High Country (album)

Last updated
High Country
TheSwordHighCountry.jpg
Studio album by
The Sword
ReleasedAugust 21, 2015 (2015-08-21)
RecordedMarch 16 – April 12, 2015
Studio
Genre
Length50:10
Label Razor & Tie
Producer Adrian Quesada
The Sword chronology
Apocryphon
(2012)		High Country
(2015)		 Low Country
(2016)
Singles from High Country
  1. "High Country"
    Released: July 17, 2015 (2015-07-17)

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.

Contents

The album was largely a critical success. Commentators praised the change in musical style and levels of experimentation on High Country, with most noting a clear shift toward classic hard rock. Some reviewers, however, proposed that this change might alienate fans of the band, and some noted the presence of weaker tracks.

Recording and production

The Sword first hinted that work on their fifth album had begun in November 2014. [1] It was later announced in February 2015 that recording for the follow-up to 2012's Apocryphon would begin on March 16, with the eventual release scheduled for the summer. [2] Former Grupo Fantasma guitarist and Grammy winner Adrian Quesada led production of the record, with fellow Grammy winner Stuart Sikes engineering and J. Robbins (who produced Apocryphon) mixing the album. [3] Most of the recording took place at Church House Studios in Austin, Texas, with additional recording at Austin's Level One Sound and High Country Atelier in Asheville, North Carolina; Robbins mixed the album at his own studio, Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Maryland, and it was mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio in Cornwall, New York. [4]

Promotion and release

Prior to beginning the recording of the album, The Sword completed a four-show warm-up tour between March 11 and 14, 2015, with performances in New Orleans, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [5] Upon the album's release, the group began the promotional High Country Tour, which started with a European leg running until September 19. [3] The tour will move to North America in October, where the band is set to complete two legs of shows ending on December 19; support acts include Kadavar, All Them Witches and Royal Thunder. [6]

Leading up to the release of the album, The Sword periodically released tracks from High Country through a number of news websites and outlets: first was the title track "High Country", which was unveiled on the band's official website on July 1, 2015, the same day on which the album's track listing and cover artwork were announced, [7] which was followed by "Empty Temples" by Rolling Stone on July 16, [8] "Mist and Shadow" by High Times on July 29, [9] "The Dreamthieves" by Vice magazine's Noisey website on August 6, [10] and "Early Snow" by Kerrang! on August 10. [11]

High Country was released on CD, vinyl and digital download, and was available in a number of pre-order bundles including items such as clothing, lithographs and other merchandise. [12] One of the bundles made available for the album was described by Exclaim! magazine as a "weed-themed deluxe edition", featuring a "wooden 'stash box,' wood grain dugout, grinder card and rolling papers", all of which are known to be commonly used when smoking cannabis. [13] Multiple retailer- and territory-exclusive coloured vinyls of the album will also be released. [14]

Composition and style

Numerous music critics have suggested that High Country is much more of a hard rock than a heavy metal album, as opposed to some of the band's earlier releases which were often classified as doom metal. Axl Rosenberg of MetalSucks suggested that the album's title track marked a departure from the band's stylistic similarity with Black Sabbath, [15] while Exclaim! writer Alex Hudson suggested it had a "melodic southern rock vibe". [13] Rolling Stone magazine likened the sound of "Empty Temples" to that of seminal hard rock bands Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top. [8] AllMusic observed that the band had been gradually moving away from its initial heavy metal style, and that this album signaled a complete break. [16] Upon debuting the track "The Dreamthieves" in August 2015, Vice site Noisey proposed that "above all else [The Sword] is a rock band", offering further comparisons to Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin. [10] Kyle Shutt summarised the release by suggesting that High Country features "everything from folk to pop to boogie to straight-up rock". [8]

Frontman John D. Cronise has commented on the stylistic change the band made on High Country. Noting that it was a conscious decision on the part of the group, he recognised that some fans may not approve of the change but proposed that if they had produced an album like their old material it "really wouldn't have been very genuine for us as musicians". [17]

