The Sword

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This article is about the band. For other uses, see The Sword (disambiguation).
The Sword
TheSwordMembers.png
Members of The Sword performing in 2010. Left to right: J. D. Cronise, Kyle Shutt, Bryan Richie.
Background information
Origin Austin, Texas, United States
Genres Heavy metal, doom metal, stoner metal, hard rock
Years active 2003 (2003)–present
Labels Razor & Tie, Napalm, Cortex, Kemado, Rough Trade, P-Vine, Impedance, Toy's Factory
Associated acts Ultimate Dragons, Those Peabodys, Recover, Metallica, Witchcraft, Year Long Disaster
Website www.swordofdoom.com
Members John D. Cronise
Kyle Shutt
Bryan Richie
Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III
Past members Trivett Wingo

The Sword is an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band is composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III. Originally signed to New York-based independent label Kemado Records, the group released its debut album Age of Winters, which was largely written by Cronise before the band's formation, in 2006. The follow-up, Gods of the Earth, was released two years later, and gave the group its first entry on the US Billboard 200 chart.

In 2010 the band released Warp Riders, a concept album centered on an original science fiction narrative, which marked the first time the band had enlisted an external producer (Matt Bayles). Original drummer Trivett Wingo left the group later in the year, and was replaced briefly by Kevin Fender before Vela joined in 2011. After leaving Kemado and signing with Razor & Tie in early 2012, the group released its fourth album Apocryphon in October, which will be promoted on the Apocryphon Tour throughout 2012 and 2013.

The Sword is commonly categorized as a doom metal or stoner metal band, and is heavily influenced by such groups as Black Sabbath and Sleep. The group has toured with a wide range of fellow metal artists, including local band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and stoner group Year Long Disaster, and has also been chosen to support Metallica on a number of recent tours. Their first album Age of Winters failed to chart, but their subsequent releases have all gained increasing commercial success, with Apocryphon charting in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 chart.

Contents

History[edit]

2003–2007: Early years and Age of Winters[edit]

Bryan Richie was the last original member to join the band, completing the four-piece lineup in 2004.

After writing and recording music on his own for "a few years",[1] vocalist and guitarist John "J. D." Cronise formed The Sword in 2003 with guitarist Kyle Shutt and drummer Trivett Wingo.[2][3] The trio released its first demo, entitled Age of Winters, before the end of the year,[4] and in early 2004 bassist Bryan Richie joined to complete the four-piece lineup of the band.[5] Prior to the formation of The Sword, Cronise and Wingo had performed together in the group Ultimate Dragons, based in Richmond, Virginia,[6] while Shutt and Richie had worked with multiple bands in Texas "united by a love of Led Zeppelin".[7] Cronise had also performed with a local band called Those Peabodys, but left as he felt he "needed to do something heavier".[6] After their first live performance together in Austin on March 18, 2004,[8] the band released their second demo, The Sword,[9] which was followed the next year by an extended play (EP) entitled Freya.[9] After performing at the 2005 South by Southwest festival, the band was signed by New York-based record label Kemado Records.[2]

The Sword released its debut album Age of Winters in February 2006, for which much of the material had been written by Cronise before the band's formation and featured on the band's early demos.[1] In support of the album the band toured throughout 2006 and 2007, with support acts including Lacuna Coil and Trivium in the United States, Nebula and Clutch in Europe, and Lamb of God in Japan.[10] In November 2006 a cover version of the song "Freya" was featured as a playable track on the video game Guitar Hero II,[11] and the original track was later released as the band's first single in September 2007.[12] Age of Winters did not chart, but received widely positive reviews from critics including, AllMusic writer Eduardo Rivadavia who described the album as "remarkably well-balanced and almost suspiciously immediate".[13]

2007–2009: Gods of the Earth and mainstream recognition[edit]

In June 2007 the band contributed a new song, "Under the Boughs" (which was later included on their second album), to the Kemado compilation Invaders.[14] The group also released a split EP with Swedish doom metal band Witchcraft that month, contributing new track "Sea of Spears" and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" to the record.[3] Gods of the Earth was the band's second album, released on April 1, 2008.[3] The album, which is much more of a collaborative writing effort than its predecessor,[1] provided the band with its first Billboard 200 chart entry, reaching number 102.[15] In support of the album the band completed the Gods of the Earth Tour, supported by artists such as Machine Head, Lamb of God and Clutch.[16] The quartet also supported heavy metal veterans Metallica on their 2008 European Vacation Tour in July,[17] and returned as the opening act for a number of legs on their World Magnetic Tour which continued through the opening months of 2009 until May.[18][19][20]

A two-disc box set containing the band's first two albums Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth was released on November 25, 2008,[3][21] and the song "The Black River" from Gods of the Earth was later included on the video game Guitar Hero: Metallica, released in March 2009.[22] The band's music was also featured in the 2009 films Jennifer's Body ("Celestial Crown")[23] and Horsemen ("Maiden, Mother & Crone"),[24] and in March 2009 The Sword won two local music awards: the High Times Doobie Award and the Austin Music Award for Best Metal Artist.[25][26]

2009–2010: Change in direction with Warp Riders[edit]

Kyle Shutt was the only band member besides Cronise credited for songwriting on Warp Riders.

