Métal Intégral - Review / THE SWORD

The great voyage

Approximate translation of the review

As well as their companions of label SAVIOURS, the Americans of THE SWORD (not to be confused with the Canadian group SWORD which left two albums in the Eighties) at the head have ressusciter the Heavy Metal in its original purity. Of good invoice, their the first two albums, Age Of Winters in 2006 and Gods Of The Earth in 2008, proved to be solid, honest but finally not very capable to constitute a changing of great elder kind. The fault with a tendency to privilege a systematic occupation of all sound space and not to present sufficiently personal and memorable compositions.

After their round in opening of METALLICA, the small urchin of THE SWORD included/understood the impréieuse need for them to reach a qualitative stage. The guitarist and singer John CRONISE, true mainstay of the group (it composes and writes all and had produced the two first opus), wisely decided entrusted production to Matt BAYLES, which already worked in particular with MASTODON, ISIS, BURNT BY THE SUN or even PEARL JAM. Wise decision since this specialist in the heavy, complex, but strongly constructed and clearly exposed musics, conferred on the Heavy Metal of THE SWORD a legibility of every moment, a frightening power, a vitality ever taken at fault (the energy of the live is omnipresent), a depth guarantees richness.

However, this sumptuous working anything if John CRONISE had not at the same time laid all its best compositions to date and would not be taken along its group to the borders of the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock seventies. Sonorities vintage bring more varied colors and a salutary heat. Less massive than previously, the riffs are more sharp-edged, percussion, massively constant by low enormous; the soli and the harmonies stripped by CRONISE and its accomplice Kyle SHUTT return to the beautiful hours of the Hard Rock of the Seventies. A special mention must go to the beater Trivett WINGO which, while holding the rate/rhythm firmly, multiplies the bearings of toms and the explosions of cymbals, bringing an emergency feeling, a dynamics of every moment. The vocal ones of CRONISE are sung, posed on worked and melody lines of song, unrolling conceptual texts concerned with heroic science fiction.

Let us summarize: an infernal production, tueuses compositions, a classieuse interpretation, let us add a superb booklet illustrated by the very talented Dan McPHARLIN (www.danmcpharlin.com), and we can conclude that we hold a very large album there, one from more exciting for a very long time. Acquisition and religious listening required!

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Raskal	The Monday, October 4, 2010
City : CHAMBERY	Je confirme cette chronique ! Se dégage de cet album un petit mélange BLACK SABBATH des débuts en plus pêchu et c'est vraiment plus Heavy Metal 80's qu'il n'y parait à première vue ! Belle surprise !