The Sword is an American heavy metal band formed in Austin, Texas in 2003. The band released its debut album Age of Winters in 2006; the songs on the album were largely written by frontman J. D. Cronise before the band's formation, although the musical compositions were credited to the band as a whole. [1] In 2007 the band contributed the track "Sea of Spears" to a split extended play (EP) with Swedish band Witchcraft, which was credited to Cronise and guitarist Kyle Shutt, as well as a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". [2] In 2008 the band released its second album Gods of the Earth , which was again credited to Cronise (lyrics) and the band as a whole (music), [3] as well as the single "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" which featured the previously unreleased track "Codex Corvidae" as the B-side. [4]
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.
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre's lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. It is the 11th-most populous city in the United States and the 4th-most populous city in Texas. It is also the fastest growing large city in the United States, the second most populous state capital after Phoenix, Arizona, and the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States. As of the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2017 estimate, Austin had a population of 950,715 up from 790,491 at the 2010 census. The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan statistical area, which had an estimated population of 2,115,827 as of July 1, 2017. Located in Central Texas within the greater Texas Hill Country, it is home to numerous lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake and Lake Travis on the Colorado River, Barton Springs, McKinney Falls, and Lake Walter E. Long.
After contributing a cover version of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" to a split single with Year Long Disaster in March, [5] The Sword released its third studio album Warp Riders in August 2010, the music for which was credited to Cronise and Shutt. [6] Second single "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" featured another previously unreleased track as a B-side, "Farstar". [7] The band signed with Razor & Tie in 2012, and released the non-album single "Hammer of Heaven" in May that year, a song written by Cronise during the sessions for Age of Winters. [8] The band's fourth album Apocryphon , the first to feature drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III, followed in October and returned to crediting the music to the whole band. [9]
Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist and lead vocalist Phil Lynott, met while still in school. Lynott led the group throughout their recording career of twelve studio albums, writing most of the material. The singles "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak", and "The Boys Are Back in Town" were major international hits. After Lynott's death in 1986, various incarnations of the band emerged over the years based initially around guitarists Scott Gorham and John Sykes, though Sykes left the band in 2009. Gorham later continued with a new line-up including Downey.
"Cold Sweat" is a song by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, and is the fifth track on their final studio album Thunder and Lightning. It was co-written by guitarist John Sykes and Phil Lynott, and became the biggest single from the album, entering the UK charts at No. 27, and peaking at No. 23 in Ireland.
Year Long Disaster was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2004, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist Daniel Davies, bassist Rich Mullins and drummer Brad Hargreaves. Hargreaves was later replaced by Rob Oswald, and guitarist William Mecum also joined in a later incarnation of the group.
Indicates song released as a single | |
Indicates song written by the whole band |
Song | Credited writer(s) | Release | Year | Ref. | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Acheron/Unearthing the Orb" | John D. Cronise | Warp Riders | 2010 | [10] | |
"Agartha" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [11] | |
"Apocryphon" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [12] | |
"Arcane Montane" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [13] | |
"Arrows in the Dark" | John D. Cronise | Warp Riders | 2010 | [14] | |
"Astraea's Dream" | Kyle Shutt Trivett Wingo | Warp Riders | 2010 | [15] | |
"Barael's Blade" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [16] | |
"The Bees of Spring" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [17] | |
"The Black River" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [18] | |
"Buzzards" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [19] | |
"Celestial Crown" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [20] | |
"Cheap Sunglasses" | Billy Gibbons Dusty Hill Frank Beard | Apocryphon | 2012 | [21] | [upper-alpha 1] |
"The Chronomancer I: Hubris" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Warp Riders | 2010 | [24] | |
"The Chronomancer II: Nemesis" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Warp Riders | 2010 | [25] | |
"Cloak of Feathers" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [26] | |
"Codex Corvidae" | John D. Cronise | "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" | 2008 | [27] | |
"Cold Sweat" | Phil Lynott John Sykes | "Cold Sweat/Maiden, Mother & Crone" | 2010 | [28] | [upper-alpha 2] |
"Daughter of Dawn" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt | Warp Riders | 2010 | [30] | [upper-alpha 3] |
"The Dreamthieves" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [31] | |
"Dying Earth" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [32] | |
"Early Snow" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [33] | |
"Ebethron" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [34] | |
"Empty Temples" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [35] | |
"Execrator" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [36] | |
"Eyes of the Stormwitch" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [37] | |
"Farstar" | none listed | "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" | 2010 | [38] | |
"Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [39] | |
"Freya" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [40] | |
"The Frost-Giant's Daughter" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [41] | |
"Ghost Eye" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [42] | |
"Hammer of Heaven" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | "Hammer of Heaven" | 2012 | [43] | |
"Hawks & Serpents" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [44] | |
"He's Waiting" | Gerry Roslie | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [45] | [upper-alpha 4] |
"Hexenringe" | none listed | "High Country" | 2015 | [47] | |
" The Hidden Masters " | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [48] | |
"High Country" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [49] | |
"The Horned Goddess" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [50] | |
"How Heavy This Axe" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [51] | |
"Immigrant Song" | Jimmy Page Robert Plant | The Sword/Witchcraft | 2007 | [52] | [upper-alpha 5] |
"Iron Swan" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [54] | |
"Lament for the Aurochs" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [55] | |
"Lawless Lands" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt | Warp Riders | 2010 | [56] | |
"Lords" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [57] | |
"Maiden, Mother & Crone" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [58] | |
"March of the Lor" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [59] | |
"Mist & Shadow" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [60] | |
"Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" | Billy Gibbons Dusty Hill Frank Beard | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [61] | [upper-alpha 6] |
"Night City" | John D. Cronise | Warp Riders | 2010 | [63] | |
"(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Warp Riders | 2010 | [64] | |
"Sea of Spears" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt | The Sword/Witchcraft | 2007 | [65] | |
"Seriously Mysterious" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [66] | |
"Seven Sisters" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [67] | |
"Silver Petals" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [68] | |
"Suffer No Fools" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [69] | |
"The Sundering" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [70] | |
"Tears Like Diamonds" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [71] | |
"To Take the Black" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [72] | |
"Tres Brujas" | John D. Cronise Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Warp Riders | 2010 | [73] | |
"Turned to Dust" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [74] | |
"Under the Boughs" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [75] | |
"Unicorn Farm" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | High Country | 2015 | [76] | |
"The Veil of Isis" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Santiago Vela | Apocryphon | 2012 | [77] | |
"The Warp Riders" | John D. Cronise | Warp Riders | 2010 | [78] | |
"The White Sea" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Gods of the Earth | 2008 | [79] | |
"Winter's Wolves" | John D. Cronise Kyle Shutt Bryan Richie Trivett Wingo | Age of Winters | 2006 | [80] |
Gods of the Earth is the second studio album by American heavy metal band The Sword, released in the United States on April 1, 2008. 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.
The discography of The Sword, an American heavy metal band, consists of five studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, two extended plays (EPs), one box set, twelve 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 issued a number of demos before signing with Kemado Records in 2005. In February 2006, the band's debut full-length studio album Age of Winters was released. Following the inclusion of the track on Guitar Hero II, "Freya" was released as a single in 2007. This was followed by a split EP with Swedish band Witchcraft, to which The Sword contributed new track "Sea of Spears" and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".
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 centred 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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.