The Rock Blogger

The Sword. Gods of the Earth. 2008. 3.5 stars.

Texas’ The Sword are back with another furious stoner-rock album, bringing their own brand of Black Sabbath worship the forefront of the genre. The band’s 2006 debut The Age of Winters was one of my favorite releases of that year so naturally I was fairly excited to hear their follow up. The Sword live up to expectations with Gods of the Earth, with some speedy riffs and powerful drumming, but never manage to fully push their sound in a new direction. While the album is incredibly fun and fluid, it ultimately leaves you wanting a little more.

Musically speaking, Gods of the Earth is as solid as a rock. The instrumentals are tight and the production is crisp, making The Sword sound as massive and epic as you would expect from a stoner-rock band. The sludgy riffs chug along triumphantly and the solos are kinetic and absorbing. The drumming is equally intense, with waves of cymbal crashes and cyclical patterns crushing everything in their path. The Sword emulate the head-banging forays of 70s era metal with great precision, capturing the drug-fueled energy that made that period so memorable.

Unfortunately, JD Cronise’s vocals can’t catch up to the powerful music. His voice, while faithful to Ozzy’s old-school style, often sounds strained and tiny amid the chaos around him. The lyrics too leave a lot to be desired, with tired tales of battles and wizards and witches that are entertaining in their first runs, but sound forced over repeated listens. When you consider the number of Black Sabbath homages out there, from Sweden’s Witchcraft to the UK’s darker Electric Wizard, the narratives start to sound derivative despite the intensity in which they are told.

While The Sword don’t really bring anything new to the table, their musical chops make for a wild and satisfying listen. Gods of the Earth is a great stoner album, despite its lack of originality, and makes for a great soundtrack for extended bong sessions. If you loved their previous album, or are a fan of stoner rock (like Kyuss, Electric Wizard, etc) then this is a must have. Just don’t be expecting lyrical depth and progressive song structures, this is strictly for the head bangers.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.