Full Album Streams: Apocryphon by The Sword
To say that I’m jazzed up about the new Sword album is quite the understatement. Since their debut record, Age of Winters, I have been totally enthralled by their hard-hitting blend of doom metal and hard rock. With each release since their debut they just became tighter and tighter culminating with 2010′s sci-fi epic Warp Riders. With that album we heard The Sword take a turn for more hard rock, bluesy sounding music with hints of doom metal sprinkled in and on their new release Apocryphon they ventured into that sound even more. After one playthrough I can say that I am wholly satisfied with the album and it will be getting lots of spins in the near and far future. Such great grooves, thick riffs, catchy songs, and all other great things you say about music you enjoy. When the honeymoon phase runs out and I can give a serious review on the record without fanboying all over it I’ll have one posted up, but until then give it a listen for yourself and let us know what you think. Click here or on the album cover above to go to the stream. Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!!
P.S. In order to listen to the stream you have to solve a ‘puzzle’ which is easily cracked with a little trial and error. If you are feeling lazy, I took a screenshot of the completed ‘puzzle’ so you can click here for the solution and get right to listening.
Posted on October 22, 2012, in Tales From Bandcamp & Full Album Streams and tagged Album Streams, Apocryphon, Hard Rock, metal, Music, Rock, The Sword. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
I’ve heard it in full now and I’m a bit disappointed. I like the “Gods of the earth” record. It has grooving riffs and great vocals. In my opinion it has also a certain lack of catchyness and not much 100% hits like “To take the black” or the awesome “Maiden, mother and crone”, but I hoped maybe the next record would change that. Unfortunately I never bought it. Now I’m listening to “Apocryphon” and it seems to me this is still not what i hoped for. Bummer!
Besides, what is that thing with this PC-created cover artworks. I really hate them more and more. This style surely suits some bands but not The Sword (or Blind Guardian, or AC/DC, or all the cruel Nuclear Blast-montages). The artwork of “Gods of the earth” is so epic! The Apocryphon-cover isn’t that bad but it would look a thousand times better if it was painted.
Also, do you know Red Fang? They sound similar but for me they succeeded rather than The Sword.
I’ll have to disagree on some points. I’m totally digging Apocryphon and find it very catchy. It’s less on the metal side and less on the Norse mythology and fantasy thing than their first 2 records, and I dig the whole, very clean, sci-fi sound. I like how everything is nice and simple throughout. I really liked Warp Riders too and kinda guessed that the hard rock, Thin Lizzy inspired sound would be the path they would follow.
I dig the cover work, but ya, I get what you are saying about the CG album covers. Not a big fan of them myself, but I don’t mind hybrids like the one above. That last BG cover was pretty bad, especially when their track record for album covers has been so high (don’t even get me started on Iron Maiden). Lol@ Nuclear Blast.
And yes, I know Red Fang quite well. Damn good band! I have one of their albums lined up for a Bandcamp post.
I just read on Wikipedia that the cover is acutal a painting. But it really looks like on of those more motley montages.
Sweet review! The sound of this album really transcends a lot of the traditional metal stereotypes while not losing the band’s essence, which is what really caught my attention. I
m looking forward to seeing them live next week and hear it all like Eyes Of The Stormwitch http://bit.ly/Tu0pGx I hope they’re visuals are on par with their new sound and videos haha
Have fun seeing them live. I’m stilly dying to catch them in concert. The last time they were to come to Italy they canceled because the drummer left the band. I’m hoping for a Milan date when they start hitting EU.