Away Team

After a successful first leg of the Kyuss Lives tour, The Sword have officially announced Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III as their new drummer. The band would like to thank the talented Mr. Kevin Fender for sitting in this past year, following the departure of original drummer, Trivett Wingo.

The Sword wraps up the touring cycle for their 3rd album, Warp Riders, with 18 U.S and Canadian shows November 19th through December 10th, once again supporting Kyuss Lives.

8-Nov Stillwater, Ok Eskimo Joe’s/”The Adult Swim Block Party”
15-Nov El Paso, TX Tricky Falls
16-Nov Tucson, AZ Club Congress
17-Nov San Diego, CA House of Blues
18-Nov Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre
19-Nov San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
21-Nov Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
22-Nov Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
23-Nov Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
24-Nov Kamloops, BC Pogue Mahone Pub
25-Nov Fernie, BC The Northern
26- Nov Calgary Flames Central
27- Nov Edmonton Edmonton Event Center
29- Nov Winnipeg The Garrick Centre
30- Nov Minneapolis First Avenue
1- Dec Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
2- Dec Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
3- Dec Pontiac, MI The Crofoot
5- Dec Greensburg, PA The Palace Theatre
6- Dec Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom
7- Dec Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
8- Dec New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
9- Dec Huntington, NY Paramount Theater
10- Dec Montclair, NJ The Wellmont Theater

The band will commence writing for their 4th CD early in 2012.









For more THE SWORD click here.

Away-Team: I’m sitting backstage at Mayhem Fest with Dave McClain from the Bay Area’s Machine Head. Thanks Dave for your patience while we navigated through the ridiculousness that was the venue trying to get the gates open an hour late. Let’s just get right into it shall we?

Dave McClain: Absolutely man, no problem.

Away-Team: Machine Head released The Blackening in 2007 to critical praise. To many, myself included it was the album of the year, and again for myself it was the best album Machine Head has ever put out.

Dave McClain: Awesome, wow! Thank you.

Away-Team: There was a ton of press overseas that embraced you and the album and sang the praise of Machine Head and The Blackening. While the US press didn’t seem to even acknowledge Machine Head even existed. It seemed to me that you guys couldn’t even get arrested here. What is it about Europe and their fans that seem to embrace metal so openly and fully, and yet the states can seem to be bothered with it? What I’m asking is… Is it the fans that feed the media over there or the media embracing the music and opening up the fans to it?

Dave McClain: It’s something you really can’t put your finger on here. You go anywhere else in the world and it’s the same mentality as when we were all kids getting into metal. When I started getting into Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal back then… I think it’s the same thing here now, it’s a sub culture a community of misfits that latched on to this type of music and to this day around the world people simply live for this music. There are so many different things going on in the States to take your time and attention. It is so big over here territory wise that it’s harder to get to everyone or get everyone together for larger shows. Where Germany is the size of Texas and we can spend a week just in Germany hitting thousands and thousands of people, where in Texas there is a lot of empty space between towns and we’re playing to hundreds of people instead. There are so many types of music pushed here in the states and so many of those avenues don’t promote metal, I think Revolver is pretty much the only US magazine that promotes metal. And they are warming up to Machine Head now which is cool. There definitely was a while there in the US before The Blackening even where we couldn’t get any attention at all. We were sitting there like, ‘come on man, we’re right here!’ and they were just, ‘No thanks we’re going to go cover hip hop’ or whatever. So now, Through The Ashes was the record that finally kicked the door in a little and got our foot in. And The Blackening was the one that re-established us. It is getting better here; we are definitely NOT giving up on the US. We’ve never been that band in the US that’s just exploded! It’s always just been a fight for us, and that’s cool to us. Back in the day when gold records mattered we’d still be playing the same size venues as bands that had gold records. But it is coming around again now. Thank god for festivals like this. That are really band friendly and people like John Reese the guy that puts this thing on (John Reese is co-creator of Rockstar Mayhem Fest) loves metal, he tours with the festival, gets the bands together and has theme parties during the tour for the bands. It’s very cool to have the organizer be that involved with the tour and with the bands on that level. And then today with the internet the way it is, any interview you do can go anywhere, be read or heard anywhere in the world now. So that helps a lot in getting the word out about Machine Head.

Away-Team: So to you what is the main difference between US festivals like Mayhem and the European Festivals?

