The discography of The Sword, an American heavy metal band, consists of six studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, one extended play (EP), three split releases, 13 singles and ten music videos. Originally formed in Austin, Texas in 2003 by vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo, the band signed with Kemado Records in 2005 and released debut album Age of Winters the following year.[1] "Freya" was released as a single in 2007,[2] followed by a split EP with Swedish band Witchcraft featuring new track "Sea of Spears" and a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".[1]
| The Sword discography | |
|---|---|
 The Sword performing live in 2013 | |
| Studio albums | 6 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Live albums | 1 |
| Compilation albums | 3 |
| Singles | 13 |
| Music videos | 11 |
| Split releases | 3 |
In 2008 the band released Gods of the Earth, which reached number 102 on the US Billboard 200.[3] "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" was released as its sole single.[4] In March 2010, the band released a split single with Year Long Disaster, which was followed in August by Warp Riders.[1] The album was supported by the release of two singles – "Tres Brujas" and "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" – as well as a trilogy of music videos.[5] Warp Riders peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200,[3] as well as reaching the top ten of the Hard Rock Albums, Independent Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts.[6][7][8]
With new drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III and new label Razor & Tie,[9][10] the Sword returned with its fourth studio album Apocryphon in October 2012.[1] It was the band's first to reach the US top 20, peaking at number 17,[3] as well as the first to reach the top ten of the Top Rock Albums chart at a peak position of number 4.[11] The band's fifth album High Country was released in August 2015, charting in the US at number 30,[3] with the acoustic companion album Low Country released the following year reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart.[6] The Sword's first live album Greetings From... was released in May 2017.[1]
In March 2018, the band released its sixth studio album Used Future.[12] The album debuted at number 104 on the Billboard 200, the lowest position in the band's career since Age of Winters had failed to chart.[3] It also reached number 6 on the Hard Rock Albums chart and number 16 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[6][11] After a two-year hiatus, the Sword is set to return in 2020 with two compilations: Conquest of Kingdoms and Chronology: 2006–2018.[13][14]
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US Hard [6] |
US Indie [7] |
US Rock [11] |
US Taste [8] |
AUS [15] |
GER [16] |
UK [17] |
UK Indie [18] |
UK Rock [19] | ||
| Age of Winters | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Gods of the Earth |
|
102 | 14 | 11 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 12 | 30 |
| Warp Riders |
|
42 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | 26 | 20 |
| Apocryphon |
|
17 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 47 | 21 |
| High Country |
|
30 | 4 | — | 7 | 5 | 74 | 91 | 128 | 13 | 11 |
| Used Future |
|
104 | 6 | — | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 25 |
| "—" denotes a release that did not register on that chart. | |||||||||||
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peaks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Hard Sales [20] |
US Rock Sales [21] | ||
| Greetings From... |
|
10 | 43 |
Compilations
edit| Title | Album details | Peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Curr. [22] |
US Hard [6] |
US Rock [11] |
US Taste [8] | ||
| Low Country |
|
97 | 10 | 32 | 24 |
| Conquest of Kingdoms |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Chronology: 2006–2018 |
|
— | — | — | — |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| iTunes Festival: London 2010 |
|
| Conquest of Quarantine |
|
Split releases
edit| Title | Release details |
|---|---|
| Untitled split with Witchcraft (split with Witchcraft) |
|
| "Cold Sweat/Maiden, Mother & Crone" (split with Year Long Disaster) |
|
| "Tonight We Bleed/Turnt to Dust" (split with The Black Angels) |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Freya" | 2007 | Age of Winters |
| "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" | 2008 | Gods of the Earth |
| "Tres Brujas" | 2010 | Warp Riders |
| "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" | ||
| "Hammer of Heaven" | 2012 | non-album single |
| "The Hidden Masters/Arcane Montane" | 2014 | Apocryphon |
| "High Country" | 2015 | High Country |
| "John the Revelator" | 2016 | non-album single |
| "Seriously Mysterious" (acoustic) | Low Country | |
| "Maiden, Mother & Crone" (live) | 2017 | Greetings From... |
| "Deadly Nightshade" | 2018 | Used Future |
| "Twilight Sunrise" | ||
| "Freya" (live at Stubb's, 2011) | 2020 | Conquest of Kingdoms |
Music videos
edit| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Winter's Wolves" | 2006 | David Foote | [23] |
| "Freya" | Barnaby Roper | [24] | |
| "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" | 2008 | Michael Colao, Josh Litwhiler | [25] |
| "Maiden, Mother & Crone" | Artificial Army | [26] | |
| "How Heavy This Axe" | Super!Alright! | [27] | |
| "Tres Brujas" | 2010 | Artificial Army | [28] |
| "Lawless Lands" | |||
| "Night City" | 2011 | ||
| "The Veil of Isis" | 2012 | Simon Chan | [29] |
| "Cloak of Feathers" | 2013 | Rich Ragsdale | [30] |
| "Used Future" | 2018 | Rooster Teeth | [31] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Sword: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Freya/Iron Swan - The Sword: Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Sword Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyria – The Sword: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ "The Sword: 'Night City' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. March 31, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "The Sword Chart History: Hard Rock Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ a b "The Sword Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Sword Chart History: Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Joe (October 17, 2011). "The Sword Name Santiago 'Jimmy' Vela III as Permanent Drummer". Loudwire. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "The Sword Sign New Worldwide Deal With Razor & Tie". Razor & Tie. March 24, 2012. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "The Sword Chart History: Rock Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Eduardo Rivadavia. "The Sword - Music Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "The Sword "Conquest Of Kingdoms" 3x12"". IndieMerch. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "The Sword "Chronology" 3xCD". IndieMerch. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (August 29, 2015). "ARIA Albums: Disturbed Debuts At No 1 In Australia". Noise11. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ^ "28 August, 2015". Top 100 Albums Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "Chart: CLUK Update 29.08.2015 (wk35)". zobbel.de. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ UK Independent Albums Chart peak positions for The Sword albums:
- Gods of the Earth: "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 06 April 2008 - 12 April 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- Warp Riders: "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 29 August 2010 - 04 September 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- Apocryphon: "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 11 November 2012 - 17 November 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- High Country: "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 28 August 2015 - 03 September 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart peak positions for The Sword albums:
- Gods of the Earth: "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 06 April 2008 - 12 April 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- Warp Riders: "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 29 August 2010 - 04 September 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- Apocryphon: "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 11 November 2012 - 17 November 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- High Country: "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 28 August 2015 - 03 September 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- Used Future: "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 30 April 2018 - 05 April 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "Greetings From... - The Sword: Hard Rock Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ^ "Greetings From... - The Sword: Rock Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ^ "Top Current Albums: October 15, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "The Sword; 'Winter's Wolves' Video to Make Fuse and MTV2 Network Premiere(s) This Weekend". Bravewords.com. March 24, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "The Sword Completes Work On New Music Video". Blabbermouth.net. August 2, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Kemado Records (March 24, 2008). "The Sword - Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians". YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Kemado Records (April 28, 2008). "The Sword - Maiden, Mother & Crone (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Kemado Records (October 29, 2008). "The Sword - How Heavy This Axe (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "The Sword: 'Night City' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. March 31, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Martins, Chris (November 16, 2012). "The Sword Breed a Powerful She-Devil in 'Veil of Isis' Video". Spin. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "The Sword: 'Cloak Of Feathers' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. April 29, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "The Sword: 'Used Future' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.