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Image courtesy of Paul Graham Raven via flickr
Just when you thought stoner doom metal was dead, Austin natives the Sword have stormed onto the scene with some of the darkest riffs and sickest solos since Sabbath. With their sophomore release entitled "Gods of the Earth" in their arsenal of show material, the Sword took the stage at the El Rey and just started destroying ear drums one song at a time.
After briefly chatting with the band and watching their sound check prior to the show, its clear that the group is ready to take the forefront of the metal scene. Fresh off of a highly successful UK tour, the band didn't so much as give an exasperated yawn after being on the road. Their first album entitled "Age of Winters" set the precedence for group as one of their songs ("Freya") was featured on the hugely popular Guitar Hero II set list. Not bad for a premier album.
Video by Ali Miller for LAist. The Sword obviously rock too hard for my crappy camera mic.
"Gods" definitely shows how the band has matured both musically and lyrically. With darker themes and seemingly unnatural tempo changes, the Sword doesn't fail to impress even the most cynical of metal fans. The El Rey crowd responded to the new material with much enthusiasm (read: heavy moshing and crowd surfing), as expected. While the show was incredible, it'll only be a matter of time before these guys start selling out stadiums.
Video by Ali Miller for LAist.