Dave McClain: Well mainly the festivals over there are just like for a weekend, where these are tours. It’s a lot of camping out over there, tent cities and stuff. They’re like the super die hards there. You’ve got some popping up here now like that, like Bonnaroo and Coachella. It’s really just a matter of time I hope before you see Metallica do like a Sonisphere over here you know? Just have a two day festival and do four or five of them around the country. And over there the festivals are pretty diverse music style wise.

Away-Team: You get a little bit of everything in a two day festival there. More of a “Lollapalooza” feel over there.

Dave McClain: Right, exactly. And this, while it is a tour, it’s different. Because for us, well, for the side stage bands, that’s the crowds we’re used to, the kids are flying around, the dirt is flying around, and everything is going crazy. Then you come over here to the main stage and you’re playing to a lot of people that don’t even get here till six o’clock and could give a shit about Machine Head or even Megadeth or Trivium. They’re just here for Godsmack or just Disturbed.

Away-Team: Those would be the people telling me to sit down and shut up as I’m trying to enjoy the show and your set.

Dave McClain: Right! Right. And we’re trying to win them over. And it is a great feeling really, because it’s just as good as having your crowd on the other stages in front of you, as having a new crowd being won over as they start to stand in their seats as our set goes on. We and Trivium have been doing this… and some days you come off the main stage and you’re just like ‘Fuck, man, those people could just give a shit about us.’ But then the days you do win them over, it is like the best feeling in the world.

Away-Team: You are getting ready to release Unto The Locust next month (out September 27th!!!), what can we expect from the new stuff? Is it a progression from The Blackening? Is it a foray into a new Machine Head sound? Have you finally gone Dub Step to get on the radio?

Dave McClain: (laughs), Yeah! That’s it! Really, we just definitely challenged ourselves going into it. We were in no way going to make The Blackening II. From Through The Ashes Of Empires to The Blackening to now, there are the same feelings going on and we’re just pushing them further. The main difference is that we now have total musical freedom; no one is looking over our shoulder. Roadrunner is just like, ‘Just give us the record and we’ll run with it.’ We’ve tried to challenge ourselves as musicians. The first song we wrote called This Is The End, Robb and I got together one day after everyone had taken a couple months off and he’s like, ‘It’s not complete yet, but I’ve got this song here…’ and he goes into this classical guitar thing that he couldn’t really play that well yet because he’d just gotten into the classical guitar thing. Then the song just goes into this super blast beat thrashy thing and we were just, ‘FUCK! It’s the first song and it is already a super hard one to play!’ And that just set the tone for the whole album writing process. On this new album we have the hardest, fastest, most brutal stuff we’ve done. And then we have the song Locust which is middle of the road, like almost a rock song for us with groovin’ beats, it’s just really weird. We’ve got some super dark stuff on there and then some mellow stuff that gets heavier, but over all just super dark theme wise. Robb Flynn went up to New York and started taking classical guitar lessons from this guy at the same time he was taking vocal lessons from Lady Gaga’s vocal coach. It’s all just us trying to push ourselves into a new place.

Away-Team: According to your bio, you are originally from Germany, yet speaking to you, you have no accent.

Dave McClain: Well I was born there; my dad was in the military…

Away-Team: Ah, that explains that…

Dave McClain: Yes, I am not a German. (laughs)

Away-Team: So how did you end up in the Bay Area and in Machine Head?

Dave McClain: I joined Machine Head in the end of 95 and I moved there in January of 96.

Away-Team: I know Machine Head went through something like 3 drummers in one year…

Dave McClain: Yeah, by the time I got to them they were pretty sick of drummers!

Away-Team: They were through playing Spinal Tap?

Dave McClain: Totally! But instead of their drummers dying there were just… ah, never mind, I’m not going there…

Away-Team: Ok, moving on!

Dave McClain: Yeah, moving on (laughs), so I was in a band called Sacred Reich out of Phoenix,

Away-Team: Yes, I am very familiar with Sacred Reich!

Dave McClain: Awesome! So a mutual friend of ours, who worked for Century Media at the time, knew they were looking, so he was helping them find a drummer, and he called Igor from Sepultura who also lived in Phoenix at the time. Igor was like, ‘Call Dave man.’ So Robb called me and at first I said no thanks, I was going to stick it out with Sacred Reich. That day I was laying in my bed and I was like, ‘What am I doing?!?’ Don’t get me wrong, I love Sacred Reich, but they were notoriously kind of lazy, and talking to Robb and only hearing Burn My Eyes once or twice… Just talking to Robb and hearing his passion and determination I was like, ‘What am I doing? These guys are where I’m at we’re like on the same wave length here.’ So I called Robb back and I’m like, ‘Hey man, I thought about it and I really want to do this!’ So he said to come in and audition. So I went out and auditioned, we played the whole Burn My Eyes record a few times and I could tell they were really into it, we were jamming really good. Then they kind of left me hanging as they went through the audition process for another week or so. And they called me up and told me to move out.

