Rob's Album of the week: The Sword's Apocryphon

With this being the week of Halloween, it's only fitting that I review a new album from one of the best metal bands out there today. The Sword's Apocryphon is a pure masterpiece of emphatic excellence with screeching guitar chords and pulsating drums that's bound to make you bang your head and go absolutely insane. Hailing from "The Live Music Capital Of The World" in Austin, TX, The Sword has a sound that reminds me of 70s hard rock and heavy metal acts like Black Sabbath, Motorhead and Deep Purple that even the biggest metalhead can enjoy. Needless to say, if you love heavy metal and don't like The Sword's Apocryphon there's something seriously wrong with you.

Apocyphon is The Sword's fourth album overall and their first album released under the New York-based Razor & Tie record label. It's also  their first album with new drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III entering the fold after original drummer Trivett Wingo left the band while on tour in 2010. Rounding out the rest of the band are Bryan Richie on bass and keyboards, Kyle Shutt on guitar and J.D. Cronise on guitar and howling vocals, together they make The Sword one of the premier metal bands playing shows worldwide. With psychedelic tinges to go along with heavy riffs, The Sword isn't your typical metal band and Apocryphon proves that.

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- Rob Duguay

What's harder, picking your favorite piece of candy out of your bag after a night of trick or treating or picking out your favorite songs from a spectacular album? I'm not 100% sure but it sure is difficult doing this every week, at least Halloween is only once a year. Enough of me bitching and complaining, here goes something: "Dying Earth" has some ridiculously face-melting guitar solos that will make your jaw drop, imagine if Pink Floyd decided to drop out of art school and hang out with Ozzy Osbourne instead. "Cloak of Feathers" features badass riffs and bluesy lyrics that encompass the opus, groovy and loud until your ears are sore. "The Veil Of Isis" has feverish drumbeats and resonant guitars that is bound to take your mind to another place, I just can't get enough of the psych-metal coming from each note. "Arcane Montane" is all about asking for answers to the toughest questions, but there is no question that the track is just mind-blowing. Don't just sit there with your jack o'lanterns and candy corn and read this without doing something about it!!! Grab a copy of Apocryphon for a musical treat.

The Sword will be embarking on a tour of The United States starting tonight, October 29th, at The House of Rock in Corpus Christi, TX and concluding at Fitzgerald's in Houston, TX on December 18th. For us New England metalheads, The Sword will be at The Met in Pawtucket, RI on November 15th andon the following night they'll be at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Two chances to check out some amazing rock & roll, until then grab a copy of The Sword's Apocryphon. What you need to make your soul rock and ears bleed.