Warlord | The Lost Archangel | High Roller Records

 

Warlord, formed in 1980 by guitarist and composer William J. Tsamis alongside drummer Mark Zonder, has long held a revered place in heavy metal history. Known for their refined sense of melody and their balance between dramatic grandeur and steel-edged riffing, they became cult icons through albums like "Deliver Us" and "And The Cannons Of Destruction Have Begun..." Despite lineup changes, long periods of inactivity, and the tragic loss of Tsamis in 2021, Warlord returned to activity with a renewed sense of direction under the guidance of longtime vocalist Giles Lavery, making their studio comeback in 2024 with "Free Spirit Soar".

"The Lost Archangel" arrives as a hybrid release—part celebration, part tribute, and part companion to their 2024 festival circuit. It includes four studio tracks and nine live cuts, compiled with a sense of commemoration rather than progression. The studio tracks include “Golgotha (The Place Of The Skull)”, “The Rainbow”, “Lost Archangel” and “Stygian Passage”. These were initially released as free digital singles and serve as a sonic souvenir for those who witnessed the band’s triumphant stage return.

“Golgotha” and “Stygian Passage” are charged with spiritual tension and melodic phrasing drawn from Tsamis’s Lordian Guard work, reimagined here with Warlord’s traditional sound. “The Rainbow,” a re-recording of an early 80s demo, fits seamlessly among them, casting a direct line to the group’s formative years without relying on imitation. The arrangements stay loyal to Tsamis’s musical personality—solemn, mid-paced, guitar-led compositions driven by layered leads and dramatic progression.

The live segment includes performances from 2024 of classic songs like “Lucifer’s Hammer,” “Child Of The Damned,” and “Soliloquy.” The energy from the crowd is audible, with Lavery’s vocals anchoring the material. His presence is consistent across the board, neither attempting to emulate previous singers nor drastically departing from the band’s essence. Instrumentally, the live renditions are faithful and precise, though they occasionally trade impact for restraint.

As a package, "The Lost Archangel" doesn’t introduce a new chapter as much as it binds several threads together—archival intent, memory, and continued activity. It sits between a new full-length and a live retrospective, and while this format might dilute its unity, it still manages to preserve Warlord’s musical atmosphere and direction.

It is not a career-defining release, nor is it a minor footnote. It exists as a transitional document, one that doesn’t pretend to be more than it is. The reverence for Tsamis's legacy remains intact throughout, and the execution is grounded, sincere, and musically consistent with the band’s long-standing ideals.

Score: 7.7