Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Sword - Warp Riders (2010)





















Got an advance copy of Warp Riders. This link probably won't be available for long so preview it while you can!

While the Sword aren't one of my favourite Stoner Metal bands, I know they do have a big following here in the Stoner/Doom underground.

The Sword, for some odd reason or another, were catapulted to fame in 2006 with the release of Age Of Winters; and in 2008, they capitalized on their success with the release of their follow-up Gods Of The Earth. These releases, while they did get my attention, seemed aimless and uninspiring. Especially when compared to the legends of the genre Solace, Goatsnake, Spiritual Beggars, etc. Like inhaling stale smoke from a bong; you're getting high but you're left with a sore throat and a bad taste in your mouth.

That being said, having listened to their latest Warp Riders, the band has seemed to evolved a bit and even strengthened their sound. They sound a little tighter and more focused this time around. The fact that this album isn't produced by J.D. Cronise but by veteran producer Matt Bayles definitely helps. The raw production is gone on this album, and while J.D.'s vocals have always been bland (let's face it, he is a limited singer) even they're a little bit better on this album. On an even more positive note, the drummer doesn't bash on his crash cymbal every damn second of each song (which was mixed way too high in the first place on the previous albums). I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the help of Matt Bayles, though.

So, in conclusion, while it definitely isn't one of my favourite albums of 2010, it is a solid release and their best so far. And it seems to be growing on me more and more.

The Sword are:
J.D. Cronise - Vocals, Guitar
Kyle Shutt - Guitar
Bryan Richie - Bass
Trivett Wingo - Drums



8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Damn, got taken down.

Chief-Iron-Lung said...

Just checked...download link seems to work fine. Maybe it's your connection. Get it while you can...and get ready to blaze...

Chief-Iron-Lung said...

This album is definitely growing on me. Slowly starting to become one of my favourites this year. there have been so many great releases this year, though. It's hard to keep up posting them all!

Unknown said...

Such a great, solid release. The intro track just blew me away. I really love the classic/ psychedelic feeling this one has.

Great posts btw, thanks for Solace & Sasquatch!

Chief-Iron-Lung said...

Yeah, definitely a step up! Even the songwriting is real tight on this one. Might just be my favourite concept album now.

No problem, man! Usually it's me thanking you or such great posts. lol

Chief-Iron-Lung said...

*for...damn sticky keys lol

Anonymous said...

Hello BIG Chief,
Thanks for this fantastic post, really a great album....
THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!
Fan from Switzerland

Chief-Iron-Lung said...

No problem, man! Yeah, this album has grown on me a lot. Still not a big fan of their first two albums though. They would probably be better with a professional producer, though.