Warlord
's debut mini-album, 1983's
Deliver Us
, served up modest examples of British-bred L.A.
metal
in line with, but not exactly of equal caliber to, contemporary work executed by scene rivals
Armored Saint
and
Agent Steel
. But that's not to say that classic
fare like
"Deliver Us from Evil,"
"Child of the Damned,"
and the
Metal Massacre, Vol. 2
favorite
"Lucifer's Hammer"
lacked their fair share of promise. Had they been recorded with a little more attention to production and studio finesse, the band's advanced musical and compositional skills might have been revealed, and there's no telling how far the group might have gone. In any event, they didn't go far, but this release remains an important building block of America's early-'80s
community. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia