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The Sword
Oklahoma
The best band I saw [at SXSW 2005] was called The Sword, this metal band from Austin. They're sort of like Black Sabbath Vol. 4, sort of like early Prong, sort of like Iron Maiden... You know how Indians used to hunt buffalo by forcing them off a cliff, and they'd fall to the rocks? That's kind of what they sound like. Kind of like a bunch of bison being pushed over a cliff."
-Chuck Klosterman, SPIN Magazine
The Sword @ The House of Blues, New Orleans 3.31.05
"Now I'll be the first to admit that I like my metal to groove. My favorite metal bands have names like Sanity's Mask, High on Fire, God Forbid, and, of course, Slayer. When a group locks into a heavy groove (at any speed), I'm sold. Naturally, I loved the Sword. The Austin four piece made a strong case for the current state of metal Thursday night when they opened for ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Their sound was thick, and I don't mean thick like molasses. I mean thick like a heavy lead brick--utterly impenetrable. The group switched time signatures often and flawlessly, normally three or four times in a song. The two guitarists wailed in three part harmony. It was like watching a really pissed off Skynyrd. The sing/screaming was unintelligible, but the words didn't matter in music like that. To be blunt, the music had Balls, with a capital B. Imagine Fu Manchu playing twice as loud and twice as fast, and that was The Sword. They strutted on stage and said nothing. They said only the minimal thank-you's to the audience and left the stage. Sure, they were four skinny hipster-looking guys, but they were effing intimidating. Nerds with a big sound. And that's what metal's supposed to be about."
-Marty Garner
The Sword is a Heavy Metal rock band from Austin, Texas, where they were founded in 2003 by J.D. Cronise. In 2006, the band toured with stoner rock icons Nebula, and subsequently released their debut album Age of Winters.
The Sword compromises heavy metal, hard rock and elements of psychedelic rock within the four-member band. Blending styles similar to bands such as Wolfmother, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or Sunn 0))), The Sword is largely building popularity based on the recent uproar of metal and neo-psychedelic bands.
  
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