According to the Facebook Warlord Fanclub Co-founder guitarist Bill Tsamis has passed away. Cause of Death still unknown. Tsamis suffered from a serious health problem according to an interview he did with Rocking in 2017
From that interview translated
You recently recovered - I hope completely - from a very serious health problem, How do you feel today?
Unfortunately, my health problem will never go away, as my doctors tell me. However, it is now manageable and I feel more powerful. Part of my improvement has to do with the support of the fans and the strength I get from accepting Warlord music. For this (as I said before) I am grateful to my friends. Because this is our fans, primarily friends. I am very lucky to have these fans-friends in my life. Source
A statement from friend and former Live Warlord singer Giles Lavery
"Being a part of the Warlord legacy is one thing, but having Bill as a friend was something far greater.
10 years ago I met him and he was responsible for every single part of my life “changing course”. I owe him a great debt.
I knew the silly/funny side of his personality that not so many others saw... One example, we would watch the “Ted” movies and laugh and laugh... we would celebrate “worm week” if I was at his house and all the Tremors movies were on TV. We would watch Macgyver or Walker Texas Ranger... after about 30 minutes of silence he would turn to me and say “this is a good show”.
Incredibly intelligent, spoke his mind, upset a few folks along the way by doing so, and a brilliant songwriter.
“Here rests William J. Tsamis.... and why not!” (He’ll get that joke).
I love you Bill, thank you for everything. "
Founded in 1980 by guitarist/composer William J. Tsamis and drummer/percussionist Mark Zonder, WARLORD is considered a pioneer in power metal thanks to their now classic 1983 six-song EP, "Deliver Us". Kerrang!, Sounds, Burrn! and Music Connection all featured the band and praised the release thanks to their outside the norm, semi-progressive style that was inspired by such diverse acts as RAINBOW, SCORPIONS and JETHRO TULL. Adding further intrigue to the WARLORD mystique was the band members' use of pseudonyms such as Destroyer (Tsamis), Thunderchild (Zonder), Damien King (vocalist Jack Rucker) and Sentinel (keyboardist Diane Kornarens). The band also refused to become just another L.A. club act and opted to present themselves on a grander scale. They famously rented The Raymond Theater out to stage what would turn out to be the only WARLORD live performance in the USA, prior to 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, accompanied by a home video release of the same name.
While the band disbanded in 1986, they amassed a cult-like following in Europe despite their inactivity. This was largely due to rave reviews in metal the press, continuous airplay, 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 great metal forefathers of the ‘80s. Blabbermouth
Pictures by former Warlord Live singer Giles Lavery on Facebook
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