The Sword occupy enviable territory when it comes to their appeal to fans. Their sound is made up of a lot of different sounds, but they all work harmoniously to make up that ‘Sword’ sound. There’s a retro vibe going on which will appeal to the classic rock crowd. There’s plenty of fuzzy riffs and space themes to engage the stoners and the psychedelia lovers alike. They also have the stamp of approval from metal maestros and road buddies: Metallica. So they have the potential to attract fans from many grubby corners of the rock spectrum.
‘Apocryphon’ is the fourth album from The Sword and first for their new home at Napalm Records, and it’s quite fitting that the album is being released on the 5th of November in the UK. The riffs that this band deal with could be likened to rockets for a start. They set them off and let them soar into the air, unrushed they are allowed to build in to monumental forces. It’s explosive stuff!
Enough of the Bonfire Night puns and on with ‘Apocryphon’ and where the band are at…
Musically, The Sword haven’t shifted too far as they’ve evolved over the last three albums, and similarly with ‘Apoocryphon’; they’ve stuck to a similar formula. The album is however, the most matured and controlled outburst of rock that they have delivered yet. Most noticeable, is that ‘Apochryphon’ is heavier than anything they’ve done before. The band also step away from the epic story telling and concept driven style of writing, resulting in a more digestible straight forward rock album.
That’s not to give the impression that The Sword are churning out strip bar tunes now. First track on the album ‘Veil of Isis’ is taken from Egyptian Cosmology and the album retains the sci-fi inspiration of the previous trio. The songs are subtly more instant and there are a few more hooks in there, but essentially it is business as usual for the Austin quartet. The heavier parts only compliment the band’s sound more, but there’s still plenty of reflective moments to balance out the thrashier sections.
The Sword have been steadily building their own sound and style over the years. ‘Apocryphon’ continues this trend and although it may need more time to settle in; it could just be their best record yet. The Sword sound has morphed into a slightly more accessible and slightly heavier beast but most importantly they’ve come up with another fantastic record.
9/10
‘Apocryphon’ is out 5-11-2012 via Napalm Records.
Rob W
sean
you say its their heaviest album.
is it heavier than their first album? because their last album was the least heavy and most rockish.
Also their sound has changed, listen to the first record compared to warp riders. BIG difference. One is very much doom metal and the other is more deep purpleish boogie metal with thrash. So my question is, is this album more like the warp riders or age of winters? because the 2 tracks they have released so far are not as heavy as most of the tracks on age of winters.