Warlord

Artist

Warlord

On Tour · 6 upcoming shows

6

Upcoming Shows

Warlord is on Tour!

6 shows scheduled — see Tour section below

Next Show

May 4, 2026 · Hamburg

BETTY (ehem. headCRASH)

About

Warlord is a heavy/power metal band from Los Angeles, California, USA, that was formed in 1980. Not to be confused with [a=Warlord (10)] from the United Kingdom.

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", as well as both cuts from the "Lost And Lonely Days" / "Aliens" 12" single released earlier that same year. Tsamis, Zonder, and Kornarens were joined by bassist Dave Watry ('Archangel') and new vocalist Rick Cunningham ('Damien King II'). A third vocalist worked shortly afterwards with the band (even if just in studio-recording and never on a stage): Rick Anderson, also known at the time as "Damien King III".

The prevalence of “hair metal," "rap music," and the inability to retain a live lineup that could be up to Tsamis' and Zonder's high standards led to the cessation of band operations in 1986. The band's label, Metal Blade, would issue "Thy Kingdom Come", a quasi Best-Of, in December of that year. An extended version, including the whole Deliver Us album, followed in 1989, titled "Best of Warlord." Unbeknownst to Tsamis and Zonder, however, the music of Warlord had already taken off in Europe, and the band amassed a cult-like following. This was largely due to rave magazine reviews, continuous radio play, and the circulation of many demos via "tape trading," as well as positive word-of-mouth promotion among metal fans. With the onset of the internet, the music of Warlord spread worldwide and thus helped secure Warlord a place in the history of heavy metal as one of the greatest metal bands of all time for both artistic integrity as well as their unique melodic style.

Post 1986, found Tsamis recording first an acoustic demo under the name “Lordian Winds” as part of a sprawling project based on John Milton's "Paradise Lost" (released in 2012 by NoRemorse records) and then launching an apocalyptic-themed female-fronted band called Lordian Guard. In the meantime, Zonder joined Prog Metal pioneers Fates Warning and went on to release numerous albums with them as well as other bands since (due to his universally recognized talent) his skills were -and still are- in high demand.

It was during one of Fates Warning's tours that Zonder realized that Warlord's following had grown considerably with fans approaching him to sign Warlord albums and demanding new music from the band. Zonder contacted Tsamis and, as soon as schedules permitted, Warlord was once again converted to active status. Vocalist duties were assigned to Hammerfall vocalist (and big Warlord fan) Joacim Cans. Thus, in 2002, a new album, "Rising Out Of The Ashes," was recorded and released worldwide to rave reviews. And this was followed by the first ever Warlord live performance at the Wacken Open Air festival.

A string of mishaps and very serious family health issues plagued Warlord after these performances and Warlord was once again, put on a hiatus which lasted for almost 9 years. With these issues resolved and considerable pressure by fans and promoters alike, Warlord returned to active status formally in March 2012, with the surprise release of the first new Warlord song in 10 years. “Night Of The Fury” was first released on Warlord's fan club (and in general) on Facebook where it was also revealed that not only was Warlord back in the studio working on a new album, but that vocalist duties would be handled by one of the original 80s Warlord vocalists, Rick Anderson (whose stint in Italian band Martiria had just ended). Philip Bynoe (current Steve Vai) joined the band on bass and the collaboration resulted in a new 55 minute album, "The Holy Empire," which quickly sold out, leading to ongoing re-pressings. "The Holy Empire" was also released on all major digital platforms as well as a collector's edition limited-release cassette which sold out in under one day. A vinyl 2 LP version (with a live bonus track) of "The Holy Empire" will be released in October 2013 by Alone Records.

In the meantime, mounting pressure by promoters and fans bore fruit and Warlord announced that it would headline the April 2013 German "Keep It True XVI" Festival. This announcement was followed by two more headlining dates in Greece - Thessaloniki and Athens which sold out, thus demanding a second show in Athens which was sold out as well.

Singers over the years:

1) [a=Jack Rucker] (Damien King):
1981-1982 demos
1982 [m=308454]
1983 [m=271870]
1984 [m=1049095]

2) [a=Rick Cunningham] (Damien King II): 1984 [m=250712]

3) [a=Rick Anderson] (Damien King III): 1985 demos, 2013 [m=594122]

4) Joacim Cans: 2013 [m=248777]

5) Nicholas Leptos: [m=1000820]

6) [a=Giles Lavery]:
2013 [m=1302502]
2024 [m=3574799]
2025 [m=3900034]

