I still remember all the enthusiasm I had last year when the new WARLORD album was released. Here in Forgotten Scroll we had been informed, actually we were the first in the entire world to know, through an exclusive interview Mark Zonder and Giles Lavery had given to Chris Papadakis, about the material of the new album ‘’Free Spirit Soar’’ and that it was mostly based on old unfinished work and ideas of late William J. Tsamis and other LORDIAN GUARD songs that they were going to be WARLORD-ized.
The album exceeded even the most optimistic expectations and it was a true blessing, a real diamond for all the loyal WARLORD fans that have been following the beloved band for decades.
The enthusiasm grew even bigger and higher, when we were informed that WARLORD would play live in Golden Rules Festival 2024 on late August in Volos, Greece. Of course, I attended this festival and many fans including myself had the opportunity to get acquainted with all the current members of the band that continue the legacy of William J. Tsamis and WARLORD.
History was written in Volos and even the weather difficulties couldn’t prevent the band from playing in front of their faithful fans, the next day of the scheduled one that had to be cancelled in a certain point, due to extreme weather conditions of thunders and lightnings.
As you can understand from my words, WARLORD is a band that are truly loved by their fans and a band that has in its DNA the ‘’mission’’ to offer back all this love to their fans. In 2024 they played live in several big festivals such as at Trveheim (Germany), Golden Rules Festival (Greece), Pyrenean Warriors (France) and Metalitalia (Italy). The band did something that honestly, I am not aware of another band doing that.
Giles Lavery explains: “We wanted to do something special and also something I don’t think anyone else has ever done before – release and “give away” an exclusive ‘free download’ song to mark each festival stop on the tour … four of them in one month.’’
These songs were “Golgotha (Place of the Skull)”, “The Rainbow”, “Lost Archangel” and “Stygian Passage”. We all welcomed these recordings in digital format and were really thankful to the band but as you can understand, as old school fans and supporters of the physical format, we discussed in our Forgotten Scroll forum, the possibility of a release in physical format. Giles had promised that will mention that to High Roller Records and inform us about any news. The good news arrived soon and I really want to thank Giles Lavery personally, WARLORD and the label for this offering.
This is what ‘’Lost Archangel’’ is actually about. It is a multifaceted offering for the loyal devotees of WARLORD and classic US Heavy Metal and Epic Metal in general.
Apart from ‘’The Rainbow’’, which is a song from an old WARLORD demo from the very early 80s, that was re-recorded it in 2024, the other three songs were compositions Bill Tsamis released on his LORDIAN GUARD albums in the ‘90s, that were also WARLORD-ized in 2024.
A crucial element elevating these recordings, is undoubtedly the commanding vocal presence of Giles Lavery. His performance is a standout feature, giving each track authentic power and emotion. The compelling depth of his vocal lines in ‘’Golgotha’’, ‘’Lost Archangel’’ and ‘’Stygian Passage’’ is outstanding, while his performance in ‘’The Rainbow’’, adds a new dimension to the familiar (for the die-hard fans) melody that gave me the goose bumps.
All these four recordings have a fabulous orchestration, arrangement and execution from all the other members as well. Thus, the incredible Mark Zonder on drums, Eric Juris and Diego Pires on guitars, Philip Bynoe on bass and Jimmy Waldo on keys sound absolutely great, offering a blend of the band’s foundational sound with contemporary execution.
Moving forward in the album, WARLORD revisit established material through newly captured renditions. The next three songs, ‘’Enemy Mind’’, ‘’70,000 Sorrows’’ and ‘’Night of the Fury’’, have been re-recorded in 2025. This choice provides the opportunity to listen to these enduring tracks with the band’s present-day sonic character, production capabilities and dynamics.
At this point, I need to highlight the inclusion of ‘’Twin’’, on the vinyl version of the album because it was a CD only song in ‘’Free Spirit Soar’’. This debut appearance of ‘’Twin’’ on vinyl, was something that was requested from us, the loyal fans of WARLORD and the band listened to this request and delivered accordingly. I have no other words to express but a sincere thank you to band, straight from my heart.
The next three songs that I am going to mention are ‘’Father’’, ‘’Glory’’ and ‘’Soliloquy’’, which were recorded in the Athens live show, back in 2013 with Giles Lavery on vocals. I feel blessed to have attended the show of 2013 (and 2014) in Thessaloniki and having the opportunity to see Tsamis playing live. These three songs were not included in the original version of the ‘’Live in Athens 2013’’ album, so it was an excellent decision to include these songs in ‘’The Lost Archangel’’.
Last but not least, the last three live recordings from the respective performances in 2024, ‘’Lucifer’s Hammer’’ (Live Italy), ‘’Black Mass’’ (Live Greece) – I was also there and ‘’Child of the Damned’’ (Live France), show the band’s current dynamics performing live.
Furthermore, these live recordings demonstrate Giles Lavery‘s captivating stage presence and vocal command. He has evolved greatly as a vocalist in the last 12 years and he has developed an amazing ability as a frontman to connect with the audience and deliver powerful renditions of the band’s material in a live setting. His contribution is central, to the overall impact of “The Lost Archangel”.
In essence, ‘’The Lost Archangel’’ emerges as a thoughtfully constructed anthology that effectively bridges WARLORD‘s history with their present output. The combination of new recordings on classic songs, a first-time vinyl release of an amazing song and vibrant live excerpts, provides a comprehensive perspective on the band’s enduring legacy and ongoing creative drive.
An album that was created from the love and loyalty of the fans for the band and it is an offering to the fans. FROM the fans and FOR the fans. A precious new addition for our collection. Thank you, WARLORD!!
‘’The Lost Archangel’’ will be released on the 26th of June 2025 by High Roller Records and will be available on double LP, CD and MC.
*Note: The vinyl edition also includes the previously ‘’CD only’’ bonus track ‘’Twin’’ from the CD edition of “Free Spirit Soar” (last track now on LP1 – side B)
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
