base on the strength of their recorded music and live performances. Bobby Hicks and MYSTIC-FORCE parted ways in 1995 following the release of the group's third album "A Step Beyond". The band moved onto it's mark II: line-up with new vocalist - William Wren (ex- Oracle) and issued it's fourth studio album "Man vs. Machine".

Following his departure from MYSTIC-FORCE Bobby Hicks continued his musical journey with another Baltimore based band called MANIFEST and recorded material with this group, which was recently issued on CD in Europe. His final stand was working with a Virginia based band called CRYPTAMERIA, which also recorded a demo together with Bobby... this marking the final testimony of Mr. Hicks incredible vocal talents. Bobby Hicks earned the nickname 'The Golden Throat" due to his powerful range and pure natural tone the man was gifted.

In recent years MYSTIC-FORCE has tried to regain working relations with Bobby Hicks with several attempts, however all lines of communication were broken upon him moving out of the state of Maryland and never reconnecting. He was located in Virginia with sent offerings, however no return reply other then silence. MYSTIC-FORCE was booked to perform at the 'Keep It True 2012' festival in Germany and a tour was booked to support the re-issued debut album "Take Command". An original line-up reunion was once again the plan at hand, however proved to be another failed attempt and MYSTIC-FORCE forged onto the very successful tour with a new line-up. Upon their concerts in Germany, Greece and the states the Force fans made it clear that Bobby Hicks was both deeply loved and his voice was long missed.

The groups founding member bassist - Keith Menser commented: "Upon learning of Bobby's death I fount myself in complete shock, then once the facts were confirmed a deep sense of dark depression hit me like a freight train. In the years working together Bob and myself became very close friends, together we both wrote most of the lyrics as a writing team. He was a very down to earth person, a creative writer and we understood each others lyrical mind set. In 1995 when his working relations ended with MYSTIC-FORCE I stayed in touch with Bobby, our friendship remained strong and we even talked of a future project band-album together. This all ended when his father passed away and Bobby decided to up root n move away leaving all of his past behind. MYSTIC-FORCE lost a great singer when we parted ways with Bobby, I personally lost a dear friend upon him moving away with no trails but always felt we would one day reconnect and once again create music together. Well sadly enough that dream has now vanished due to his passing and though Bobby had so much more talent to give without question he has left his mark in the hearts of many as a great vocalist. The people who knew him as a friend knew he was a good person with a huge heart. I'll forever hold onto all the great memories we experienced together. Bobby's in heaven now singing with all the other 'Vocal Gods' who have fallen thru the years, he's hanging out with his true idols Ronnie James Dio, Carl Albert and Johnny Cash among them. May you rest in peace my friend... You've past on but never to be forgotten... I'll see you on the other side my Mystic-Brother" .

The current Mark III: MYSTIC-FORCE line-up featuring vocalist - Rick Mythiasin (Steel Prophet/ ex- Agent Steel/ ex- Redemption) are working on a new studio album entitled "Modern Day Fury", this album will be dedicated to the memory of former vocalist Bobby Hicks.

 16/3: WARLORD - THE HOLY EMPIRE RELEASE PARTY - Supported By FORGOTTEN SCROLL

Los Angeles, CA-based Epic / Power Metallers Warlord will release their new album, The Holy Empire, in March. The album will be available on CD and digitally via Sons Of A Dream Music / Battle Hymns Music. William J Tsamis on guitars / keyboards and Mark S Zonder on drums -the band's main classic line up- are returning back in action together, eleven years after their last "Rising Out Of The Ashes" record. The band released a Promo Video including samplers from the forthcoming album, the cover is also presented.

Warlord recently announced that the new album will be engineered and mastered by the multi-Grammy award winner Phil Magnotti (Fates Warning, Overkill, Arch / Matheos, O.S.I.).

Says Warlord: "Warlord is returning to Phil after his excellent work on the Rising Out Of The Ashes album, as well as several Fates Warning projects. Rest assured that the new Warlord album will be of the highest quality production."

As he posted on his facebook page Rick Mythiasin (Steel Prophet, Masters Of Metal) is joining Power / Prog Metallers from Baltimore, Mystic Force. He posted this message: "Mystic Force 2013 featuring yours truly!". Well those are great news. We will have more details soon!

The end of September 2012 will be marked with an official digital re-release of the debut "Deliver Us" Mini LP by Los Angeles, California Lyrical Metal pioneers Warlord. All songs will be re mastered from scratch and the bonus track "Mrs Victoria" from the original Japanese edition will be included in this re-release as well. CD and Vinyl editions will follow.

SONS OF A DREAM MUSIC LLC is pleased to announce the worldwide re-release of Warlord's "Deliver Us" in order to celebrate its 30th 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.

From artwork, to sound, to liner notes (including the original liner notes in addition to the new ones), the album will be presented as it was envisioned by William J Tsamis and Mark Zonder, who also oversaw the entire process, step-by-step.

The album will be offered on September 30th, 2012, initially via iTunes^TM in a special "Mastered for iTunes^TM" DigitalLP^TM format, AmazonMP3^TM, eMusic^TM, GooglePlay^TM, Zune Marketplace^TM and other major e-tailers worldwide. CD as well as 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 21st 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 the CDs and LPs available to as many fans as possible.

For more info join the Warlord Battle Choir 

There are some really hot news about the Australian Metal pioneers Dragonsclaw:

We are extremely happy to announce that the legendary Jack Starr (of Burning Starr / ex Virgin Steele) will be contributing to a track on our upcoming album. if anyone hasn't checked out Jack's new Burning Starr album "Land of The Dead" , please do yourself a favor and pick this one up... this is metal at it's finest! Our thanks also to Rhino (of Manowar/Angels Of Babylon) for tracking Jack's solos at his studio!

The band which has released their debut prophecy on Arkeyn Steel Records is working on their second album.

Warlord announced two shows in Athens and Thessaloniki. The first one is to take place at Principle Club Theatre at Thessaloniki on the 24th of April, 2013 while the second one will follow three days later (27/4) at the Gagarin 205 Club in Athens. What follows is an official announcement by William J Tsamis:

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: "Mark Zonder and I have worked very hard to bring Warlord to Greece in April 2013. In the wake of a new album we are prepared to unleash the full power and fury of Warlord to the die hard fans in Greece, as well as to any others who would like to witness this thunderstorm in Thessaloniki and Athens. From the stagecraft, to the prdocution and presentaion, as well as the music of Warlord from all eras, Mark and I have put together a group that will astonish you -- yes, "astonish" you. If you think you know what to expect, forget about it . . . because what we are bringing is beyond your wildest dreams. We want to thank the fans for their undying support over all these years. It is "you" who have kept the flame burning all these years and we are coming to fan those flames before your very eyes into a massive firestorm. You have set high standards because you are Warlord fans - and Warlord fans are some of the most discerning fans in metal. Well, we will not only meet your expectations but we will transcend them and give you a production of Warlord that you will never forget. We are on fire about coming to Greece . . . we hope you are as excited and energized as we are for the coming conflagration. Mark and I are aware that we owe you all a huge debt . . . thus, we are coming to pay you. Be there !!! 

Official statement by KIT organizer, Oliver Weinsheimer:

Hi Friends,

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"

 
Promo pic by: Thomas Kelleners