Away-Team: You were out on the road with Metallica for like a year, year and a half off and on. What are the pros and cons of supporting the biggest metal band in the world?

Dave McClain: There were definitely way more highs than lows on that tour. When they first asked us we had to tell them no! We’d already committed to doing the Slipknot tour over in Europe. They said, ‘That’s cool, we totally respect that, we’ll be touring for a while so we’ll work something out.’ Then they offered us all these dates and…

Away-Team: Yes, you were basically on the second leg of the Death Magnetic Tour correct?

Dave McClain: Yes, we did the US, Europe and then other countries like Poland and a bunch of little weird countries too. And with them being the not just the biggest metal bands, but being one of the biggest bands on the planet… the way they treat bands is fucking amazing! They are at the point where they just take bands out that they want to take. I mean they didn’t need us. They didn’t need The Sword, or Lamb Of God, they didn’t need Mastodon, but they WANTED us and them. They just take really good care of everyone. Like once a week they’ll take the bands out to a restaurant and just hang, and eat and drink. They took us on their jet for a show and, just made sure we were taken care of while we were out with them. The one thing about opening for them is that everyone in that crowd is there for them. Metallica didn’t need us to open, and the crowd didn’t fucking care that we were there (laughs)!

Away-Team: I can totally see that here in the states than Europe because they tend to be much more open minded musically there…

Dave McClain: Yeah, but still you get the Metallica die hards that follow, literally follows them around, go to multiple shows and it was hard. We were on the stage in the round and all the people on the floor are like fan club people and die hard Metallica fans, just rabid fans and you end up playing to the people way up in the stands that are actually into you. And you have those same nights where you’re, ‘Fuck man, we just couldn’t get it going tonight!’ It’s just very frustrating, then other times you have the crowd and it’s just killer. You don’t have them like Metallica has them, but you have a part of them. Probably THE best show we did on that whole thing was in Paris and it was like that was our crowd, everyone in the crowd was into us and they were all singing along like it was our own show, our own crowd.

Away-Team: Is that the show that Metallica released a DVD of?

Dave McClain: No, this was a different show. As amazing as that set was for us, when Metallica came on it was like being on a movie set and the director is like, ‘I want everyone to act as crazy as you have ever been!’ and yells action as they take the stage (laughs).

Away-Team: 2002 was a rough year for you guys; you had just released Supercharger and a video a few weeks after September 11th, 2001 that depicted falling buildings. It seemed everyone even your label stood against you and pulled the plug on the band. You negotiated out of your contract with Roadrunner. How close where you guys in the band to pulling your own plug?

Dave McClain: We were real close man. It was a super bad time and we were just so pissed off about everything that had happened. We weren’t working the record and we just felt like we were at an end, with Roadrunner and with the band. But after Roadrunner, we went out to test the waters with other people that had always been there for the band in the past, ‘you know, anytime you need anything, we’re here for you.’ Well we needed something, and nobody was there for us. They all disappeared. ‘Well we’re here now, you know?’ ‘Oh, yeah, well… ya know? Um…. ‘

Away-Team: ‘Had you come to us six months ago…’

Dave McClain: Right! ‘Who’s this? Prank call! Prank call!’ (laughs) I told our guitarist at the time, to basically leave the band. He was wanting to do a side project, and having us stick around funding his side project so I was like, run, go, do it, get out. It was bleak man. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to do it anymore; it was that we had no avenues TO do it anymore. So we started writing a couple of songs. Just trying to do something. And it was pure shit. It was bad. And it WAS fucking shit, and it felt horrible. We had a band meeting and I told the guys, ‘You know this fucking sucks. This is shit; this isn’t why I play music. And if we’re a heavy metal band, and we’re going to write an album. Let’s write the heaviest shit man. Let’s just write for ourselves. Let’s just take all this and put it into writing.‘ And that became Through The Ashes…

Away-Team: Which explains all the piss and venom in it…

Dave McClain: Yeah! It was definitely an angry and a dark record but Roadrunner UK never wanted to let us go, and they were still there quietly supporting us, and it turned out to be a great thing, it turned out to be more of a licensing thing for us which at the time was great. We were about to sign a deal with an American label for the US and Roadrunner US came up and came to us and said, ‘We want to be a part of this again!’ It made us all real happy, because it was a clean slate at that point.

