Description

A deluxe triple vinyl set with lots of fantastic bonus material. Comes with booklet, insert, poster and photo. Limited 400 copies

This little gem is one of the best releases of 1983, and one of the saddest stories of the 1980s metal scene. By the time Warlord released their debut Deliver Us the band had been slugging their way through the apathetic metal audiences of Los Angeles for a couple of years, reaching in vain for the attention of audiences who craved clones of Van Halen, whose fusion of glam rock and classic metal carried them to the heights of popularity. The embryonic L.A. glam metal scene would explode over the next few years, but there was scarce room for a power metal band like Tsamis and Zonder fashioned. Deliver Us contributed immeasurably to the growth of power metal’s sonic lexicon, helping to bridge the gap between bands like Dio and Mercyful Fate, and their successors in Queensryche and Crimson Glory. The music here is also notable for its high level of musicianship. The bass is nearly inaudible, but Mark Zonder’s talents as a drummer are already evident, and Bill Tsamis conjures a great deal of impressive guitar pyrotechnics. He shows himself adept at melody, rhythm, lead, and soloing, all couched within a spectrum of appropriate guitar tones. His use of pinch harmonics adds just the right amount of extra flavor, and he knows exactly how and when to show of the flourishes of classical finger picking. Diane Kornarens displays a less prominent role in the band’s sound, but her keyboard playing is always tasteful, and she adds a very welcome dimension to the band’s sound. Jack Rucker (AKA Damien King I) is the true secret weapon of this release. He quit not long after the release of this recording, but he also performed on the band’s first two demos, and was the best and most appropriate singer Warlord ever had. Mark Zonder explains where all the additional bonus material comes from: “Some live demo stuff. We used to record into a cassette deck with two microphones. Also demos that we did on our little Fostex 4-track cassette recorder. We would spend a lot of time recording and bouncing tracks. We also have a couple tracks of singer auditions that no one has ever heard before.”

do not be afraid, the world is near the end, is it better to rule in hell, than it is to serve in heaven?

Track listing:
1. Deliver Us From Evil
2. Winter Tears
3. Child Of The Damned
4. Penny For A Poor Man
5. Black Mass
6. Lucifers Hammer
7. Mrs Victoria
8. Lucifers Hammer
9. Winter Tears
10. Penny For A Poor Man
11. Black Mass
12. Soliloquy
13. Deliver Us From Evil
14. Theme
15. This Song
16. Winds Of War
17. Child Of The Damned
18. Black Mass
19. Soliloquy
20. The Rainbow
21. City Walls Of Troy
22. Children Of The King
23. War In Heaven