The Sword : Apocryphon

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/theswordapocryphon.jpg" alt="The Sword : Apocryphon" /><br /> It is apparent right away on The Sword's new album <i>Apocryphon </i>that they are a tighter band. ...
The Sword : Apocryphon
6.8 Razor & Tie
2012 

The Sword : Apocryphon It is apparent right away on The Sword’s new album Apocryphon that they are a tighter band.  Perhaps it is partly the influence of new drummer Santiago Vela, who took over drumming duties for original drummer Trivett Wingo when he left the band in 2010 (Apocryphon is his first studio album with The Sword).  Apocryphon as an album is tighter mostly stylistically.  The Sword have been widely defined in the past as “sludgy” in the past and Apocryphon doesn’t have that feeling nearly as much as their past albums.  The band now sounds a bit more like early Black Sabbath. 

What isn’t different with The Sword’s music this time around is that it is still very much groove-oriented, and almost all of the songs sound like they are in the same key.  In that regard, The Sword’s songs have always had this way of flowing into each other more so than almost any other band around.  Their albums have this essence of being whole bodies of work rather than collections of songs. 

The song “Arcane Montane” exemplifies the groove-oriented sound The Sword is so well known for.  It has some great, layered guitars, and also features a pretty killer guitar solo about three quarters of the way through.  You always get a lot of thundering riffs with The Sword, but you don’t always get great solos, so this song is a song to pay attention to.

With the release of their last album, 2010’s Warp Riders, The Sword showed that they were willing to seal the deal with an amazing album in that it had a rather in-depth concept behind it all and was exquisite even down to the artwork of the album itself and the single releases.  While Apocryphon feels tighter musically, it is a bit lacking in the department of being a total package both musically and artistically. 

The highlight of this album is its closing and title track, “Apocryphon”.  This song hopefully exemplifies a direction/sound that The Sword will continue to play with.  It is a bit of an electronic rock with its synthesizer intro and it really works.  It almost sounds like a track that should have been included on their previous sci-fi epic album Warp Riders, but regardless of which album it appears on it’s a great song and an even greater way to close out this album.  It definitely wins Apocryphon as a wholesome point. 

The argument can be made that by this time, four albums in, The Sword is getting old.  It’s a semi-relevant argument in that their sound hasn’t changed much in that time.  But Apocryphon gives the slightest taste that this fact (hopefully) will change.  Otherwise, these Texas metalheads may have to get ready to not be cared about as much anymore.  Here’s hoping they take what we already know they are great at and move it into some new territory with their next release. 

MP3 Stream: “Apocryphon

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