The Sword, who hail from Austin, Texas, are the best new metal band of the 21st century. With three phenomenal albums under their belts and massively successful tours with Metallica and Guns N' Roses adding legions to their fanbase, they are at the tipping point right now. Each album has been more popular than the last, with the most recent, last year's 'Warp Riders' (read my review here), debuting at #47 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The band is still touring in support of 'Warp Riders,' currently opening for Kyuss Lives! Unfortunately, Columbus is not part of that tour itinerary, but The Sword will play a special headlining show this Sunday night, December 4, at Outland Live. This will probably be the last chance you'll get to see these guys play in a really small club. I saw them three years ago, at the Value City Arena, opening for Metallica, and despite the fact that they were warming the crowd up for the biggest metal band of all time (the legendary Down was also on the bill), they more than held their own and converted me into a fan for life.
I was lucky enough to schedule an e-mail interview with guitarist/vocalist J. D. Cronise. Below is the transcript:
Examiner: 'Gods of the Earth' ultimately reached 102 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and 'Warp Riders' debuted at 47, yet you're worlds above the typical, generic fare that passes for mainstream contemporary rock. Now that you've had two successful albums, do you ever feel any pressure to put out an album that is tailor-made for radio airplay and
mainstream exposure?
JD: We've actually made three albums, and I consider all of them successful in that they were the albums we wanted to make. There's not really outside pressure on us to be more "mainstream." Sure, it would be great to have a song on the radio, but I don't consider that the measure of a good song. We're just trying to make music that we think is good and that we would want to hear.
Examiner: ‘Warp Riders’ is, however, a much more diverse and eclectic album than your first two. Was there any fear of alienating any of your fanbase while recording ‘Warp Riders’?
JD: Any change that a band like us makes is going to alienate at least a small number of fans. A lot of people are uncomfortable with change in any form, so when a band they like tries something different, they resist it. Fortunately for us, though, the vast majority of our fans are pretty open-minded and just like good music.
Examiner:‘Warp Riders’ is also your first album to not be self-produced. Did working with an outside producer allow you to better focus on writing music?
JD: It allowed us to focus more on our playing. We don't write in the studio, so all the songs were done before recording began. For a band like us playing songs live before recording them is essential. There's really no other way to go about it. But once we were in the studio, having someone else making sure it sounded good was a great relief. I definitely found out during the recording of ‘Gods of the Earth’ that trying to sing lead vocals, play guitar, and produce an album is not an easy task. For ‘Warp Riders’ we figured it was time to call in a professional!
Examiner: With ‘Warp Riders’ you created almost an entire science fiction mythology. Do you think you might expand on that mythology in the future?
JD: It's possible, though, I have no specific plans in that direction. But you never know: some characters or something could pop up in future songs. Just don't expect ‘Warp Riders II’ anytime soon.
Examiner: I love the album cover for ‘Warp Riders.’ It reminds me of a lot of the science fiction novels published in the 1960s and 70s that I grew up reading, and still read. Did you also read a lot of those books?
JD: I've certainly read my share of science fiction. Not just from that era, but much older and newer stuff as well. The album cover was definitely inspired by 70's sci-fi art, though. It was done by an Australian artist named Dan McPharlin who has since apparently dropped off the face of the earth. You out there, Dan?
Examiner: Lars Ulrich of Metallica picked your album ‘Gods of the Earth’ as his favorite album of 2008. How gratifying is that is have such a high-profile musician in your corner? Does praise from such a legendary musician mean more than, say, a high-profile magazine review?
JD: It's pretty cool for sure. But yeah, having a magazine give your band a good review or write a nice article about you is awesome. Having guys who played on some of your favorite records actually like and listen to your band is a whole different level, though.
Examiner: You also toured with Metallica that same year. And now you just did a date with Guns N' Roses. Do you like doing big arena shows?
JD: They're fun. It's like a big, exaggerated version of a real show. And of course it's been an honor to play with those bands. But I'll take a cool club with a good sound system any day!
Examiner: How is Santiago "Jimmy" Vela working out? Is he going to be a permanent member of the band?
JD: He is our new drummer. Unless he freaks out and quits, but so far so good!
The Sword will be performing at Outland Live on Sunday, December 4. Black Cobra and Mount Carmel will be opening for The Sword. This is an all ages show and the doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 the day of the show. Tickets are available at the venue.
Comments