Review by Andrew Bansal, photos & videos by Matt Nielson
October 21st 2015, The Glass House, Pomona CA: Following the release of their fifth full-length studio album ‘High Country’ via Razor & Tie Records in August 2015, Austin, Texas riffmongers The Sword announced an extensive North American touring run for the Fall, to present tunes from the new record as well as an assortment of older material, playing a full 90-minute set in headline gigs. Through previous albums ‘Warp Riders’ (2010) and ‘Apocryphon’ (2012), The Sword exhibited changes and progression in their musical style, introducing more and more classic hard rock into the stoner metal sound they started out with on early albums ‘Age Of Winters’ (2006) and ‘Gods Of The Earth’ (2008). With ‘High Country’, they took their tendencies of experimentation to a new level, and for longtime fans and followers it was going to be interesting to observe how the band’s musical journey is reflected in a full live performance. The Sword arrived at the Glass House in Pomona, California for a headline show last Wednesday October 21st 2015 with support acts All Them Witches and Mondo Drag. Fans turned up expecting a great evening, but even diehards could not have predicted the kind of treat they were in for.
Doors opened at 7, and the show began promptly at 8 PM with Mondo Drag starting proceedings. Originally having started out in 2006 in Iowa, Mondo Drag are now based out of Oakland, California, and were the ‘local’ opening act at this show. They turned out to be a very appropriate selection for this purpose, as their synth-heavy hallucinogenic psych rock took this unsuspecting audience somewhere onto a distant planet. Keyboardist/vocalist John Gamino was clearly the lynchpin of the quintet, and donning vintage instruments and attire, his band mates complemented him well. The turnout was light at this point of the evening, but the rightly labeled ‘fog prog / heavy psych’ Mondo Drag were a bonus for those that turned up early.
Next up, bluesy psychedelic/stoner rock quartet All Them Witches from Nashville, Tennessee, on tour with The Sword for this run of dates, took the stage and delivered a performance that was just as engaging as the one that first compelled Metal Assault to take notice of the band, at the Scion Rock Fest in this neighborhood last year. On that occasion they played the smallest stage in the bar next door, and this time they proved themselves as more than worthy of rocking the Glass House stage. Just like Mondo Drag, the synth layers form an important element in All Them Witches’ sound, but certainly not to the same extent, as guitarist Ben McLeod soothed many a soul at the Glass House with his pristine guitar tone and playing, while bassist Michael Parks Jr, who stood in the exact same position as Mondo Drag’s John Gamino, was the main vocal component. Besides, drummer Robby Staebler was also very much a central figure, sonically and visually. All Them Witches played a 45-minute set, which felt a little bit too long for their style of music and the band would have made a stronger impact had they played a tad shorter, but other than that, they impressed one and all, and will garner a sizable audience upon their return to the area.
The turnaround time between bands was swift, as this was no extreme metal show, and before the audience knew it, the four members proudly comprising The Sword lined up and walked on stage at their scheduled start time of 9:55. Beginning with the ‘High Country’ song ‘Buzzards’, they played as many as eight songs from the album, and the performance also included four songs off of ‘Apocryphon’, along with two from ‘Warp Riders’, and sprinklings of the first two albums to altogther make for a very comprehensive set that rightly focused on the newest album but also presented plenty of older tunes, to the delight of the fans.
From ‘Warp Riders’ onwards, The Sword’s music has only matured and developed positively over the past five years, but hasn’t got the appreciation or recognition it deserves. While many fans of the early incarnations of The Sword sit at home and moan about them no longer being a High On Fire worship band, the energy of this particular audience was refreshing and pleasantly surprising, as the cheers for the ‘Apocryphon’ and ‘Warp Riders’ songs were just as loud, and on some occasions even louder than those for the early material. Fans in the front few rows were seen singing along and headbanging to tunes like ‘Cloak Of Feathers’, ‘Seven Sisters’ and ‘Lawless Lands’, while ‘Dying Earth’, arguably the highlight of the show, was well worth waiting for till the end of the main set.
The Sword were at their absolute peak, and this performance can be rightly heralded as the best show they’ve ever played in Los Angeles county. This 90-minute headline set certainly weeded out the posers and was intended for real fans of the band, of which there were many in this audience, as upon looking around through the set it was noticable that everyone stayed till the end and no one left early. The new songs sounded stronger than anyone would have expected, and overall, The Sword utilized the Glass House’s sound system better than most bands that Metal Assault has witnessed play here, as coping with the challenge of the unusual shape of the stage and the room isn’t straightforward. Guitarist Kyle Shutt laid down the performance of his life, nailing all the solos with great feel. He is probably the best guitarist no one ever talks about, and is an unsung rock ‘n roll hero of our generation. Alongside him, frontman J.D. Cronise, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Jimmy Vela also put their best foot forward and combined to orchestrate a show that re-established fans’ faith in the band, a show that proved The Sword as one of the greatest bands of the 21st century.
Metal Assault does not recommend judging a band based on mere studio material, and as The Sword showed with thoroughly enjoyable renditions of the ‘High Country’ songs, one can often find far greater appreciation for an album upon hearing it in a live setting and seeing the band performing it. ‘High Country’ undoubtedly comes under this category, and for that reason, anyone and everyone that ever called themselves fans of The Sword must attend a show on this touring cycle.
The Glass House was treated to some high-caliber rock music on this fine Wednesday evening, and it was nothing short of a privilege to be in attendance.
Set List:
01. Buzzards
02. Tres Brujas
03. Arcane Montane
04. The Horned Goddess
05. High Country
06. The Dreamthieves
07. Seven Sisters
08. Lawless Lands
09. Tears Like Diamonds
10. Mist & Shadow
11. Cloak Of Feathers
12. Empty Temples
13. Ghost Eye
14. Maiden, Mother & Crone
15. Dying Earth
Encore:
16. Suffer No Fools
17. Freya
Photos from the show:
The Sword remaining US tour dates:
10/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Slims
10/25 – Sacramento, CA @ Gibson Ranch (Aftershock)
10/27 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
10/29 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10/30 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
10/31 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
11/02 – Denver, CO @ Gothic
11/03 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
11/04 – Lubbock, TX @ Jakes
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