The Sword spent the rest of 2009 writing material for their third album,[27] which took the form of "a concept album centered around an original science fiction narrative",[27] and had more of a hard rock sound than the band's previous releases.[28] Some of the new songs were debuted at the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest in November,[29] and were also played on "a short regional tour showcasing the new songs" in January.[30] Recording for the follow-up to Gods of the Earth began in Austin at Wire Recording in February 2010.[31] Matt Bayles was hired to produce and engineer the album – a first for the band, as Cronise and Richie had respectively produced and engineered both Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth.[32] Recording of the album, titled Warp Riders, was completed by April.[33]

In May the band contributed to a split EP for the second time, covering Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" for a Volcom Entertainment "Vinyl Club" release with Year Long Disaster, who covered The Sword's own track "Maiden, Mother & Crone".[34] In July, Warp Riders lead single "Tres Brujas" was released as a digital download,[35] and a live EP entitled iTunes Festival: London 2010 (recorded at the iTunes Festival in London on July 3) was also released as an iTunes-exclusive download.[36] A week after the album's August 24 release, Warp Riders surpassed the commercial performance of Gods of the Earth when it debuted at number 47 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling almost 9,000 copies in the first week of its release.[37] The band supported Metallica again on a series of September tour dates in Australia, New Zealand and Japan as warm-up for their own Warp Riders Tour, which began the following month.[38]

2010–2012: Drummer changes and touring[edit]

Kevin Fender replaced founding member Trivett Wingo in 2010 and was the touring drummer for The Sword until 2011.

Five shows into the opening North American leg of the Warp Riders Tour, The Sword was forced to postpone all dates due to the departure of drummer Trivett Wingo.[39] Explaining his decision to leave, Wingo commented that he felt "physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of [the band]",[39] and later revealed that he had predicted that he would leave the band for "probably a couple of years", justifying his decision by explaining that "my level of anxiety pertaining to being on tour got to the point where medication was not the answer."[40] Upon Wingo's departure from The Sword, the band said in a statement:

“ We wish Trivett nothing but the best, and it is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell ... We wish he could continue the adventure with us, but we understand that the life of a touring musician is not for everyone ... The show must go on, though, and will be back on the road as soon as humanly possible.[39] ”

For the later rescheduled tour dates, local Austin musician Kevin Fender was enlisted to perform with Cronise, Shutt and Richie as a temporary touring member of The Sword.[41] The second single from Warp Riders, "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire", was released as a limited edition picture disc at the beginning of November backed with previously unreleased B-side "Farstar",[42] and later in the month the video for "Lawless Lands" – part two of the Warp Riders trilogy – was released online.[43] A number of European dates were rescheduled for May 2011,[44][45] and the third and final Warp Riders music video "Night City" was released in March.[46] The Sword returned to North America in the summer, extending the Warp Riders Tour and performing with Kyuss Lives! and MonstrO until October.[47][48]

In October 2011, Kevin Fender was replaced with drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III,[49][50] and the band saw out the rest of 2011 touring in the United States.[51]

2012–present: Record label change and Apocryphon[edit]

In March 2012 it was announced that The Sword had signed a multi-album worldwide deal with New York-based label Razor & Tie, with plans for the fourth album starting with recording in June and a projected late 2012 release.[52] In May the band released the single "Hammer of Heaven", a song originally recorded in 2003 for the Age of Winters demo and later slated to appear on the soundtrack to the film The Avengers.[53] In the run-up to the recording of their next album, the group only played a few shows in 2012, most notably the Metallica-organised festival Orion Music + More in June.[54]

Working with producer J. Robbins, the group recorded the follow-up to Warp Riders at Magpie Cage Studios between June and July 2012. The resulting album, Apocryphon, was released in the US on October 22, 2012,[55] and debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, a record for the band.[56] The promotional tour for the album, the Apocryphon Tour, commenced the following week in the US, and will continue through Europe in 2013.[57]

Style, songwriting and influence[edit]

J. D. Cronise wrote the majority of the band's early material and produced Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth.