Packaging

The album cover artwork for High Country was produced by Jetter Green. [4] Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Cronise revealed that he first saw Green's artwork by chance in a store, at which point he recalls thinking "that would look great on an album cover". [18]

Reception

Commercial

High Country was The Sword's first album to chart outside of the US and the UK, reaching number 74 on the Australian Albums Chart. [19] In the UK, it reached number 11 on the Rock Albums Chart. [20]

Critical

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 75/100 [21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Alternative Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [23]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]
Blabbermouth.net 10/10 [25]
Classic Rock 7/10 [26]
Consequence of Sound C+ [27]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [28]
Magnet 9/10 [29]
Ultimate Guitar Archive 8/10 [30]

Media response to High Country was mostly positive. Aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized rating of 75 out of 100 based on seven critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [21] Blabbermouth.net's Ray Van Horn, Jr. awarded the album a perfect score of ten out of ten, praising various elements of the instrumentation and concluding that "There's depth, there's verve and there's veritably no predictability to it". [25] AllMusic's James Christopher Monger described High Country as the band's "most compelling [album] to date", noting that the style of the release marked an obvious progression from the group's previous releases. [22] Other reviewers also made similar observations, including Michael Toland of The Austin Chronicle , who applauded The Sword for "trying on new ... sounds" rather than continuing to emulate the style of Black Sabbath, as he claimed they did on their previous four albums. [24] Music magazines Kerrang! and Magnet both published positive reviews, praising the musical experimentation and exploration of new styles on the album. [28] [29] Brandon East of the Ultimate Guitar Archive praised the performances of all band members on High Country, which he described as "immaculate", highlighting in particular drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III. [30]

Jon Hadusek of Consequence of Sound, however, balanced his praise of High Country as "a more engaging album than 2012's Apocryphon " with the proposition that the album still contains "some duds" – he criticised "Seriously Mysterious", "Tears Like Diamonds" and "Early Snow", claiming that on these songs "[frontman John D. Cronise's] voice lacks presence when it should be dominant in the sonic palette". [27] He concluded by noting that "High Country is a decade-old band trying out different material. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't". [27] Monger made similar observations, labelling the album "clearly a transitional LP" and noting that "variety pulls its sense of melody to the forefront, though die-hards may find the subsequent loss of energy an uneven trade". [24] Travis Marmon of Alternative Press proposed that "The songs don’t have the immediate impact of the band’s heavier work, but it’s nice to see The Sword break from their mold". [23]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by John D. Cronise; all music is composed by The Sword.

No.TitleLength
1."Unicorn Farm"0:50
2."Empty Temples"3:55
3."High Country"2:37
4."Tears Like Diamonds"3:46
5."Mist & Shadow"5:26
6."Agartha"2:23
7."Seriously Mysterious"2:45
8."Suffer No Fools"2:43
9."Early Snow"4:15
10."The Dreamthieves"3:57
11."Buzzards"4:13
12."Silver Petals"2:37
13."Ghost Eye"3:15
14."Turned to Dust"3:31
15."The Bees of Spring"3:57

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] 74
German Albums Chart (Official Top 100) [31] 91
UK Rock Albums Chart (OCC) [20] 11
UK Albums Chart (OCC) [20] 128
US Billboard 200 [32] 30
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [33] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [34] 7

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DevilDriver</span> American heavy metal band

DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, drummer Davier Pérez, bassist Jon Miller and rhythm guitarist Alex Lee. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, the band changed its name to DevilDriver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine Head (band)</span> American metal band

Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn, who remains the only original member of the band. Machine Head's aggressive musicianship made it one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American heavy metal. Its current lineup comprises Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern, lead guitarist Wacław Kiełtyka and drummer Matt Alston. Bassist Adam Duce, lead guitarists Logan Mader, Ahrue Luster and Phil Demmel, and drummers Tony Costanza, Chris Kontos and Dave McClain are former members of the band; Mader and Kontos toured with the band in 2019 and 2020 as part of the 25th anniversary tour for its first album, Burn My Eyes (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastodon (band)</span> American metal band

