Warlord – Free Spirit Soar
Reviewed By: Tom Elke
Review Score: 9
Legendary US epic metal band Warlord was formed in 1981 by Mark Zonder and Bill Tsamis. Through the years (which included a couple of hiatuses) they released a few albums and did some tours – with the last album being released in 2013. Unfortunately, Bill Tsamis sadly passed away on May 13th, 2021 at the age of sixty.
Now revived, reclaimed and reprised, much like Lazarus, Warlord has risen again with a new album, entitled Free Spirit Soar. This new studio album is drummer Mark Zonder and lead singer Giles Lavery paying tribute to the musical heritage of Bill. They wanted to finish these pieces of music which already had started to be written, and they completed a very impressive lineup of musicians which includes Jimmy Waldo (keyboards/synthesizer), Eric Juris (guitars), and Phillip Bynoe (bass). A very cool component of the music is that they used the old guitar tracks that Bill had laid down, and incorporated them into this new recording. Meanwhile, Eric did the vast majority of the guitar work. As lead singer Giles Lavery told me, “We used Bills guitar tracks off the demos where possible. It’s fairly sporadic throughout the album, and it’s fair to say Eric did most of the heavy lifting. But he stayed very close to Bill’s guitar tracks. I mean really, he played them exactly as Bill played them.”
So, onto the album. There are several thoughts that come to mind about this album. The tracks are majestic, epic and glorious. Free Spirit Soar opens with a 7 minute 49 second opus – ‘Behold A Pale Horse,’ a mid tempo battle-cry of a song that sets the tone for the entire album. There is some great active drumming courtesy of Mark Zonder, while Jimmy Waldo’s keyboards are prominent throughout the album, which serves to give it a very regal sound and feel to it. Eric does a great job of playing Bill Tsamis’ guitar parts while adding his own talented flair to them, all the while bassist Phillip Bynoe holds down a tight and rhythmic low end, and Giles Lavery delivers an absolute fantastic job on lead vocals. He sings mainly with a mid-range voice in a responsible and respectful way to carry on the legend of Warlord. He mixes his vocal phrasing along with the harmonies he wrote for the album in a masterful way. What a great job Giles did on this album… not only singing, but also producing it!
There are two bonus CD-exclusive tracks. ‘The Watchman’ and ‘Twin’. The first of the two has an almost Celtic feel to it, with a smooth keyboard presence. It mixes in an acoustic guitar part that has an Irish folk song vibe to it. It’s a really cool track. The second of two tracks, ‘Twin’, is another keyboard-prominent song that has Giles Lavery utilizing a higher-register singing voice in parts and an excellent lead guitar solo. Another very good song. If you can get the CD, it’s worth it for these two exclusive tracks.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Free Spirit Soar is an excellent album that carries the legend and style of Warlord, but done in today’s modern execution. Yes, a lot of this album is Bill Tsamis’ music, but this group had to bring these songs to life and give them their own identity. Bill’s legacy will continue forever, but these guys are all great players in their own right. I salute them. Brilliant job guys!
Free Spirit Soar will be released on May 10th via High Roller Records. ORDER HERE.