Album Review- The Sword,Apocryphon

Having weathered the drummer storm,The Sword are back with a brand new album,and a ridiculous title to go with it.For the record,'Apocryphon' refers to secret biblical texts,banned from being publicly taught, reserved for only trusted disciples.

That might sound like some deep tripper business,but of course that's what the Sword are all about.Witches,Wizards and all things Lovecraft,paired with thunderous doom riffs that sound like Sleep's Holy Mountain juiced up on speed.Well, at least that's what they played when I came across their debut, Age Of Winters. 7 years on, and 4 albums down the track, The Sword have progressed to sound a bit less evil,and Apocryphon certainly follows many more musical conventions than previous works.

The guitars are still big, with a smattering of lead breaks thrown about the place, but the ominous feel has definitely been left behind. New drummer, Santiago 'Jimmy' Vela III has certainly slipped into the band easily, not only filling the very large shoes of Trivett Wingo, but bringing his own touch. Whilst accented high hats and cow bells would have been un-thinkable in the past, these elements have taken their place very well.
Frontman J.Cronise has elaborated that some of the lyrical themes are more in touch with this world than that of Warp Riders, and has taken to using his song writing as a tool for expression, writing about a variety of real world issues. Where as vocal lines have previously been short and direct, applied in liberal drops that don't stand in the way of guitar riffs, lines here are long, and full, encompassing more melodic interest.
The big change is in the song structures, Where previously the band would gallop from one chug-fest to another, the songs off Apocryphon reveal themselves as being more conventionally structured,with clear cut verses, and catchy choruses. 'Cloak Of Feathers' even sees each instrumentalist take a turn at soloing for a bar or two,before passing it on to another member. Whilst Warp Riders hinted this direction,Aporcyphon takes it to the next level.
Many of the band's contemporaries list bands 70's heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath,Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple as their influences, there's a taste of Texas on 'Arcane Montane', which has Z.Z Top written all over it.
Although synthesizers are not new to the band, they have been used in new ways on this record,demonstrated clearly in the title track,which was our first taste of the new material. Putting out a track with a distinct, Electronic intro was a very risky move for the band, as the first couple seconds have surely turned off a heap of metal heads. And lets not even mention that stupid thing about arranging the symbols on their website to unlock a stream of the album. That really didn't make much sense to me.
Overall, Apocryphon is another step down the musical path for the band, which has led them from a niche market of the stoner/doom crowd to a much wider metal audience. It's not a departure from the band we know and love, but it's a step in a direction that might distance many of the bands' original fans. It will take a while for it to grow on you, so give it a few chances before you decide if you would rather this stayed a secret that wasn't shared.