Over the course of nearly two decades, Austin-based “stoner metal” band, The Sword, churned out six high octane albums. Though the band decided to call it quits this past October, this year marks the tenth anniversary of their fourth studio LP, Apocryphon. Due to a delay, the tenth anniversary reissue that was originally slated for release as a RSD Black Friday release is hitting the shelves as an indie store exclusive. Craft Recordings has pressed a limited 5,000 vinyl run on 180-gram cosmic yellow swirl, housed in a foil stamped gatefold jacket featuring artwork by award-winning comic book artist J.H. Williams III.
When Apocryphon was released, it became The Sword’s highest charting album to date and as soon as the needle drops on the first side it is easy to hear why. Up-tempo riffs begin almost instantaneously and singer J.D. Cronise’s hollowed out, Ozzy-esque vocals immediately let fans know that they are in for another killer dose of The Sword’s style of metal. On “Cloak of Feathers,” listeners are treated to some great drum solos from new drummer Santiago ‘Jimmy’ Vela III, who took over for original drummer Trivett Wingo. “Arcane Mountain” gives tribute to the 80’s brand of metal with its bright guitar riffs as Cronise paints a lyrical motif of an ancient mountain with deep buried secrets. Funky synth notes bring some drama at the beginning of “Dying Earth” before blazing guitar riffs take over which in turn gives way to chugging guitar chords. Though not a doom metal album the album’s lyrics carry a message of doom on it. On “Dying Earth,” Cronise sings about the ‘dying sun’ as ‘the earth prepares to die,’ and on “The Hidden Masters” he sings ‘when the days become dark as night and the world begins to change’. The epic riffs and plodding percussion on the Apocryphon serve to add to the feeling of doom that Cronise tells of.
Apocryphon might be The Sword’s biggest sounding album thanks in part to the excellent mixing by producer J. Robbins, who has produced a plethora of albums for artists such as The Promise Ring, Against Me! and mewithoutYou. For fans of The Sword that have yet to add Apocryphon to their collection, this is the release to get. Pressed from the original high-resolution master, the vinyl has a clean sound without any background hiss and sounds great at average and excellent when turned to 11.
