The Sword

The Sword
The Sword
	The Sword in 2013; left to right: Kyle Shutt, Jimmy Vela (back), John D. Cronise, Bryan Richie
Background information
Origin	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal; stoner rock; hard rock; doom metal;
Years active	2003–2022
Labels	Razor & Tie; Kemado;
Associated acts	Ultimate Dragons; Those Peabodys; Recover;
Website	theswordofficial.com
Past members	John D. Cronise; Kyle Shutt; Bryan Richie; Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III; Trivett Wingo

The Sword was an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. It was made in 2003 by singer and guitarist John Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, and drummer Trivett Wingo. The band released their first album, Age of Winters, in 2006. Cronise had written most of the album's music before making the band. Two years later, the band made Gods of the Earth, which reached number 102 on the Billboard 200 music chart.

In 2010, the band released Warp Riders. This was a concept album based on a science fiction story that Cronise made.^[1] Drummer Trivett Wingo left the band, and was replaced by Santiago Vega. After signing with a new record label, Razor & Tie, the band made three more albums: Apocryphon in 2012, High Country in 2015, and Used Future in 2018. The band ended in October 2022.

When they were first making music, people called The Sword a doom metal band.^[2] Members of the band said they were inspired by other bands, such as Sleep and Black Sabbath.^[3] Later, people said the band's music sounded more like hard rock and stoner rock. The Sword has toured with many other metal bands, such as Lamb of God, Metallica, and Clutch.

Studio albums

Age of Winters (2006)
Gods of the Earth (2008)
Warp Riders (2010)
Apocryphon (2012)
High Country (2015)
Used Future (2018)

The Sword Media

Bryan Richie was the last member to join the Sword, completing the original four-piece lineup of the band in 2004.
Kyle Shutt was the only band member besides Cronise credited for songwriting on Warp Riders.
Kevin Fender replaced founding member Trivett Wingo in 2010 and was the touring drummer for the Sword until 2011.
Jimmy Vela joined the band in 2011 and performed on 2012's Apocryphon.
Guitarist and vocalist J. D. Cronise performing with American heavy metal band The Sword at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on August 1, 2013.
Guitarist Kyle Shutt performing with American heavy metal band The Sword at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on August 1, 2013.
Bassist Bryan Richie performing with American heavy metal band The Sword at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on August 1, 2013.
Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III performing with The Sword at the Azkena Rock Festival on June 28, 2013.

References

↑ Warp Riders (Liner notes). The Sword. Kemado Records. 2010.
↑ "Ground Control - The Sword are Gods of the Earth". web.archive.org. 2008-03-08. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2022-11-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ DeRogatis, Jim (October 15, 2006). "A 'Winters' tale: How a bunch of metalheads got together and cranked out some buzz". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group.

[1] Warp Riders (Liner notes). The Sword. Kemado Records. 2010.

[2] "Ground Control - The Sword are Gods of the Earth". web.archive.org. 2008-03-08. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2022-11-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[3] DeRogatis, Jim (October 15, 2006). "A 'Winters' tale: How a bunch of metalheads got together and cranked out some buzz". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group.

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