| "Hammer of Heaven" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Sword | ||||
| Released | May 1, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, stoner rock | |||
| Length | 5:47 | |||
| Label | Razor & Tie | |||
| Songwriter(s) | J. D. Cronise | |||
| Producer(s) | J. D. Cronise | |||
| The Sword singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hammer of Heaven" is a song by American heavy metal band The Sword. Written and produced by frontman J. D. Cronise, the song was released as a non-album digital single in May 2012, and later on a limited edition 7" picture disc the following month.
"Hammer of Heaven" dates back to 2003, when the track was originally recorded; it was not included on the band's 2006 debut album Age of Winters reportedly due to "severe space limitations" on the release. [1] [2] Years later, the song was submitted for inclusion on the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Avengers , [1] [2] which was released on the same day as the "Hammer of Heaven" digital single without the track included. [3]
Following the release of "Hammer to Heaven" as a digital download single on May 1, 2012, [1] it was announced that, "due to popular demand", a limited edition 7" picture disc version was to be produced for release on June 22. [4] [5] [6] Limited to only 1,000 copies, the vinyl edition of the single was backed with a live version of Age of Winters track "Ebethron" recorded at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas. [4] [5]
All tracks are written by J. D. Cronise.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hammer of Heaven" | 5:47 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hammer of Heaven" | 5:47 |
| 2. | "Ebethron" (live) | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 12:23 | |
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
"The Trooper" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as the second single on 20 June 1983 from the band's fourth studio album, Piece of Mind (1983). It was one of only a few songs to get much radio airplay in the United States, thus peaking at No. 28 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. It also achieved success in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Singles Charts as well as gaining a much better reception than the band's previous single, "Flight of Icarus". It is also the band's first release to feature Nicko McBrain, who replaced Clive Burr on drums in 1982.
Grand Magus are a three-piece heavy metal band from Stockholm, Sweden. Drawing influence from bands such as Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Manowar, Grand Magus' sound consists of a combination of blues, hard rock, heavy metal and doom.
The Sword is an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band is currently composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III. Originally signed to Kemado Records, the group released its debut album Age of Winters in 2006, the material for which had been largely written by Cronise prior to the band's formation. Gods of the Earth was released two years later, giving the group its first entry on the US Billboard 200 chart when it reached number 102.
Gods of the Earth is the second studio album by American heavy metal band The Sword, released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in the United States on April 1. It gave the band their first experience of commercial success when it peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200 chart. The single released from the album was "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians", which did not chart. Gods of the Earth was later re-released as part of a two-disc box set with Age of Winters on November 25, 2008. Their track "The Black River" was featured in the game Guitar Hero: Metallica, released in March 2009. "Maiden, Mother & Crone" is featured in Guitar Hero 5, released in September 2009.
"Blooddrunk" is a 2008 single by Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, taken from their 2008 album Blooddrunk. The lyrics focus upon "self-destructive behaviour", and being addicted to hurting yourself. Written solely by Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho, the song was generally well received by critics.
The discography of The Sword, an American heavy metal band, consists of six studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, one extended play (EP), three split releases, 13 singles and ten music video. Originally formed in Austin, Texas in 2003 by vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo, the band signed with Kemado Records in 2005 and released debut album Age of Winters the following year. "Freya" was released as a single in 2007, followed by a split EP with Swedish band Witchcraft featuring new track "Sea of Spears" and a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".
Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is the eighth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released on 21 October 2009 by Regain Records. This album marked the return of Pest on vocals, as well as the debut of Tomas Asklund on drums and Bøddel on bass.
Warp Riders is the third studio album by American heavy metal band the Sword. Recorded at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas with producer Matt Bayles, it was released by Kemado Records in August 2010. Warp Riders was written and recorded as a concept album centered on an original science fiction narrative written by vocalist and guitarist J. D. Cronise, and marks a conscious change in style from doom metal to a more hard rock-influenced sound.
Nightmare is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on July 27, 2010 through Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Mike Elizondo and mixed in New York City by audio engineer Andy Wallace.
Imaginaerum is the seventh studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on November 30, 2011 by Scene Nation Oy and Sony Music in Finland, Nuclear Blast in the rest of Europe, and Roadrunner Records worldwide. According to Nightwish songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, the album is a concept album that tells the story of an old composer who is reminiscing of his youth on his deathbed. The album was produced alongside the movie of the same name, directed by Stobe Harju, who previously directed Nightwish's "The Islander" music video, and the album and the film share the same themes and general story. It is their second and last album with vocalist Anette Olzon, as well as the last with drummer Jukka Nevalainen.
Tears on Tape is the eighth and final studio album by Finnish band HIM, released April 26, 2013 in Finland, April 29, 2013 in Europe, and on April 30, 2013 in the US and Canada.
Apocryphon is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band The Sword. Recorded at Magpie Cage Studios in Baltimore, Maryland with producer J. Robbins, it was released by New York label Razor & Tie in October 2012. Apocryphon is the band's first album without original member Trivett Wingo, and the first to feature his replacement Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III, who took over from interim touring drummer Kevin Fender in October 2011; it is also the first of the band's albums to be released by Razor & Tie, with whom the group signed in early 2012 after seven years with Kemado Records.
"Cold Sweat/Maiden, Mother & Crone" is a split single by American bands The Sword and Year Long Disaster. Released as part of the Volcom Entertainment Vinyl Club on March 15, 2010, the single features a cover version of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" by The Sword and a cover version of The Sword's "Maiden, Mother & Crone" by Year Long Disaster. The single was printed on "opaque baby blue" 7" vinyl and was limited to 1,000 copies.
John D. Cronise, also credited as J.D. Cronise, is an American heavy metal musician and record producer. Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, he is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter and former producer for Austin, Texas-based band the Sword, which he co-founded in 2003. Prior to the formation of The Sword, he also performed in the bands Those Peabodys and Ultimate Dragons, the latter of which also featured original the Sword drummer Trivett Wingo.
High Country is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band the Sword. Recorded at studios in Austin, Texas and Asheville, North Carolina with producer Adrian Quesada, it was released on August 21, 2015 by Razor & Tie. The album was mixed by J. Robbins, who had previously produced The Sword's 2012 fourth studio album Apocryphon. "High Country" was released as a single on July 20, 2015.
"Freya" is a song by American heavy metal band The Sword. Written by the band and produced by vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, it is featured on the band's 2006 debut studio album Age of Winters. In addition to being released as the only single from the album on September 4, 2007, "Freya" was featured as a playable track on the video game Guitar Hero II, released in November 2006.
Low Country is a compilation album by American hard rock band The Sword. Recorded at The Bend in Austin, Texas and The Berry in Taylor, Texas, it was produced by the band's bassist Bryan Richie and released on September 23, 2016 by Razor & Tie. The album features stripped-down acoustic recordings of ten of the 15 songs from the band's 2015 fifth studio album High Country, which were recorded shortly before the album's release, between June and August 2015.
Greetings From... is the first live album by American heavy metal band The Sword. Recorded at various dates between September and October 2016 during a North American tour supporting Swedish band Opeth, it was released on May 5, 2017 by Razor & Tie. The album was produced and mixed by the band's bassist Bryan Richie, who had previously produced the compilation album Low Country. The recording of "Maiden, Mother & Crone" was released as the only single from the album.