The Sword performing during the A Tribute to Kings tour at the ACL Live Moody Theater in Austin, Texas on September 9, 2021, with John D. Cronise, Santiago Jimmy Vela III, Bryan Richie, and Kyle Shutt. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
The flow of highly charged energy at a concert by The Sword is nearly unstoppable. Loud distorted guitar riffs are blared through stacks of massive guitar amps and the drums are beating with a brashness that resonates through your skull.
The Sword is fierce when they take the stage. The dueling Guitarists, John Cronise and Kyle Shutt, perform in a way reminiscent of Judas Priest’s fast paced guitar solos and duets. The band is also known to play in slower tempos, and retain a sludgy sound of deep distorted guitars, and low, bellowing drumming, somewhat in the stoner metal style of Black Sabbath and Sleep. The Sword’s lyrics are also very interesting drawing inspiration from Norse mythology. John Cronise’s vocals are also presented in a yearning way, which is very similar to Ozzy Osbourne.
The Sword’s stage theatrics usually consist of fog covering every inch of the stage and dim lights of dark colors shining down upon them. The band is enthusiastic during their performance, head banging to each song. Their audience seems to be loving it as well, riotously rocking out to each song, crowd surfing, and signaling the devil horns with their hands as a rock and roll salute.
The Sword keeps things interesting with their retro sound of the golden age of metal, but still manages to keep their music fresh and youthful. The Sword is sure to meet high expectations of blasting their audience away with their heavy brand of doom metal.
The Sword is one of the best hard rock bands touring today. The sound was mixed perfectly and the show was fantastic. I look forward to their return. They are one of those bands that I will see every time they come within a 100 miles of my house. The Sword never fails to satisfy.The Sword shared the stage with Primus at the ACL Live Moody Theater. They continue across the United States with the last stop at the Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York on December 31, 2021.
Best. If you like any sort of rock or classic rock. So yourself a favor and go see the sword!
The Sword are amazing!
I've been into The Sword since the beginning, have seen them many times, usually as openers, and it's always an added treat to get to see them do a full set live. I love seeing a band that puts on a perfect show, and hope to see them many, many more times in the future.
One of the best concerts ever! An absolute killer performance by The Sword. The Sword are one of the best live acts you can see. With The Sword, it's all about the music. The set list was stellar and they gave a great, high energy performance. The sound was generally excellent as well, loud but not distorted.
The Sword
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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