Various Artists: A Crack in the Sky- A Tribute to William J Tsamis

Warlord were an American heavy metal band formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. Warlord rose to notoriety after appearing on some of Brian Slagel’s early Metal Massacre compilations and have 5 studio albums to their name. The 5 albums are spread out across 3 main eras; Early 80’s, Early 00’s & the latest era that included their final release, The Hunt for Damien (2015). Band founder and leader William J Tsamis passed away 2021 and the tribute album, A Crack in the Sky - A Tribute to William J Tsamis, has been put together to page homage a year after his passing.

Warlord were heavily influenced by NWOBHM, and are often credited a being pioneering US Power Metal act. I won’t profess to be a Warlord aficionado, but I enjoy this style of music and I’m familiar with a good percentage of the contributors on this release and some of Warlords material.

As a general rule ‘covers’ aren’t something I like to see taking up space on a band’s studio output, however hearing a band cover other people’s songs can offer an enjoyable insight into their influences. This album is a fine example of the sort of instance where I do enjoy a cover version - we have 16 quality acts playing classic Warlord material, showcasing their talents amongst their peers and paying their respects to a notable contributor to the scene.

There are many strong performances on the album, so it’s hard to single out stand out tracks for specific praise. But thanks to the calibre of performance, there is no doubt I’ll be checking out a lot of the bands that have contributed to the release.

Tribute albums are generally for die hard fans, but thanks to the range and quality of the contributors on the release the album manages to do everything that a tribute album should do; it pays tribute to William J Tsamis, reminds us of the quality of the Warlord catalogue, and puts the spotlight onto the contributing bands. Hats off to Pitch Black Records for a well thought out and executed compilation.

BAND/Track-listing :
1. MIRROR - Aliens
2. SUMERLANDS - Lost and Lonely Days
3. STRAY GODS - War in Heaven
4. TWISTED TOWER DIRE - Mrs. Victoria
5. CLAYMOREAN - 70,000 Sorrows
6. ETERNAL CHAMPION - Stygian Passage
7. ARRAYAN PATH (feat. Paolo Viani) - The Rainbow
8. FORSAKEN - Lucifer's Hammer
9. FIREWÖLFE - Battle of the Living Dead
10. STEEL SHOCK - Child of the Damned
11. SOLITARY SABRED - Black Mass
12. WOTAN - Winds of Thor
13. REFLECTION - Winter Tears
14. GALAXY - Penny for a Poor Man
15. COMET RIDER - Soliloquy
16. SOCRATES LEPTOS - A Crack in the Sky (Outro)

Added: April 12th 2022
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: More Information
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Language: english

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