I still remember the first time I heard The Sword. It was one of those moments where it made you stop in your tracks and believe in music again. Their debut “Age Of Winters” takes you on a hypnotic trip from start to finish. It has put Stoner Rock on the map once again when that much touted genre failed to take off as predicted in the ‘90s, and Nu Metal took over. Of course you have the thick slabs of Sabbath inspired hooks and vocals. But there’s more on offer here, blending a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal influence as well. Basically, The Sword take the best elements of those two styles and blend it together nicely.
The El Rey was packed solid for this show, which proves that these guys are climbing up the ladder. Their audience ranges from Metal heads to indie Rockers. Opening with “The Sundering” from their newest offering “Gods Of The Earth,” the crowd immediately welcomed The Sword as old friends. This new album isn’t as immediate as their debut, and is a bit faster in places. But the more you listen, the more it grows on you. Other great highlights from the new one included “How Heavy This Axe,” Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians,” and my personal fave stand out track, “Maiden, Mother, And Crone.” Old chestnuts such as “Barael’s Blade,” “Freya,” “Winter’s Wolves,” and “Iron Swan,” had people singing along and banging their heads with glee. The set was short and sweet, and they ended with the instrumental track “The White Sea,” proving that The Sword are a force to be contended with. Perhaps The Sword will have to change it up a bit on their next release to keep the momentum going. But for now the tide is rising high. They will be embarking on a European tour handpicked by Metallica this year, thus exposing this great band to a wider audience.
