Warlord - The Holy Empire

Review by Russ Jackson

The Holy Empire by Warlord: A Heavy Metal Odyssey That’ll Melt Your Face Off (and Maybe Your Soul Too) Released in 2013, The Holy Empire by Warlord is like that one friend who shows up uninvited but ends up being the life of the party. This heavy metal masterpiece hails from a global crew with ties to the US, Russia, Germany, Greece, and Japan—because apparently, saving the world (or at least its eardrums) requires an international effort. With labels like Sons Of A Dream Music, High Roller Records, and Rubicon Music backing them, you know this album wasn’t just slapped together during a late-night jam session. No sir, it’s as meticulously crafted as John Martin’s cover painting. Now let’s dive into some tracks because nobody wants to read paragraphs about liner notes or Phil Magnotti’s mastering skills (though kudos to him for not ruining anything). Two songs stood out to me like headbangers at a librarians’ convention: “Kill Zone” and “Black Mass.” First off, “Kill Zone.” If this track were a person, it’d be the guy walking into a bar wearing spiked armor while everyone else sips their lattes. The alternate clean vocals version? Pure gold. It’s got that perfect balance of aggression and melody, like biting into a jalapeño popper—you’re not sure if you should scream or grin, so you do both. William J. Tsamis clearly had his coffee when composing this bad boy; the riffs are tighter than your jeans after Thanksgiving dinner. And don’t even get me started on Richard M. Anderson’s vocals—he sounds like he gargled gravel and lightning bolts before stepping up to the mic. Then there’s “Black Mass,” which is basically what would happen if Beethoven decided to throw down with Black Sabbath. The live version recorded in Thessaloniki? Absolutely electric. You can practically hear the crowd losing their minds in the background. I mean, how could they not? Between Mark S. Zonder’s thunderous drumming and Philip Bynoe’s basslines that feel like they’re crawling under your skin, this song grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Oh, and props to Alexander Koromilas for snapping those cover photos—his work adds another layer of badassery to the whole package. But here’s the kicker: The Holy Empire isn’t just an album—it’s a treasure chest of demos, rough mixes, and live recordings. Tracks like “Night of the Fury” come in more versions than my ex’s excuses for ghosting me. Some might call it overkill, but honestly? It feels like peeking behind the curtain to see how the magic happens. Plus, hearing different vocal takes (shoutout to Gregg Analla!) gives each rendition its own personality. So yeah, The Holy Empire delivers everything you want from heavy metal: killer riffs, epic storytelling, and enough energy to power a small city. But here’s the unexpected twist: listening to this album made me realize something profound. In a world full of auto-tuned pop stars and forgettable playlists, bands like Warlord remind us why music matters. They don’t care about trends—they’re too busy forging steel-plated anthems that’ll outlast all of us. Final thought: If aliens ever invade Earth, we should blast “Black Mass” through speakers worldwide. Either they’ll surrender immediately, or they’ll ask where they can buy tickets to the next tour. Either way, win-win.

Artist: Warlord
Album: The Holy Empire

Rock

Heavy Metal

2013

Rating: 3.67

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Filename: warlord-the-holy-empire.zip

MP3 size: 237.6 mb
FLAC size: 1953.6 mb

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Tracks

Track	Duration	Preview
City Walls Of Troy (Live)
The Holy Empire (Rough Mix Demo 2012)
Black Mass (Live Thessaloniki)
War In Heaven (Giles Lavery Demo)
70,000 Sorrows (Rough Mix)
Night Of The Fury (Demo 2012 - Gregg Analla Vocals)
The Holy Empire (Rough Mix)
Aliens (Rehearsal Dittigheim)
City Walls Of Troy (Live "Keep It True" 2013)
Night Of The Fury (Rough Mix)
Night Of The Fury (Gregg Analla)
Black Mass (Live In Thessaloniki April 2013)
Glory (Rough Mix)
Glory	06:25
Black Mass
Night Of The Fury (Rough Mix Demo 2012)
Kill Zone (Demo 2012)
Kill Zone	07:38
Thy Kingdom Come	06:50
70,000 Sorrows	06:56
Kill Zone (Demo)
War In Heaven (Studio Demo 2013 - Giles Lavery Vocals)
Father	05:32
Glory (Rough Mix Demo 2012)
Kill Zone (Alternate Clean Vocals Version)
Night Of The Fury	07:16
Child Of The Damned (Live "Keep It True" 2013)
70,000 Sorrows (Rough Mix Demo 2012)
Child Of The Damned (Live)
Aliens (Live)*
Kill Zone (Alternate Clean Vocals)
City Walls Of Troy	03:35
The Holy Empire	11:32