While commonly labelled as a doom metal band, The Sword has also been identified as an example of the 'classic metal' movement of stoner rock artists influenced by early metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer.[1] In addition to Sabbath, to whom the band is commonly compared, artists such as Sleep, Melvins and Slayer have been cited as influences by members of the band. With the release of Warp Riders, members of the band acknowledged that fans with a more "narrow-minded" view of heavy metal may feel alienated by stylistic changes.[58] Eduardo Rivadavia of allmusic describes the band as being "at the forefront of … the 'heritage' or 'retro metal' movement,"[59] comparing their style to that of heavy metal veterans Black Sabbath and vocalist Cronise to Ozzy Osbourne.[59][60] Rolling Stone also likens the band to Sabbath,[61] as does AbsolutePunk.net in its review of Gods of the Earth, claiming that "It's impossible not to compare [the album] to the works of Black Sabbath."[62]

While every member of the band contributes to the musical compositions, Cronise is the primary writer of the band's lyrics.[60] He often uses Norse mythology as a topic in his lyrics,[9] notably in the song "Freya",[63] but cites literature as his main influence, identifying such authors as George R. R. Martin, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and Arthur C. Clarke as inspirations.[1] On Warp Riders, Cronise was again credited for writing all the lyrics, and only guitarist Kyle Shutt was added to the credits for the musical compositions.[64]

The band has cited Black Sabbath as a major influence, in addition to doom trio Sleep, sludge band the Melvins, thrash veterans Slayer, and heavy metal icons Iron Maiden and Deep Purple, among others.[63] The band's guitarists, in discussions of their musical influences, have identified 'classic' metal guitar players such as James Hetfield of Metallica, Pantera's Dimebag Darrell and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, and Cronise has also described Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) as a "huge influence."[65] In an interview with entertainment newspaper The A.V. Club, Cronise also revealed that local metal band HRM, rock musician Bob Seger and R&B singer Michael Jackson have been influences on The Sword's sound.[6]

Band members[edit]

Current members
Former members
  • Trivett Wingo – drums, percussion (2003–2010)
Touring members
  • Kevin Fender – drums (2010–2011)
Timeline

Discography[edit]

