2008 Woodie Awards
Basic metallurgy
Jarrett Hothan - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/14/07 Section: Arts
- Page 1 of 1
A famous saying, or maybe it was a bumper sticker I saw once, goes "Everything's Bigger in Texas." Although the all-encompassing nature of that slogan is debatable, the Lone Star State has always had a formidable hold on the big-riff market, giving birth to heavy-metal legends Pantera as well as fostering a famous metal-underground scene. Texas's next heir to the throne appears to be The Sword, an Austin quartet that is building metallic momentum at alarming speed. The band will hit the Picador, 330 E. Washington St., on Dec. 16, with Valient Thorr and Black Cobra supporting.
In 2003, singer/guitarist J.D. Cronise assembled the band after an extensive search, rounding out the lineup with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Trivett Wingo. The Sword is a classic slow-burning heavy-metal band featuring monolithic riffs and dooming lyrics in spades. The band utilizes the loud-soft dynamic on epic songs such as "Iron Swan," a practice forged by Led Zeppelin. Some bands think it has the metal formula down to a science, but to The Sword, metal is more a form of predestination.
"First off, to be in a good metal band you have to have gigantic nuts. Big ol' elephant nuts," Wingo said. "Then, you have to have the proper musical skill, and then, it has to have that groove."
From the start, The Sword was a part of Austin's communal scene, touring with fellow local band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. This relationship turned into something collaboratively creative, as Trail of Dead frontman Conrad Keely designed the album art for The Sword's 2006 album, Age of Winters.
"We went on tour with them our very first time, and he kept saying he had a great idea for art to go with our music," Wingo said.
To many non-metal fans, the band may already be a household name even though The Sword is still on the rise. A cover of the band's song "Freya" appears in the popular video game's second installment, Guitar Hero II, presumably being shredded worldwide by gamers young and old. Wingo sees it as a plus, but definitely not a career-defining moment.
"It has really gotten us a lot of exposure, because it introduced us to a lot of kids who just want to play video games, and probably wouldn't hear us otherwise," Wingo said.
A warning to those accustomed to solely hearing The Sword through their video-game systems: The real-life volume levels are loud enough to make your television cry.
E-mail *DI* reporter Jarrett Hothan at:
jarrett-hothan@uiowa.edu
In 2003, singer/guitarist J.D. Cronise assembled the band after an extensive search, rounding out the lineup with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Trivett Wingo. The Sword is a classic slow-burning heavy-metal band featuring monolithic riffs and dooming lyrics in spades. The band utilizes the loud-soft dynamic on epic songs such as "Iron Swan," a practice forged by Led Zeppelin. Some bands think it has the metal formula down to a science, but to The Sword, metal is more a form of predestination.
"First off, to be in a good metal band you have to have gigantic nuts. Big ol' elephant nuts," Wingo said. "Then, you have to have the proper musical skill, and then, it has to have that groove."
From the start, The Sword was a part of Austin's communal scene, touring with fellow local band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. This relationship turned into something collaboratively creative, as Trail of Dead frontman Conrad Keely designed the album art for The Sword's 2006 album, Age of Winters.
"We went on tour with them our very first time, and he kept saying he had a great idea for art to go with our music," Wingo said.
To many non-metal fans, the band may already be a household name even though The Sword is still on the rise. A cover of the band's song "Freya" appears in the popular video game's second installment, Guitar Hero II, presumably being shredded worldwide by gamers young and old. Wingo sees it as a plus, but definitely not a career-defining moment.
"It has really gotten us a lot of exposure, because it introduced us to a lot of kids who just want to play video games, and probably wouldn't hear us otherwise," Wingo said.
A warning to those accustomed to solely hearing The Sword through their video-game systems: The real-life volume levels are loud enough to make your television cry.
E-mail *DI* reporter Jarrett Hothan at:
jarrett-hothan@uiowa.edu
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