Self-Financed | 2004 | 3 songs (14:54) | Stoner/Doom Metal
Years ago, sitting at home in my living room, I switched on the heavy-metal Music Choice channel. They were playing a new song by the hardcore band Freya called “The Sword.” Weird, I thought. They’ve changed…a lot! Freya is a band featuring ex-members of the then-defunct Earth Crisis, one of the best hardcore bands ever, and both bands aren’t too different in style. So what the hell is Freya doing playing 70’s Sabbath-inspired, stoner/doom metal? I wondered. Then I figured it out: they weren’t! (This is where I admit to being a dummy.) The band was called The Sword and the song was called “Freya.” Doh!
So with one mystery solved, I wanted to know more about The Sword. Because they were damn good.
At the time this review was written, there was very little information out there. Unlike today. Their bio was a goofy story of swordsmiths, anvils, battles and blades, which told me nothing except that maybe they’re nerds who like Dungeons & Dragons. I did know, though, that there were four band members that comprised the band, they had formed in 2003, and were from Austin, Texas. They had a full-length album, Age of Winters, due the following year. In the interim, I found this demo for sale at Waterloo Records. So I bought it. The demo went out of print shortly thereafter.
So onto that demo...
Well, to get your bearings, take Vol. 4-era Black Sabbath, latter day Clutch, and a little bit of Kyuss, and that should give you a rough estimate of where we are on the metal map. At this point, most people already know this. Though some would probably like to filet my testicles for suggesting The Sword is anything like the almighty Sabbath.
“Celestial Crown/Barael’s Blade” kicks off this little demo EP. The “Celestial Crown” portion is essentially a doomy, two-minute-long, feedback- and sludge-filled intro that leads into a heavy 70’s rock jam delivered with the stoned ferocity you’d expect from veteran players, not four kids from Texas. The song is excellent. “Winter’s Wolves” follows. Again, this one begins like a traditional doom-metal track, but quickly brings in that Black Sabbath sound, channeling Tony Iommi from three decades before—and even a touch of The Melvins. Another great song.
Saving the best for last, closing the EP is “Iron Swan,” a song that has become something of a signature anthem for the band. One word description for this song: Brilliant! Simple as that. The song begins with some electric/acoustic picking and a tambourine; this goes on for about a minute, fades, and then the second part kicks in. You can almost sing Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” over the two-pronged riff. Almost, I said. The riff is simply too fast. After about five seconds Trivett Wingo is laying down some drums rolls over Kyle Shutt’s increasingly fast and frenzied picking, and then they’re off! Double bass, killer riffs, and just balls-to-the-wall metal. “Iron Swan” is a damn fine slab of heavy, frenetic rock ‘n’ roll.
The Sword have gone on to bigger and better things, becoming one of the biggest “little” metal bands to hit the scene in years. The elitists hate them, going so far as suggesting the band is manufactured, like O-Town or the latest P Diddy flop. But you can’t manufacture a band like this. No way. The Sword is the real deal, and fans of great metal love them for it. And rightfully so.
Note: This review was originally published on MetalReviews.com.
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