Main article: The Sword discography

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Ziemke, Mark (March 4, 2008). "The Sword are Gods of the Earth". Ground Control. Retrieved October 11, 2008. 
  2. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Sword > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2008. 
  3. ^ a b c d "The Sword". Kemado Records. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008. 
  4. ^ "Craftsmanship". The Sword. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 
  5. ^ McLennan, Scott (October 5, 2006). "The Sword takes a slice at vintage heavy metal". Telegram & Gazette. 
  6. ^ a b c Pierce, Leonard (December 29, 2008). "J.D. Cronise of The Sword". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 29, 2009. 
  7. ^ Schroeder, Audra (February 3, 2006). "Winter's Wolves: The Sword's land of ice and snow". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 19, 2009. 
  8. ^ "Upcoming Shows". The Sword. Archived from the original on March 22, 2004. Retrieved September 14, 2009. 
  9. ^ a b c "The Sword". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved September 14, 2008. 
  10. ^ "Past Shows". The Sword. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2009. 
  11. ^ Roper, Chris (October 9, 2006). "Guitar Hero II Final Tracklist Revealed". IGN. Retrieved October 11, 2008. 
  12. ^ "Freya/Iron Swan > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2008. 
  13. ^ Eduardo Rivadavia. "Age of Winters - The Sword". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2012. 
  14. ^ "Kemado Records To Release Invaders Compilation". Blistering Metal News. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  15. ^ "The Sword > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved October 12, 2010. 
  16. ^ "Show Archive". The Sword. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  17. ^ "Down Added To Metallica's 'European Summer Vacation'". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). April 8, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  18. ^ Harris, Chris (August 11, 2008). "Metallica To Embark On First North American Tour In Four Years". MTV. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  19. ^ "World Magnetic - UK Version". Metallica. October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  20. ^ "World Magnetic - The Final Edition". Metallica. October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  21. ^ "The Sword Release Limited Box Set, 2008 Winter Tour with Metallica". Ground Control. November 19, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2008. 
  22. ^ "'Guitar Hero: Metallica': Complete Track Listing Revealed". Roadrunner Records (blabbermouth.net). January 23, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009. 
  23. ^ "Jennifer's Body > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2009. 
  24. ^ "Horsemen (2009) - Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 10, 2009. 
  25. ^ Cowan, Darren (March 20, 2009). "2009 High Times Doobie Awards". Austin, Texas: Blistering.com. Retrieved December 29, 2009. 
  26. ^ "Best Performing Bands". Austin Music Awards 2008. Austin, Texas: AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved October 7, 2010. 
  27. ^ a b "The Sword Almost Done Writing New Album". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). August 20, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  28. ^ "The Sword Exploring Sci-Fi Concept On New Album". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). March 9, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  29. ^ "The Sword To Debut New Material At Fun Fun Fun Fest". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). October 17, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  30. ^ "The Sword 'Nearing Completion Of Writing Process' For Next Album". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). December 10, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  31. ^ Warp Riders (Booklet). The Sword. Kemado Records. 2010.
  32. ^ "The Sword Taps Producer Matt Bayles For New Album". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2010. 
  33. ^ "The Sword Completes Work On New Album". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010. 
  34. ^ "The Sword Covers Thin Lizzy's 'Cold Sweat' For New 7" Single". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). February 20, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  35. ^ "The Sword: New Song Available". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). July 12, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  36. ^ "The Sword: 'iTunes Festival: London 2010' EP Available". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2010. 
  37. ^ "The Sword's 'Warp Riders' Lands In U.S. Top 50". Roadrunner Records(Blabbermouth.net). September 1, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  38. ^ "Fear Factory, The Sword To Support Metallica In September". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). August 9, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  39. ^ a b c "The Sword Drummer Quits". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). October 11, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010. 
  40. ^ "Ex-The Sword Drummer: 'I Reached My Own Personal Breaking Point As Far As My Panic And Anxiety'". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). October 13, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  41. ^ "The Sword: Temporary Drummer Announced, U.S. Tour Dates Rescheduled". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  42. ^ ""Tears of Fire" Picture Disc Now Available". The Sword. November 4, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 
  43. ^ "New Sci-Fi Video from the Sword". Spin. November 23, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  44. ^ Belton, Greg (February 27, 2011). "UK tour for The Sword". The Music Fix. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 
  45. ^ "The Sword Announce UK Tour Dates". Rock Sins. February 23, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 
  46. ^ "The Sword: 'Night City' Video Released". Roadrunner Records (Blabbermouth.net). March 31, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011. 
  47. ^ "Updated Show/Ticket Info". The Sword. July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  48. ^ "On tour with Kyuss Lives! and MonstrO". The Sword. August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 
  49. ^ Joe Robinson (October 17, 2011). "The Sword Name Santiago 'Jimmy' Vela III as Permanent Drummer". Loudwire. Retrieved December 11, 2011. 
  50. ^ "The Sword Reveals New Drummer". MetalUnderground.com. October 17, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011. 
  51. ^ "October 24th, 2011". The Sword. October 24, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 
  52. ^ "The Sword Sign New Worldwide Deal With Razor & Tie". Razor & Tie. March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012. 
  53. ^ "The Sword: Previously Unreleased 'Age of Winters'-Era Track Available on iTunes". Blabbermouth.net (Roadrunner Records). May 1, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012. 
  54. ^ Chris Steffen (June 24, 2012). "Metallica Bring Thrash and Power to Opening Day at Orion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 
  55. ^ "The Sword: 'Apocryphon' Release Date Announced". Blabbermouth.net (Roadrunner Records). August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012. 
  56. ^ "Billboard 200". The Sword Album & Song Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2012. 
  57. ^ "The Sword Announces U.S. Headlining Tour". Blabbermouth.net (Roadrunner Records). September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012. 
  58. ^ Chris Harris (November 24, 2009). "The Sword 'Will Absolutely Alienate' Some Fans on Third Album". Noisecreep. Retrieved October 12, 2010. 
  59. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Age of Winters > Overview". allmusic. Retrieved October 10, 2008. 
  60. ^ a b Owen, Rhonda (November 21, 2008). "Crediting forebears, The Sword plays old-school `hipster metal'". The Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 
  61. ^ "Gods Of The Earth : The Sword". Rolling Stone. May 15, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008. 
  62. ^ "Sword, The - Gods of the Earth - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. April 18, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008. 
  63. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (October 15, 2006). "A 'Winters' tale: How a bunch of metalheads got together and cranked out some buzz". Chicago Sun-Times. 
  64. ^ Warp Riders (Booklet). The Sword. New York City, New York: Kemado Records. 2010.
  65. ^ DeMasi, Vincent (March 1, 2006). "The Sword". Guitar Player. 

External links[edit]

The Sword
  • John "J. D." Cronise
  • Kyle Shutt
  • Bryan Richie
  • Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III
  • Trivett Wingo
  • Kevin Fender
Studio albums
Demos and EPs
Concert tours
Related articles
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