Austin heavy rockers The Sword have been on hiatus for two years. The band took a break following a prolific string of releases and tours, an era its tapped into for two career-spanning compilations, Conquest of Kingdoms and Chronology 2006-2018, out on June 5th.
Conquest of Kingdoms is a 3-LP vinyl collection of previously unreleased live tracks, B-sides, covers, and rarities. Chronology 2006-2018 is a 3-CD compendium that includes the band’s greatest-hits and fan favorites, and also includes some of the rarities featured on Conquest of Kingdoms.
“We’ve got all these exclusive 7-inches and a split record or two, that were pressed in 1,000 quantities — maybe people heard those tracks on a YouTube stream in not really the greatest quality,” bassist Brian Richie said in a press release. “As the band had gone on hiatus, we had this wealth of material to share including live sets — things that were sitting on my hard drive for years, things that were given to me at shows. It seemed like the right time.”
The cover selections are particularly notable, with The Sword honoring many of the heavy psych and proto-metal bands that came before them. Some of the notable covers on Conquest of Kingdoms include Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen”, KISS’ “She”, Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”, and more.
Longtime fans will recognize highlight tracks from the band’s studio output on Chronology 2006 – 2018, including the instant classic “Freya”, “Cloak of Feathers”, and “The Warp Riders”, among others.
“The CD release [Chronology 2006-2018] will be more of a career retrospective with selections from each of our albums as well as the rarities and B-sides and things,” singer/guitarist John D. Cronise said of the methodology of the separate compilation. “Sort of a mini box set, you could say. The set will include a booklet with essays and photos, to make it special and extra. Whereas the LP release [Conquest of Kingdoms] is more streamlined, with just the B-side and rarities material. Personally for me, that’s what’s exciting about the releases. A lot of that stuff I never thought would see the light of day but I always thought was really cool and was proud of.”
The Sword are scheduled to emerge from hiatus for a string of shows this summer — “virus permitting,” according to Richie — some headlining and some supporting Primus’ tour covering Rush’s Farewell to Kings. See those dates below, and get tickets here.
Listen to a live version of “Freya” recorded in 2011 at Stubb’s in Austin below. Pre-order the compilations via Craft Recordings.
The Sword North American 2020 Tour Dates with Primus:
05/26 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion
05/27 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
05/29 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
05/30 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theater
06/01 – Asheville, NC @ ExploreAsheville.com Arena
06/02 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco *
06/03 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
06/04 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum *
06/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
06/06 – Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
06/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
06/09 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
06/10 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
06/11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Majestic Theater *
06/12 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
06/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue*
06/15 – Richmond, VA @ Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
06/16 – Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavilion
06/17 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
06/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
06/20 – Asbury Par, NJ @ The Stone Pony
06/21 – Essex Junction, VT @ Midway Lawn
06/23 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
06/24 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
06/25 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place *
06/26 – Sterlight Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
06/27 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion
06/28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
06/30 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Echo Beach
07/01 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
07/02 – St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room *
07/03 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street *
* = The Sword only
Conquest of Kingdoms Tracklist:
Side A
01. The Horned Goddess (live) *
02. Barael’s Blade (live) *
03. Lament for the Aurochs (live) *
04. Iron Swan (live) *
Side B
01. The Sundering (live)*
02. Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians (live) *
03. The Black River (live) *
04. The White Sea (live) *
Side C
01. Sea of Spears (live) *
02. Freya (live) *
03. Night City (live) *
04. The Chronomancer II: Nemesis (live)
Side D
01. He’s Waiting (C Average Version)
02. Sea of Spears
03. Immigrant Song
04. Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings
05. Codex Corvidae
06. Freya ‘08 *
Side E
01. Forever My Queen *
02. She*
03. Daughter of Dawn
04. Farstar
05. Cold Sweat
06. Cheap Sunglasse
Side F
01. Hammer of Heaven
02. Hexenringe
03. Seriously Mysterious (Level One Remix) *
04. John the Revelator
05. Turnt to Dust *
06. Serpent Weather
* = Previously unreleased
Chronology 2006 – 2018 Tracklist:
Disc 1
01. Freya
02. Winter’s Wolves
03. The Horned Goddess
04. Iron Swan
05. How Heavy This Axe
06. Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians
07. Maiden, Mother & Crone
08. The Black River
09. Acheron/Unearthing the Orb
10. Lawless Lands
11. The Warp Riders
12. (The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire
13. The Horned Goddess (live) *
14. Barael’s Blade (live) *
15. Lament for the Aurochs (live) *
16. Iron Swan (live) *
Disc 2
01. Cloak of Feathers
02. Dying Earth
03. Seven Sisters
04. Apocryphon
05. Empty Temples
06. Mist & Shadow
07. Early Snow
08. The Dreamthieves
09. Seriously Mysterious (acoustic)
10. Buzzards (acoustic)
11. Deadly Nightshade
12. Sea of Green
13. Used Future
14. Come and Gone
15. Sea of Spears (live) *
16. Freya (live) *
17. Night City (live) *
18. The Chronomancer II: Nemesis (live
Disc 3
01. He’s Waiting (C Average Version)
02. Sea of Spears
03. Immigrant Song
04. Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings
05. Codex Corvidae
06. Freya ’08 *
07. Forever My Queen *
08. She*
09. Daughter of Dawn
10. Farstar
11. Cold Sweat
12. Cheap Sunglasses
13. Hammer of Heaven
14. Hexenringe
15. Seriously Mysterious (Level One Remix)*
16. John the Revelator
17. Turnt to Dust *
18. Serpent Weather
* = Previously Unreleased
The Sword Announce Two Career-Spanning Compilations, Share Unreleased Live Version of “Freya”: Stream
Jon Hadusek