Data provided by Discogs

Top Tracks

Most popular songs on Last.fm

1

Child Of The Damned

Warlord

2

Lucifer's Hammer

Warlord

3

Deliver Us From Evil

Warlord

4

Black Mass

Warlord

5

Winter Tears

Warlord

6

Penny For A Poor Man

Warlord

7

Lost And Lonely Days

Warlord

8

Soliloquy

Warlord

9

Aliens

Warlord

10

Mrs. Victoria

Warlord

Tour Dates

6 upcoming shows

May

4

2026

Warlord Colossus

BETTY (ehem. headCRASH), Hamburg, DE

May

6

2026

Warlord Colossus

Berlin, DE

May

7

2026

Warlord Colossus

Chmury, Warsaw, PL

May

11

2026

Warlord Colossus

Live Evil im Fat Cat, Munich, DE

May

12

2026

Warlord Colossus

Frankfurt am Main, DE

Setlists

Recent live performances · data from Setlist.fm

Setlist data provided by Setlist.fm

September 29, 2025

Down Town Live

Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

  • 1. Lucifer's Hammer

  • 2. Invaders

  • 3. Battle of the Living Dead

  • 4. Kill Zone

  • 5. City Walls of Troy

  • 6. Winds of Thor

  • 7. Lost and Lonely Days

  • 8. Aliens

  • 9. Mrs. Victoria

  • 10. Penny for a Poor Man

  • 11. War in Heaven

  • 12. Black Mass

  • 13. 70,000 Sorrows

  • 14. Winter Tears

  • 15. Achilles Revenge

  • 16. Deliver Us From Evil

  • 17. Child of the Damned

View on Setlist.fm →


September 28, 2025

Eightball Club

Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece

  • 1. Lucifer's Hammer

  • 2. Invaders

  • 3. Battle of the Living Dead

  • 4. Kill Zone

  • 5. City Walls of Troy

  • 6. Winds of Thor

  • 7. Lost and Lonely Days

  • 8. Aliens

  • 9. Mrs. Victoria

  • 10. Penny for a Poor Man

  • 11. War in Heaven

  • 12. Black Mass

  • 13. 70,000 Sorrows

  • 14. Winter Tears

  • 15. Achilles Revenge

  • 16. Deliver Us From Evil

  • 17. Child of the Damned

View on Setlist.fm →


September 27, 2025

Kyttaro

Athens, Attica, Greece

  • 1. Intro

  • 2. Lucifer's Hammer

  • 3. Invaders

  • 4. Battle of the Living Dead

  • 5. Kill Zone

  • 6. City Walls of Troy

  • 7. Winds of Thor

  • 8. Lost and Lonely Days

  • 9. Aliens

  • 10. Mrs. Victoria

  • 11. Penny for a Poor Man

  • 12. War in Heaven

  • 13. Black Mass

  • 14. 70,000 Sorrows

  • 15. Winter Tears

  • 16. Achilles Revenge

  • 17. Deliver Us From Evil

  • 18. Child of the Damned

View on Setlist.fm →


July 6, 2025

Amadeus

Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany

  • 1. Lucifer's Hammer

  • 2. Invaders

  • 3. Battle of the Living Dead

  • 4. Kill Zone

  • 5. City Walls of Troy

  • 6. Winds of Thor

  • 7. Lost and Lonely Days

  • 8. Aliens

  • 9. Mrs. Victoria

  • 10. Penny for a Poor Man

  • 11. War in Heaven

  • 12. Black Mass

  • 13. 70,000 Sorrows

  • 14. Winter Tears

  • 15. Achilles Revenge

  • 16. Deliver Us From Evil

  • 17. Child of the Damned

View on Setlist.fm →


July 5, 2025

De Deele

Emmer-Compascuum, Drenthe, Netherlands

View on Setlist.fm →

Community Feed

Posts from fans about this artist

🎟️ Upcoming Shows

May 4, 2026

Warlord Colossus

BETTY (ehem. headCRASH), Hamburg, DE


May 6, 2026

Warlord Colossus

Berlin, DE


May 7, 2026

Warlord Colossus

Chmury, Warsaw, PL


May 11, 2026

Warlord Colossus

Live Evil im Fat Cat, Munich, DE


May 12, 2026

Warlord Colossus

Frankfurt am Main, DE

+1 more shows above ↑

People Also Ask

Warlord has 6 upcoming concerts. They will be performing in cities including Hamburg, Berlin, Warsaw, Munich, Frankfurt am Main. Check the tour dates section for the complete schedule and ticket information.

You can purchase Warlord concert tickets through our partner Ticketmaster. View all upcoming tour dates on this page and click on any event to see available tickets and seating options.

Some of Warlord's most popular tracks include Child Of The Damned, Lucifer's Hammer, Deliver Us From Evil, Black Mass, Winter Tears. Listen to these songs and discover more from their extensive catalog.

Warlord is a heavy/power metal band from Los Angeles, California, USA, that was formed in 1980. Not to be confused with [a=Warlord (10)] from the United Kingdom. The brainchild of guitarist/songwri... Read the full biography on this page.

You can find Warlord vinyl records and merchandise on eBay. We feature a curated selection of vinyl releases and collectibles available for purchase.

Join the community

Follow Warlord

Get notified about new tour dates, releases, and updates. Join thousands of fans tracking their favorite bands.

Free forever · No credit card required

Follow Warlord