The Sword

With their penchant for lyrics based around Norse mythology and the writings of Arthur C. Clarke, The Sword are a Texan heavy metal band whose use of grinding hard core guitar riffs and flamboyant stage presence categorises their music loosely under the heading of doom metal. Latterly the band have tried to distance themselves from the sombre cloak of doom and venture into the slightly more mainstream territory occupied by Black Sabbath and Metallica. The shift in emphasis has paid off for the band and their records now regularly reach the upper echelons of the Billboard 200.

Their fourth album titled 'Apocryphon' released in 2012 reached the top 20 and marked a turning point in the band's career in terms of commercial success. An acoustic collection called 'Low Country' was released as a counter to their 2015 album 'High Country' and both albums were positively received by both the fans and the music press. The Sword are a traditional four piece rock outfit built around the songwriting talents of John D. Cronise, a songwriter who originally hails from Richmond, Virginia. Cronise is a guitarist, frontman, vocalist and producer and is the driving influence behind the band who now have gained a significant following among US heavy metal fans.