The Sword
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Jan. 17] Wanna know a secret? The Sword is the greatest metal band on earth right now.
Sam Holden
Wanna know a secret? The Sword is the greatest metal band on earth right now. It must be a secret if the Austin four-piece is busting eardrums in the (admittedly sizable) Underground Arts rec room instead of setting off pyrotechnics on a rotating stage in some hockey arena. But that’s the world’s mistake, not theirs. Simply put, The Sword does it right. The riffs are righteously heavy and tight, thick and doomy but never really a downer. And there’s nothing “nu” here; this band worships at the altar of the classics: Led Zep, Maiden, Blue Cheer, Slayer, Ned Stark, The Nazgul, Cthulhu, The Rockbiter, Vigo the Carpathian and Black fucking Sabbath. In fact, nobody out there has come as close to matching Ozzy’s soaring/lumbering cadence as The Sword’s J. D. Cronise. The dude sounds like Master of Reality, even if his dark arts/Norse/sci-fi lyrics would fit better on Headless Cross or Tyr. Yeah, I’m totally nerding out right now.
Fri., Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m., $18, with Serpent Throne and Sunburster, Underground Arts., 1200 Callowhill St., undergroundarts.org.
