One of the most bad-ass retro metal bands since Cathedral, The Sword are doing their best to bring crushing power chord volleys, thunderous rhythms, lumbering beats and lyrics about Medieval war, honor and glory back to heavy metal. But don’t just take our ringing endorsement as the holy Grail, heed the advice of the biggest metal band around, Metallica, who have invited The Sword to open on seven July dates of their European tour.
And these dudes from Austin, Texas don’t just write killer songs, they also make great videos - like their new one for “Maiden, Mother & Crone,” which makes its TV premiere on Headbangers Ball on Saturday night on MTV2. There’s no question that the clip looks awesome on a high definition screen, but it also looks pretty damn cool on a computer monitor (click “more” to see the Internet premiere of the video).
“It is difficult to elaborate on the basic theme of the ‘Maiden, Mother & Crone’ video without sounding redundant,” drummer Trivett Wingo tells Headbangers Blog. “The stages of life and the ephemerality of the material universe are depicted in symbols that are immediately obvious and can be extended to all things. Such is the narrative which comprises the lyrical content of the song. The mysteries of the mortal plane are not so mysterious. The seeming elusiveness of the simplest truths could be interpreted as symptomatic of the human desire for immortality and the egoic fear of death.”
In other words, just watch the damn thing cuz the music and imagery speak for themselves — and the song rocks! And, if you dig the Sword, check out the Headbangers Ball Blog Podcast with frontman J.D. Cronise.
