Heavy metal band, formerly doom metal but now hard metal or stoner metal band, The Sword has just announced that they will be going on hiatus after finishing their US tour. The hiatus also unfortunately means the cancellation of their Australian tour.

The group said of their hiatus, “After 15 years of nonstop recording and touring, The Sword will take a hiatus following their U.S shows at the beginning of October. The Australian tour scheduled for the end of October has been cancelled. The band apologizes to their Australian fans, but feel it is time for a breather.”

The band from Austin, TX formed in 2003. The band currently consists of John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III. The group released their debut album three years later in 2006, Age of Winters. The album was largely written and produced by Cronise prior to the band’s formation. Their second album, Gods of The Earth, was released in 2008 which gave the band the big break they needed putting them on Billboard 200 at spot 102.

The band will finish their current tour. The band’s current schedule includes the following shows:

09/22 San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center (‘River City Rockfest‘)
09/28 Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room
09/29 St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
09/30 Louisville, KY – Champions Park (‘Louder Than Life‘)
10/01 Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall
10/02 Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
10/24 Brisbane, Australia – The Zoo
10/25 Melbourne, Australia – Max Watts Melbourne
10/26 Lewisham, Australia – Factory Theatre
10/27 Adelaide, Australia – Fowlers Live
10/28 North Perth, Australia – Rosemount Hotel

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat