Review by Brexaul on May 29, 2024.

When William J. Tsamis passed away, the underground scene took a substantial hit. Warlord was highly unique, and he was the captain of that ship. Mark Zonder and some people close to Bill, decided to keep the flame alive and work on some leftover material (they were allegedly slowly working for a new album) and some old demos from the 80s that never saw proper “closure”.

This album has had its fair share of controversy for reasons not related to music and I’m sure people would love to debate on the reality of Warlord releasing new music under the moniker without the actual “Warlord” in their ranks, but this is not the place for this discussion. Objectively, Free Spirit Soar is a good album. It certainly is not perfect, but it's a good album with some great moments. True to the Warlord sound, with many familiar parts, little surprises, and some bold gambles that for the most part pay off.

The album starts with a revisit of the Lordian Guard classic 'Behold A Pale Horse' that has been re-arranged and got the Warlord treatment similar to what the band had done in their previous 2 albums. For some of us of the old guard, these songs will never match the Lordian Guard mystique, but it would be dishonest to claim this isn’t an improvement, especially for people that are freshly introduced to the band. This and the closing 'Revelation XIX' are the definitive editions of these songs, since the production value is significantly higher, the vocals are more accessible and there’s always the (other) X factor of Warlord’s trademark sound, the drumming of Mark Zonder.

The album keeps a very nice flow, with 'The Rider' acting like the more commercially oriented attempts of the past (Winter Tears, Lost and Lonely Days etc.) until we reach the first fork on the road. 'Conquerors' (and the title track by extension) leans much more into the European power metal scene, utilizing major scales and uplifting choruses, which I imagine are a hit or miss to most of their older fans. Warlord always had that kind of ethereal and brooding melancholy in the majority of their songs, and the power metal escapades of these two are not really in line with this. They remain highly addictive and catchy, and personally enjoyed them in the general flow, but maybe lack the artistic weight of songs like 'Worms Of The Earth' or my personal favorite 'The Watchman'.

What makes the album very enjoyable is the extremely warm old-school sound they managed to pull off. Everything sounds great, devoid of the digital tampering of pretty much everything released these days and works very favorably towards the songs. Mark Zonder of course gives a stellar performance, knowing exactly what every song needs, building the mosaic piece by piece and showing the true potential of the songs. Philip Bynoe is a perfect match for Zonder, their chemistry is great and the rhythm section sounds tight and colors everything nicely. The guitars are also commendable, Juris did a stellar job for the most part, very faithful to Tsamis’ phrasing and original ideas. There are some moments that he obviously had to improvise and compose his solos, his technique is a dead giveaway, but ultimately, I think he was the right choice for this.

Giles Livery is very good, with some minor problems on the lower register which sounds "forced". Maybe he tried too hard to emulate Jack Rucker’s Damien king, but his tenor voice is much better when he reaches the heights he is most comfortable in, and totally clicks with the band much better. And of course, the keyboards, oh the keyboards are the ace in the hole of this whole structure, a vital component that Warlord was missing since the glorious 80s. Jimmy Waldo is everywhere, whether he is creating the trademark somber Warlord background, doubling guitar melodies and solos, or enhancing Giles’ vocals, this is a performance for the ages. I read in an interview that this album was supposed to act as an unofficial continuation of “Deliver Us” and Jimmy Waldo makes sure the spirit of the legendary EP is here. Add the magnificent cover artwork into the mix, and you have a solid case backing that claim.

I feel this is a bet that the new Warlord won triumphantly. On one hand, it's a very moving tribute to Bill which was the original purpose, and on the other, they sound much more accessible for a whole new generation of fans to discover their magic. I’m not sure if this is the last we heard of them since the chemistry is right for them to write fresh material, and there are a lot more Lordian Guard songs that could get the Warlord treatment, but even if this is the last official release of Warlord, they gave us an album that genuinely feels part of their discography.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10