MUSIC: The Sword Shreds The Met
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Fresh from Austin, TX, The Sword brought its extraordinary brand of psychedelic bluesy heavy metal to The Met in Pawtucket.
Gypsyhawk
First up were Pasadena, CA's Gypsyhawk, showcasing epic and skull-shattering metal tunes that nearly shook the floor. No holds barred and triumphant sounds came from them and had me picking up my jaw to keep it from dropping. Even the people outside smoking cigarettes were amazed, emphatic rhythms and badass lyrics put everyone in a trance. The dueling guitars of Andrew Packer and Eric "Ron House" Klieber, seismic drumming from Ian "Pee Pee Rider" Brown, and Eric Harris' voice along with is demonic bass playing skills gave Gypsyhawk a eye-catching stage presence that was simply uncanny. Gypsyhawk has a new album out called Revelry & Resilience that you gotta get, it'll even cure the ones who are hard of hearing.
Eagle Claw
Fellow Austinians and instrumental metal giants Eagle Claw were up next. Sounding like a cross between The Melvins, Slayer and And So I Watch You From Afar, this quartet of mayhem had me awestruck. Driving riffs and earth-crumbling dynamics made me feel as if it would be the perfect soundtrack for the most brutal medieval battle known to man. A loud and explosive performance including "Bear Attack", "Wielder", "Uzumaki Vortex", "Book of Water", "Panzer", "Fifth Ring" and "Helm" had the crowd banging their heads with reckless abandon. Ferocious chord progressions courtesy of guitarists Mike Rade and Mike Gonz had me hooked, I was almost in disbelief while witnessing their sheer excellence. Eagle Claw has an album out called Timing Of The Void, a record that I must include in my never-ending library after seeing the intensity these guys can bring.
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Up last were the band everyone was excited and anxious to see, The Sword came on with their extraordinary brand of psychedelic bluesy heavy metal that tore the roof down. With Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III beating his drums as if they were atomic bombs, the groovy bass skills of Bryan Richie, blistering solos from the axe of Kyle Shutt and the harmonic voice of J.D Cronise to go along with his shredding on guitar, the crowd went completely insane with a carnival of mayhem encompassing the center of the floor. The Sword flayed souls alive left, right and in between with "Apocryphon", "Freya", "Hammer Of Heaven", "Codex Corvidae", "Tres Brujas", "To Take The Black", "Cloak Of Feathers", "The Hidden Masters", "Dying Earth", "Maiden, Mother & Crone", "Horned Goddess", "Seven Sisters", "Arrows In The Dark" and "The Veil of Isis", definitely the best heavy metal show I've ever seen in my 5 years of living in Rhode Island. As one would expect after a spectacular performance like that, the crowd was craving for more like a pack of flesh-eating zombies in a human slaughterhouse. Bassist Luther Smalls from Eagle Claw then went on the mic and yelled, "You motherfuckers want some Sword!!" and the crowd roared in approval with fists in the air. The Sword came back on for a stunning encore with "Barael's Blade" and "Winter's Wolves", flat out unreal in every way. The Sword has a new album Apocryphon out, in my opinion the best metal record of 2012. Another great night of music at The Met, log on to www.themetri.com to get all the information you need on the next kickass band is gracing the stage at the best music venue in Pawtucket.
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