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Product Description
Product Description
One of the foundations of the metal revival of the past ten years, Austin TX's The Sword have released two flawless slabs of vintage heaviness on Kemado Records, toured the world with Metallica, and were one of the first bands to lock into a whole new legion of fans through Guitar Hero. This summer, the band casts its gaze to the stars for Warp Riders, their third full-length and their most ambitious effort to date.
Warp Riders is The Sword's first concept album, a science fiction maelstrom put to the storming, relentless riffage and pounding rhythms upon which the band has staked its reputation. It's also their most flat-out, supercharged, adrenaline-pumping work yet, a chrome-plated war machine that lords over the blackened sky. From the street-prowling anthems "Night City" and "Lawless Lands" to the two-part showdown of "The Chronomancer," to the furious mechanics of closing track "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire," The Sword forces eminent domain ruling over heavy metal for the next decade, and welcome all challengers for an ill-fated shot at the title.
Warp Riders tells the tale of Ereth, an archer banished from his tribe on the planet Acheron. A hardscrabble planet that has undergone a tidal lock, which has caused one side to be scorched by three suns, and the other enshrouded in perpetual darkness, it is the background for a tale of strife and fantasy, the battle between pure good and pure evil. How it's told - through the dueling lead guitars of J.D. Cronise and Kyle Shutt, and the concussive rhythm section of bassist Bryan Ritchie and drummer Trivett Wingo - underscores the narrative with molten steel and unreal precision.
The story of Warp Riders, entitled "The Night The Sky Cried Tears Of Fire" (written by Cronise), follows Ereth as he discovers a mysterious orb and meets the Chronomancer, a being beyond time and space who enlists him in a quest to restore the planet's balance. Along the way he encounters strange warriors, mysterious witches, ancient androids, and a crew of space pirates with a vessel that will alter the course of history... a vessel known as, The Sword.
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CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By R. Brown
Format:Audio CD
Having listened to The Swords first two albums with a sense of excitement and "Sabbath like nostalgia" i couldn't wait to pick up The Sword's latest offering Warp Riders. I'm a massive heavy metal fan and have recently been finding it harder and harder to discover new metal bands that really make an impact on me. Warp Riders is a The Swords first stand out album for me, you can tell the extra time in the studio has paid off, the tight guitaring and fantastic thundering baselines work together as if these guys have been playing together for decades. If you're a fan of 70's style heavy metal with a modern twist (almost Down, Deep Purple ish rifts running through this album), then you will love this. Great concept album and finished off with an awesome retro style album cover. Cant wait to hear future material, and cant wait to see them on tour. Put this cd in your car or stereo at home and prepare to head bang!!!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Angela Davey
Format:Audio CD
`Warp Riders' is the third offering from Texan heavy metal band THE SWORD. The artwork looks akin to the cover of a 1970's sci-fi novel which ties in nicely with the theme - a planet locked in battle between the forces of good and evil. The opening track is purely instrumental and sets the mood perfectly for `going into battle' (or listening to the rest of the album, in this case). Every track is a grand display of each member's technical ability and swaggers towards the precipice of power metal almost, but they are then pulled back by the whiskey-drenched quality of Cronise's vocals, reminding the listener that this album should not be taken too seriously. Tracks like `Arrows in The Dark' remind you that THE SWORD have by no means left behind their `feel-good' riffs, if you are at all in any doubt. This will have die-hard fans of heavy metal salivating. Cynics prepare to be slain in the wake of an outerspace concept album!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
Yes it's a science fiction "concept" album but the lyrics actually tell a decent story if you are familiar with sci fi conventions. Yes the band are heavily influenced by early Black Sabbath, and yes this is a bloomin good album. If you listen carefully, and you will be rewarded for repeated listening, you will hear other subtle influences, a bit of Southern Rock here, a bit of slow blues there, a tad prog, a smidgen of thrash but most of all you will be in riff heaven - the opening instrumental number offers 4 different riffs for you to get your teeth into alone. The closing track is the latest in a long line of "saving the best bit till last". For the love of mike it sounds like a souped up Thin Lizzy with a hint of Muse's Knights of Cydonia, closing on a prog-like note. But this album celebrates the riff, and if you are a follower of the riff this album is for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great riff album
my first touch with sword, and I have only good things to say...Great album and can be heard without stops from the beginning till the end..
Published 22 months ago by Georgios Kanakis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Prog Rock Lives!
A good number of tracks different enough to allow you to listen to the whole album with a Prog Rock feel running through each of the tracks, definately influenced by the likes of... Read more
Published on 2 May 2011 by T.Seaton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deep space - hard rock
The first two albums by The Sword were bold and unapologetic offerings before the gods of metal. No pretension, not a whiff of irony: straight-up Sabbath and Zepplin infused... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2010 by Nicholas Lees
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard, heavy, hypnotic
This is a good album, playing is tight and creates an intense heavy sound which reminds me of Hawkwind crossed with Motorhead and Judas Priest. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2010 by TonyX
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sword show depth
Having purchase and repeatedly listened through the first two albums since they were released, it was safe to say this was a purchase which was bound to happen. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2010 by Mr. D. J. Speed
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