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Pitch Black Records is proud to announce that the official tribute to the late WILLIAM J TSAMIS (March 13, 1961 – May 13, 2021), titled A Crack in the Sky – A Tribute to William J Tsamis, is released today May 13 2022, the first anniversary of his passing.
Listen to the full album, exclusively premiered on NWOTHM Full Albums YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3sy2HNo
The guitarist and composer William J Tsamis will be forever remembered for contributing, together with his band WARLORD, to the post-NWOBHM / US Heavy Metal explosion in the early 1980s. Among the main distinguishing factors that contributed to WARLORD’s elevated position in the pantheon of US Metal is the characteristic and classically-trained guitar- and songwriting prowess of William J Tsamis, together with his ability to marry earth-shattering heaviness with melodic sensibility in the creation of larger-than-life compositions that, when draped in language and imagery related to the eternal battle between good and evil, reached unparalleled intensity and grandeur.
In addition to his work with WARLORD, William J Tsamis also channeled his creativity into the lesser known, but equally potent and arguably more personal projects LORDIAN WINDS and LORDIAN GUARD. Of special notice are the two LORDIAN GUARD albums he released with his late wife Vidonne Sayre Riemenschneider on vocals, which despite material shortcomings come across as some of the most unique and brutally honest Heavy Metal records of the 1990s.
The album celebrates the great guitarist and composer through 16 timeless classics, covered by outstanding bands, young and old, hailing from different parts of the world, for a playing time of 79 minutes!
Special mention must be made to the album’s liner notes including a foreword by Mark Zonder - drummer and co-founder of WARLORD together with Tsamis - along with brief statements by each participating band. Furthermore, a few industry individuals and artists have been invited to share their thoughts about Bill Tsamis in a special “In Memoriam” section within the album’s liner notes. Pitch Black Records made the liner notes available in a special digital edition booklet of 16 pages, freely downloadable on this link: https://www.pitchblackrecords.com/a-crack-in-the-sky-a-tribute-to-william-j-tsamis
A Crack in the Sky – A Tribute to William J Tsamis is available in the following formats:
•CD Digipak (deluxe 3-panel)
• CD Book (hardcover 20x20cm book, including download code and limited to 100 copies – exclusively available from Pitch Black Records and select partners)
•Double-LP (including download code, released in association with Vinylstore)
•Digital
The album’s cover and artwork have been created by the talented Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design) with photography kindly provided by Chris Del Grande. Mastering and additional mastering was handled by renowned producer Arthur Rizk.
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)
Visit https://lnk.to/acrackinthesky to purchase your copy.