Video

WARLORD Night Of The Fury THE HOLY EMPIRE 2013

Images

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Catalog Numbers

Labels

Sons Of A Dream Music LLC
High Roller Records
Sons Of A Dream Music
Alone Records
Rubicon Music

Listen online

online luisteren
lyssna på nätet
lytte på nettet
escuchar en línea
online anhören
ouvir online
écouter en ligne
kuunnella verkossa
ascolta in linea

Formats

CD
Album
Unofficial Release
3 × Vinyl
LP
Limited Edition
Reissue
Red Blood
2 × Vinyl
Numbered
All Media
Remastered CD
Album CD
Compilation
Album Cassette
100 copies
Cassette
Clear
Test Pressing
Digipak
Vinyl

Companies

Role	Company
Published By	Battle Hymns Music
Engineered At	Silvermine Studios
Mastered At	Silvermine Studios
Licensed From	Sons Of A Dream Music LLC
Remastered At	Temple of Disharmony
Manufactured By	GZ Media
Licensed To	Rubicon Music

Credits

Role	Credit
Artwork	Kostas Tsiakos
Bass	Philip Bynoe
Cover	John Martin
Drums	Mark S. Zonder
Percussion	Mark S. Zonder
Engineer	Corey Weyr (tracks: 5), Joe Marlett
Mastered By	Phil Magnotti
Guitar	William J. Tsamis
Keyboards	William J. Tsamis
Composed By	William J. Tsamis
Arranged By	William J. Tsamis
Layout	Phoebus Dokos
Photography	Alexander Koromilas
Producer	William J. Tsamis, Mark S. Zonder
Vocals	Richard M. Anderson
Additional Artwork/CD Artwork/Booklet Artwork	Kostas Tsiakos
Cover Painting	John Martin
Cover Photography	Alexander Koromilas
Logos	Phoebus Dokos
Layout and Artwork	Phoebus Dokos
Drums Engineer	Joe Marlett
Vocals Engineer	Corey Weyr (tracks: 5)
Mixed By	Mark S Zonder (tracks: D2)
Recorded By	Warlord (tracks: D2)
Artwork By	Kostas Tsiakos
Remastered By	Patrick W. Engel
Restoration	Patrick W. Engel
Layout And Artwork	Phoebus Dokos
Painting	John Martin
Photography By	Alexander Koromilas
Liner Notes	平野和祥

Notes

Cover Painting by John Martin - "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still Upon Gibeon"
This album is dedicated to all the WARLORD fans throughout the world, who have kept the flame burning all these years. It is to "you" that we owe our deepest gratitude.
In Memoriam - Alan C. Zonder (1959-2012)
425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 7mm spine, poster, 8 page A4 booklet
13 bonus tracks(!), remastered and restored by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony
Limited to 500 copies:
100 on ultra clear vinyl
200 on transparent blood-red vinyl (this)
200 on black vinyl
Limited edition black double gatefold vinyl. Hand numbered to 1500 copies. ALL copies released unsealed.
Track D2 exclusive for this release.
200 on transparent blood-red vinyl
200 on black vinyl (this)
Colorfull slipcase sleeve with original artwork, top side is a part of the Warlord "W" logo.
18-page colorful booklet.
Track 1-9: Rehearsal, live Dittigheim.
Track 1-10: Live Thessaloniki.
Manufacturing plant taken from the Matrix / Runout area.
Remastered and partially restored by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, February-March 2016.
100 on ultra clear vinyl (this)
*Recorded Live in Dittigheim, Germany on 4/18/2013
ALONE Records 0001
2x LP TEST PRESS White Label, without cover
5 copies
Limited to 500 copies.

Barcodes

Barcode: 045635491892
Matrix / Runout: SOADM-CD002 0456-35491-892
Barcode: 4 260255 248787
Matrix / Runout: THE HOLY EMPIRE 7780-0197 SM/CA
Barcode: 0045635491878
Barcode (Text): 4 260255 248794
Barcode (Scanned): 4260255248794
Matrix / Runout (CD1): HRR487CD/CD1 GZ [logo] D42630
Matrix / Runout (CD2): HRR487CD/CD2 GZ [logo] D42631
Mould SID Code (CD1): IFPI 5J54
Mould SID Code (CD2): IFPI 5J44
Mastering SID Code (CD1,2): IFPI LD02
Mastering SID Code (Variant 2): IFPI LD02
Matrix / Runout (Variant 2): Z61217 SOADMCD-0002
Barcode (Text on Obi): 4 560329 801499
Matrix / Runout: RBNCD-1149 CYM001C0053S
Mastering SID Code: IFPI LQ97
Mould SID Code: IFPI 9Z07
Barcode: 0701748990768

