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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > August > 31 > Entry
Review: The Sword at Mohawk
Like AC/DC , the Sword does one thing, but the band does it about as well as anyone around right now and if you’re in the mood for that sound, little else will satisfy, as the sold out crowd at Mohawk Friday night could attest.
Its rhythm is a gallop, for the most part, the rush into battle that classic metal embodies. The sound is a thick, chugging dual-guitar clash that often breaks into the sorts of harmonies that recall British heavy metal acts such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest - think, well, the clang of swords against armor or the singular congress of a thousand arrows raining down on an enemy. Subject matter ranges from traditional mythology (Norse, Greek) to the 20th century equivalents (the fiction of Robert E. Howard and George R.R. Martin).
It’s a form rather than a formula and a metal one at that, but not so extreme that it’s cultish (singer/guitarist J.D. Cronise’s fondness for singing rather than screaming or going all Cookie Monster is a big part of that). But nor is it poppy or especially commercial-sounding. In the weapons of our own era, The Sword is like the AK-47 or a shoulder-fired Stinger missile - not too complicated once you figure it out, but fearsomely effective and all the more popular for it.
The Austin quartet returned to the Mohawk as conquering heroes complete with a large gong and solid light show, exactly what you’d expect from dudes who spent the spring opening for Metallica. (They also looked very fit - opening for Metallica must put you personally in shape as much as it does your playing - and there must be a painting somewhere aging on guitarist Kylre Shutt’s behalf.)
The band thundered tightly through material from the 2006 debut (Age of Winter) and the 2008 follow-up (Gods of the Earth). Four new songs made their debut, material that didn’t deviate too far from already conquered lands, but showed there was still room for further exploration.
Locals Pack of Wolves and Rat King also delivered solid set, the former mixing the chug and bellow of early thrash with the thrust of hardcore punk. This was metalcore without the overly technical histronics. Rat King’s set welded complicated, detailed riffs with former Sea of Thousand singer Craig Moore’s hellish scream.
We await new albums from all three bands and raise our fists in salute.
This was only the first of a two night stand at Mohawk. How was the second night? Anyone go to both?
Comments
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By Mosh McDOnald
August 31, 2009 9:59 AM | Link to this
I went to both. Now I’m in the earhole ICU, waiting for an ear transplant. I’m thankful and proud. For these 2 nights of glory rendered me unable to ever watch a half *** metal show ever again. Once you have been to the mountaintop…
By Petey
August 31, 2009 4:22 PM | Link to this
Psst - hey Joe, don’t tell anyone but the people at these shows don’t actually like heavy metal and wouldn’t be caught dead within 10 miles of a Priest or Maiden concert, much less the scores of other Austin metal shows that never cross any of their radar screens. It’s why the Sword has been accurately dubbed “hipster metal?”