For you classic metal aficionados out there who have never heard of them, SWORD (not to be confused with Austin doom stoners The Sword) is a Canadian band that swung hard with their 1986 debut, Metalized.
The album generated a decent amount of attention and even landed them opening slots for Motorhead, Alice Cooper and Metallica. Their 1989 follow up, Sweet Dreams, was another energized plate of trad metal but the band’s edge never penetrated very far beyond their Canadian homeland. It’s not clear why they broke up in the early 90s but according to their website, they’ve been happily playing in cover bands, raising families and working their 9-5 jobs.
No after 3 decades SWORD is back in full force with third album simply titled “III” – which seemingly picks up where the band left off 30 years ago. The riffs are still big, the production bigger and the sound heavy.
01 Bad Blood
02 (i Am) In Kommand
03 Dirty Pig
04 Surfacing
05 Unleashing Hell
06 Spread The Pain
07 Took My Chances
08 Not Me No Way
Rick Hughes (ex-Saints & Sinners) – Vocals
Mike Larock – Bass
Dan Hughes – Drums
Mike Plant – Guitars