aaamusic | On 23, Aug 2010

I think I may have looped through the time/space continuum and into either the 1980s, or one of the more obscure paragraphs in Seb Hunter’s fond explanation of all things metal, ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. Either way, we are not in Kansas anymore. We are in the realm of that great and terrifying beast: the heavy metal concept album. And The Sword’s contribution to this long-haired and gleaming landscape is not just metal, but MEEETAAAUUUHHHHLLLL. Welcome to the world of ‘Warp Riders’.

Starting off with suitably dour atmospherics and a chugging guitar riff, ‘Acheron/Unearthing The Orb’ kicks off exactly how you would expect. The drums are loud, the guitars are loud and noodling, and the bass is loud. However, there is a display of deft musical ability and knowledge. Opening with a full-length instrumental track can be a daunting task, but straight away The Sword prove they can inject enough variation and passion into their music to sustain attention, straddling thrash, doom, and punk-styled metal with finesse.

However, this is indeed a concept album and so this requires a song with a lyrical narrative. So arriving with a catchy riff and snarling attitude comes ‘Tres Brujas’, a fantasy tale of encountering witches set to some razor-sharp playing with precise and enjoyable riffs, and drumming that is able to abuse cymbals while holding together a solid technique.

‘The Chronomancer I: Hubris’ is not a paperback I picked up, but the fourth track and a seven-minute leviathan that rains down from the speakers with buzzsaw distortion and an irresistible rhythm that recalls a time when heavy metal was far more enjoyable to mosh to. Unlike its atmospheric yet bewildering predecessor ‘Arrows In The Dark’, this song’s narrative structure is slightly more recognisable. However, the length does feel slightly self-indulgent towards the end. The more stripped-down sonic approach of ‘Lawless Lands’ is a relief then as the intro feature a simple marching beat with a notable restraint in the cymbal department, not to mention some truly massive riffs and melodies. The vocals pick up more passion here too, which provides some more life too.

‘Astraea’s Dream’ features a suitably spaced-out echo and heavy sci-fi atmospherics before the rock-hard hard rocking commences with a slow yet powerful buildup and harmonised guitars before a dog-eat-dog circlepit inducing instrumental commences and proceeds to fluctuate seamlessly between thrash and doom riffs. Then, it is the title track, once again lyrically pulling together the narrative of the Warp Riders. Unfortunately, The Sword are such a powerful musical unit that the vocals feel a little surplus to requirements at times, and I’m not sure if it is just a mixing decision or a feature of the band in general, but the vocals often come across as being overwhelmed by the sheer density of instruments. That said, this is by far the most lyrically clear track, and the musicianship is solid and showy as anything.

I would say that ‘Night City’ could easily pass as a conventional heavy metal track, with clanging percussion, cowbell, guitar slides and riffing bordering on sleazy grind, with ambiguously low-life lyrics. However, ‘Chronomancer II: Nemesis’ then kicks us firmly back into the world of heavy sludgy sci-fi metal, hinting at The Sword’s past in stoner metal with subsonic instrumentation and taut drumming, before launching into Pantera.

Closing off is ‘(The Night The Sky Cried) Tears Of Fire’, a climactic epic of a track that leaves with all guns blazing.  “This is the hour of the phoenix” could not be more appropriate, as The Sword have reinvented themselves as a successfully diverse crew of metalheads.

As a metal album, this has all the necessary ingredients: it is loud, bombastic, full of talented technical playing, and heavy as you’d like. And, if you will excuse my language, more than a little wanky in that manner that endears bands to metal fans and alienates the majority of the uninitiated. However, my gripe is that I feel a bit cheated out of a concept. This is a concept with a narrative that is nebulous at best. As a musical epic, this is a fully accomplished work, but as a narrative, I’m not so sure given that the lyrics were, especially earlier on, rather minimal and the slightly lacklustre vocals doesn’t help. If you want a full-on concept in your concept album, keep on looking, but if you’re in the mood for some warp-speed metal, plug in and rock out.

Author: Katie H-Halinski