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2000, the band's lineup of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals) has remained the same since 2001. Mastodon has released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other releases. The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record "Album of the Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sword</span> American heavy metal band

The Sword was an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its tenure. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Plague</span> 2002 single by Slipknot

"My Plague" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Produced by Ross Robinson and the band, it was featured on the band's second studio album Iowa (2001) and released as the second single from the album on July 8, 2002. The single version is a remix by Terry Date known as the "New Abuse mix", which was produced for the soundtrack to the film Resident Evil. The song reached number 43 on the UK Singles Chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2003.

<i>All Hope Is Gone</i> 2008 studio album by Slipknot

All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on August 26, 2008 by Roadrunner Records. The album was published in two versions: the standard album in a CD case and a special edition packaged in a six-fold digipak containing three bonus tracks, a 40 page booklet, and a bonus DVD with a documentary of the album's recording. Preparation for the album began in 2007, while recording started in February 2008 in the band's home state of Iowa. Before the album's launch, Slipknot released a series of promotional images and audio samples from the album through various websites. All Hope Is Gone was considered the band's most eclectic-sounding album at the time of release, incorporating elements from their previous three. The album shows Slipknot completely abandoning the nu metal genre, moving to a groove metal style. Songs such as the opening track "Gematria " and the title track espouse the band's more brutal, death metal-influenced edge, reminiscent of songs such as "(sic)" from their debut self-titled album; slow burning, "trippy" elements such as "Gehenna", recalling "Skin Ticket" from their second album Iowa; and more tragic, sentimental tracks such as "Dead Memories" and "Snuff".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sword discography</span>

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 videos. 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".

<i>Carver City</i> 2009 studio album by CKY

Carver City is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band CKY. Recorded mainly at guitarist and producer Chad I Ginsburg's Studio CIG Pennsylvania in New Hope, Pennsylvania, it was released on May 19, 2009 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached number 46 on the US Billboard 200, number four on the Hard Rock Albums chart, and number 14 on the Rock Albums chart.

<i>The Final Frontier</i> 2010 studio album by Iron Maiden

The Final Frontier is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76 minutes and 34 seconds, it is the band's third-longest studio album to date, a duration surpassed only by 2015's The Book of Souls and 2021's Senjutsu. Melvyn Grant, a long-time contributor to the band's artwork, created the cover art. It is the band's final album to be released through EMI Records, marking the end of their 30-year relationship. It is also the last album to use the band's alternate logo. While not a concept album, themes of exploration, expectation, and discovery are frequent throughout. The Final Frontier is the band's first studio album in nearly four years, making it one of the longest gaps between one album and the following.

<i>Warp Riders</i> 2010 studio album by the Sword

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.

<i>Apocryphon</i> (album) 2012 studio album by The Sword

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hidden Masters/Arcane Montane</span> 2014 single by The Sword

"The Hidden Masters" and "Arcane Montane" are songs by American heavy metal band The Sword. The lyrics for both were written by vocalist and guitarist J. D. Cronise, and the music is credited to the full band. Produced by J. Robbins, the songs are featured on The Sword's 2012 fourth studio album Apocryphon, and were released together as a single on April 8, 2014.

<i>The Book of Souls</i> 2015 studio album by Iron Maiden

The Book of Souls is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 seconds. Its launch and supporting tour were delayed to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson time to recover from the removal of a cancerous tumour in early 2015. It is also their first album to be released on Parlophone, since the end of their 30-year relationship with EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Country (song)</span> 2015 single by The Sword

"High Country" is a song by American heavy metal band The Sword. Written by the band and produced by Adrian Quesada, it is the title track to the band's 2015 fifth studio album High Country. It was released as the first single from the album on July 20, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freya (song)</span> 2007 song performed by The Sword

"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.

