Album Details

• Artist: The Sword
• Album: Gods Of The Earth
• Label: Kemado
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: trismus on 2008-03-28

Media

The Sword have decided that all you vintage metal bands out there who are playin’ around, rippin’ off old Dio licks, are a bunch of Nancies and it’s up to them to bring some dignity back to the old guard. 

Their upcoming album Gods of the Earth is definitely old school metal but not the old school metal you’ve grown accustomed to.  No, this is the real deal.  This is Geezer Butler, circa 1974, downing a swig of Jack and spraying it all over your precious Wolfmother.  This is Leslie West shaking his head at Witchcraft’s sorry riffs then breaking into a 30 minute intro to “Mississippi Queen”.

This is old school metal.

The Sword’s previous album Age of Winters gave us a taste of what this band is all about.  They definitely channel some ghosts of metal’s past but one shouldn’t judge on first impressions alone.  Now, having heard Gods of the Earth in its entirety (more than a few times), it’s safe to say that The Sword is the definitive choice for those left unsatisfied by Heaven and Hell’s recent tour. 

The album opens with an epic intro in the form of “The Sundering”.  It’s not the type of “epic” usually defined by rising harmonies and drum beats that eventually explode in a brilliant crescendo.  This type of “epic” is the epic of olden days: a swiftly rolling instrumental that audibly crushes everything in its path.  It is this unforgiving intro that lays bare the valley of the pretenders and adequately prepares the Earth for worship. 

Everything about Gods of the Earth is traditional.  The production is somewhat flat with very little emphasis on the bass.  The song titles are delightfully vintage: “How Heavy This Axe”, “Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians”, “Under the Boughs”, etc.   J.D. Cronise’s vocals are cut from the same Ozzy cloth that so many metal singers have torn from.  It’s the total package with one important element that so many of the contemporary old school rockers lack: authenticity.

The Sword have proven themselves the children of metal’s forefathers.  With Gods of the Earth they not only solidify their inheritor status but they do so with even more conviction, making this album fit comfortably amongst their predecessors’ offerings.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2008-03-29 big brekfest Said:

The album is killer. can't wait to get a real copy. I'm spending way too much time on the myspace site just so I can hear it. I need this on my ipod to make it real.

Gods of the Earth is one hell of a sledgehammer knock to the teeth. As said in the review its impressively fresh while staying ever faithful to the old school.
Rating: 7/10