Band conquers past and present

Texan band The Sword have released two compilations titled Chronology: 2006 – 2018 and Conquest of Kingdoms. Chronology: 2006-2018 gives listeners the opportunity to hear the timeline of tunes The Sword played earlier in their career and the noise coming from the instruments and vocals create grungy sounds that can give listeners an insight of who the band. Conquest of Kingdoms is just as good because the band plays on a bolder musical structure. The instrumentation and vocals show how much the band has grown throughout the years and the tunes can cause listeners to sing along or dance like crazy. Both compilations are wonderful and fans will not be disappointed.

On Conquest of Kingdoms, The Sword took a bold step by creating their version of the song “She” by Kiss. As a Kiss fan, this version is well played because the guitar riffs by Kyle Shutt and J.D. Cronise stays true to the original notes, the bass guitar playing by Bryan Richie blares in the background with low and deep rumbles, the drum playing by Santiago Vela III maintains the same musical beat that Peter Criss played on the original track and Cronise’s vocals compliment the song with his low vocal range. This version of ” She” shows how The Sword is not afraid to perform rock and roll inside the genre of metal.

Righteous “Immigrant Song,” originally done by Led Zeppelin, is amazing by how The Sword used creativity with their cover of this track. What is enjoyable is how deep the band sounds while performing. Shutt’s, Cronise’s and Richie’s guitar styles are different from the original but the catchy vibe coming from the riffs keeps the whole piece together. Also, Cronise’s vocals are great because he is able to create his own style of swagger while singing the famous lyrics. This cover shows how The Sword displays their powerful love for Led Zeppelin and they add the love with a powerful kick of noise.

Lovely “Night City” is a live track and the guitar playing steals the whole piece. Both Shutt and Cronise play exciting guitar sounds that amaze the audience and the absolutely best part is towards the end when Shutt performs a guitar solo that shreds through the speakers and into the ears of the crowd. The solo is wicked. It bleeds out the talent Shutt has as a musician and while the guitar solo is being played, Cronise does a good job of amplifying the atmosphere with steady riffs that compliment the musical style of this piece. “Night City” is a fun track that can cause people to air guitar while listening.

Majestic “The Black River” is a thunderous track by how Trivett Wingo (former member) plays deep drum beats. At the beginning, this sounds like a war tune with how Wingo creates a short and repeatable drum roll and then he quickly switches to a deeper drum beat that shakes the speakers. It is amusing how fast Wingo plays when he transitions to an erratic musical tempo because the rest of the band is playing just as fast throughout this piece. Also, the clashing sounds of the drum sticks hitting the symbols adds volume to this piece. “The Black River” is wonderfully performed by talented musicians.

On Chronology: 2006- 2018, “The Horned Goddess” gives listeners a taste of what The Sword sounded like earlier in their career. The music is not as deep but the clear-cutting noise can shake the veins of those that are listening and the instrumentation is being played on lighter musical structure. The instrumentation is good because of how metal and harmony collide into each other to create a fun musical beat. Also, Cronise’s vocal range stays on a lower pitch despite how fast the rest of the band is performing. “The Horned Goddess” is a great example of how hard The Sword worked to become the band they are today.

Jaw dropping  “Mist Shadow” is a piece that is filled with swagger due to how the band mixes the blues into the the depths of metal. What is surprisingly great about this composition is how well Cronise can croon the lyrics out and the sounds of the crooning is filled with sweet melody and harmony. In a neat way, Cronise’s singing style is similar to the late John Morrison’s vocal style because both singers have the same sound but in a different musical context. “Mist Shadow” has well performed vocals on it and Cronise did an amazing job singing the lyrics.

Impressive “Forever My Queen” is orignally performed by Pentagram and The Sword created their own version of it. This cover displays how the band can play the heavier side metal because Cronise’s vocals and guitar riffs are soft and steady, Shutt’s guitar solo emerges in the middle of the song and it produces produces killer notes, Richie is performing high volume bass guitar riffs and Kevin Fender’s (former member) drum beats contributes to the classy style the rest of the band is performing. “Forever My Queen” is a classic song and The Sword out performed themselves with this timeless piece.

Low-key “Buzzards” displays a softer side of The Sword because the band is playing on a slower tempo. What is noticeably intriguing about this piece is how the saxophone provides a touch of a jazz in the background and when the rest of the band chimes in, the elements bash into each other to provide a soother sound of metal. Also, the smoothness of Cronise’s vocals enlightens the atmosphere with a crispy sound of blues and jazz. “Buzzards” is a delightful piece of work and The Sword’s creativity is well crafted while performing the music.

The Sword has great music and when people hear both  Chronology: 2006 – 2018 and Conquest of Kingdoms, their minds will be conquered as well.