<i>Low Country</i> (album) 2016 compilation album by The Sword

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.

<i>Used Future</i> 2018 studio album by The Sword

Used Future is the sixth and final studio album by American heavy metal band the Sword. Recorded in late 2017 at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, Oregon, it was produced by Tucker Martine and was released on March 23, 2018, by Razor & Tie.

<i>Greetings From...</i> (album) 2017 live album by The Sword

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.

<i>In the Court of the Dragon</i> 2021 studio album by Trivium

In the Court of the Dragon is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 8, 2021, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur.

References

  1. ↑ "The Sword Preparing New Album". Theprp.com. November 17, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Sword To Enter Studio In March". Blabbermouth.net . February 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "The Sword To Release 'High Country' Album In August". Blabbermouth.net . June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 High Country (Media notes). The Sword. Razor & Tie. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ Bowar, Chad (February 2, 2015). "The Sword Book Mini-Tour + Upcoming Studio Time for New Album". Loudwire . Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ Bowar, Chad (August 19, 2015). "The Sword Unveil Late 2015 North American Tour, 'The Dreamthieves' Lyric Video". Loudwire . Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ Pasbani, Robert (July 1, 2015). "The Sword Take You To "High Country" With Killer New Track". Metal Injection. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Hear the Sword Channel Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top on New Song 'Empty Temples'". Rolling Stone . July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ Reynolds, Dabbie (July 29, 2015). "Song Premiere: The Sword's "Mist and Shadow"". High Times . Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Hill, John (August 6, 2015). "Listen to The Sword's New Inter-Dimensional Rock Track "The Dreamthieves"". Noisey. Vice . Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ "The Sword Debut Exclusive Track, Early Snow". Kerrang! . August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Sword: 'High Country' Album Cover Unveiled, Title Track Streaming". Blabbermouth.net . July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Hudson, Alex (July 1, 2015). "The Sword Detail 'High Country,' Unveil Weed-Themed Deluxe Edition". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ Childers, Chad (July 24, 2015). "The Sword Plot Multiple Colored 'High Country' Vinyl Releases". Loudwire . Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  15. ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (July 1, 2015). ""High Country": The Sword Don't Really Sound Like Black Sabbath Anymore". MetalSucks . Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ Steffen, Chris (August 20, 2015). "The Sword and Frontman J.D. Cronise Set Aside Metal and Spread Their Wings on 'High Country'". Allmusic. Allmusic.com. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  17. ↑ "The Sword's John D. CroniseChange Is 'An Inevitable Part Of Evolving As A Band'". Blabbermouth.net . August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ Munro, Scott (August 25, 2015). "The Sword praise High Country artwork". Classic Rock . Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Ryan, Gavin (August 29, 2015). "ARIA Albums: Disturbed Debuts At No 1 In Australia". Noise11. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 "2015-08-28 Top 40 Rock & Metal Albums Archive". Official Charts Company . Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Reviews for High Country by The Sword". Metacritic . Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "High Country - The Sword". AllMusic . Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  23. 1 2 Marmon, Travis (August 25, 2015). "The Sword mix doom with psychedelia on 'High Country'". Alternative Press . Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 Toland, Michael (August 14, 2015). "Review: The Sword". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  25. 1 2 Van Horn, Ray Jr. (July 27, 2015). "High Country The Sword". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  26. ↑ Johnston, Emma (August 12, 2015). "The Sword: High Country". Classic Rock . Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 Hadusek, Jon (August 12, 2015). "The Sword - High Country". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  28. 1 2 "The Sword - High Country". Kerrang! . London: Bauer Media Group. August 22, 2015. p. 52.
  29. 1 2 "The Sword - High Country". Magnet . No. 123. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 60.
  30. 1 2 East, Brandon (August 24, 2015). "High Country Review - The Sword". Ultimate Guitar Archive . Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  31. ↑ "28 August, 2015". Top 100 Albums Charts. GfK Entertainment . Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ "The Sword Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  33. ↑ "The Sword Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  34. ↑ "The Sword Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.