About Warlord

ladda ner album Warlord - The Holy Empire

Warlord is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1980 and based in Los Angeles, CA. The brainchild of guitarist/songwriter William J (Bill) Tsamis and drummer Mark S Zonder, Warlord made the trip from their native San Jose, California to Los Angeles and proceeded in crafting their unique style, which pioneered what is called today Epic Power Metal." The new band caught the attention of Brian Slagel, whose label, Metal Blade Records, had recently issued Metal Massacre, a compilation featuring up-and-coming local metal acts such as Malice, Steeler, Ratt, Slayer and Metallica. An aficionado of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and admirer of the Euro-metal aesthetic, influences of which are evident in Warlord's sound, Slagel was impressed by Warlord's semi-progressive style inspired by such diverse acts as Rainbow, Scorpions and Jethro Tull. Slagel decided to offer the band a spot on his next compilation and Warlord would make their vinyl debut with "Lucifer's Hammer" on 1982's Metal Massacre II. Earning rave reviews, Warlord made a repeat appearance with "Mrs Victoria" on Metal Massacre III and were signed to Metal Blade for their 1983 Deliver Us album which got the band featured in important publications such as Kerrang, Sounds, Burrn, and Music Connection. Furthermore, Warlord was receiving continual FM radio play in major US markets. Adding further intrigue to the growing Warlord mystique was the band members' use of pseudonyms such as 'Destroyer' / 'The Raven' (Tsamis), 'Thunderchild' (Zonder), 'Damien King' (vocalist Jack Rucker), and 'Sentinel' (keyboardist Diane Kornarens) as well as Warlord's refusal to become just another LA club act, opting to present themselves on a grander scale instead. To that end, the band rented The Raymond Theater to stage what would turn out to be the only Warlord live performance in the USA until now (August 2013). It was filmed and recorded for the group's first full-length release, "And The Cannons Of Destruction Have Begun...," issued in October 1984 and accompanied by a VHS home video release of the same name (now in DVD). The album featured 2 brand new tracks, "Soliloquy" and "MCMLXXXIV

Members

Mark Zonder
Joacim Cans
Diane Kornarens
Bill Tsamis
Nicholas Leptos
Rick Cunningham
Dave Watry
Jack Rucker
Richard Martin Anderson

Interesting fact about Album

Did you know that the heavy metal album *The Holy Empire* by Warlord, released in 2013, was a global effort? It involved collaborations across multiple countries like the US, Russia, Germany, Greece, and Japan. The album features an impressive mix of studio tracks, live recordings, demos, and alternate versions. One standout detail is that the cover art was painted by John Martin, while Kostas Tsiakos contributed additional artwork, making the visual side of the album just as intricate as its music. Tracks like "Black Mass" even include live versions recorded in Thessaloniki, giving fans a raw, unfiltered taste of the band’s energy on stage. It’s not just an album—it’s a labor of love with layers of creativity from start to finish.

Comments

digitalmarketing604

2025-03-15

R.I.P. William J. Tsamis + 21/5/2021

lorenczd

2025-03-15

Anyone heard of the Catholic prophecy of the 3 Nights of Hell ? Or the Georgia guide-stones ?
Tribulation.
"they" know...but "they" twist Light into Dark and Truth into Lie.
Furies=Erinyes....spirits(gods) of Vengeance ;)
Hellene Christian child.....

bumblebee85

2025-03-14

Pure magic W/

yhancastillo8

2025-03-13

Another oneiric song. Thank you Warlord!

dinda2808

2025-03-12

ΑΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΔΥΝΑΤΟΝ!!!! ΚΙ ΑΥΤΟΙ ΑΠΡΙΛΙΟ ΒΡΗΚΑΝ ΝΑ ΕΡΘΟΥΝ, ΓΑΜΩ ΤΙΣ ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΙΕΣ ΜΟΥ, ΓΑΜΩ!!!!

esmarquezaa

2025-03-12

I love the riff, but i sure wish the lyrics were different. Way too glorifying of the horrible wars that slaughter thousands of innocents. Also, before anyone says that this goes for all songs about war, most war glorifying songs are about old conflicts such as WWII etc.