That Texas heat must have finally gotten to The Sword. Everything about the new record Warp Riders is warmer than their first two- the production is brighter, the songs sound more polished, even the cover art depicts a sun drenched alien atmosphere instead of the frost-laden imagery they have used in the past.
The Sword have widened their palate and made a more expansive-sounding record, which may be due to working with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis, Pearl Jam). The guitars are panned and dripping with reverb. The Orange amps crackle with overdrive. The drums are up front and the cymbals decay across the breaks. Singer J.D. Cronise’s thin voice has always been the weakest link, but this time he sings more and shouts less.
The songs are more diverse than previous efforts. The long intros and guitar-monies are still there, but some of the bludgeoning, repetitious riffs have been replaced with a seventies hard rock vibe, and the tempos are slowed down a bit. There are traces of organ and psychedelic guitar in a couple songs. All those tours they spent supporting Metallica seems to have had an inverse effect: they sound less like Metallica than before. “The Chronomancer I: Hubris” is distinctly Sabbath-like. “Lawless Lands” sounds like the bastard son of “Whole Lotta Love” and “Out on the Tiles”. “Night City” has a catchy, sing-along chorus. But they haven’t entirely abandoned their roots; tracks like “Acheron/Unearthing the Orb”, “Astrea’s Dream” and “The Chronomancer II: Nemesis” have the chugging rhythm, double time drums and shredding leads that Sword fans are familiar with.
Warp Riders is bound to increase The Sword’s profile and expand their audience into hard rock territory, but not at the expense of the headbangers who have been fans from the beginning.