Away-Team: Well at that point, with that album in the can ready to go, you kind of have them over a barrel, and you can say, ‘Well you want us? Here’s what it is going to take to get us back!’

Dave McClain: Yeah, but more than that, there were people there genuinely behind us again. There were people that cared about us and about the band. For us we never wanted to leave in the first place, we just wanted things to be right you know? And since then everything has been great. Not that we don’t go back and forth with Roadrunner on some things, but its constructive, it’s a good thing.

Away-Team: Great! So once Mayhem is done, what does Machine Head have on its plate? You’ve got Unto The Locust coming out in September, what are the current tour plans for that?

Dave McClain: We’ve got a month off after Mayhem. We headline the Soundwave Revolution metal stage.

Away-Team: Nice!

Dave McClain: Yeah, it is. It’ll be awesome, and we’ll get to see Van Halen! (laughs) We’re just as excited about seeing them play every day as we are to headline the metal stage! Then we’re doing our first headline run of South America since I’ve been in the band. We’ve got Sepultura there for the shows which is awesome. And then a headlining run of Europe with Bring Me The Horizon, DevilDriver, and Darkest Hour. First quarter of next year our main priority is doing a headline run here in the states.

Away-Team: You guys are definitely due.

Dave McClain: Yes, it’s been over four years we are so ready for it.

Away-Team: Well congratulations, and good luck on the new album, I can’t wait to hear it! And hopefully we’ll get to see you in 2012 in a theater or large venue around here soon! Thanks again Dave!

Dave McClain: Thanks! See you soon!

Away Team would like to thank Jay Beadnell and Stageshotz Photography for his permission and photos from the Raleigh stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest used in this interview.

There is a long list of people to thank for making this and all of our Mayhem Fest interviews happen, so, forgive me if I forgot anyone, but thanks to Lilly at Roadrunner, Bill at eOne Music, Rikki, Natalie, and Jessica at Adrenaline, and Laura Jean with Mayhem.

For more MACHINE HEAD click here.
Pick up what is sure to be on everyone’s top ten of 2011 Unto The Locust here.

“Night City“, the new video from Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD, can be viewed below. The clip is the third and final part of a video trilogy helmed by former THE SWORD collaborators Artificial Army. The first and second chapters of the saga were for “Tres Brujas” and “Lawless Lands“.









THE SWORD have announced their Tears Of Fire Hot Sauce Giveaway.

Hand-crafted to the band’s specifications in their hometown of Austin, Texas by hot sauce artisan Brian Rush at Tears Of Joy, The Sword‘s Tears Of Fire Hot Sauce will unleash a supernova of searing heat and rich flavor upon the unsuspecting palate. This singular concoction was limited to only one batch and is not available in stores. But there is a chance, however slim, that you might possess a bottle of your very own! The Sword will choose ten lucky winners to have their taste buds blown to the planet Acheron.

Complete details at this location.

KARMA TO BURN is hitting the road once again, resuming live dates for the postponed tour supporting THE SWORD in October.

All tickets held from the previous, postponed dates will be honored.

December
8 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
9 – Huntington, WV – V Club
10 – Covington, KY – The Mad Hatter
11 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter
12 – Chicago, IL – Metro
13 – St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
14 – Iowa City, IA – Blue Moose Tap House
15 – Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
16 – Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s









For more KARMA TO BURN click here.

SLAYER and JOB FOR A COWBOY have announced their plans to release Metal Club exclusive pieces on Black Friday (11/26), which is a big day for Metal Club releases which also includes Metallica‘s “Live at Grimey’s” CD/10″.

SLAYER will be releasing the World Painted Blood 7″ with a previously unreleased track, “Atrocity Vendor,” as part of the special limited-edition single. Written by Kerry King, the track was recorded during the 2009 “World Painted Blood” sessions. “Atrocity Vendor” will be paired with the Tom Araya/Jeff Hanneman-penned track “World Painted Blood,” and released in a clear sleeve on red vinyl.

Arizona death metal band Job For A Cowboy will release Ruination as a limited-edition 3×10″ colored (orange/red/green) vinyl/CD box set. The collection includes the latest Metal Blade Records release Ruination split on two separate colored 10-inch vinyl LP’s, with the third LP encompassing rare and unreleased live and cover songs.

About Metal Club:
Metal Club is a group of record stores throughout the US and Canada that work to connect the vibrant metal community with their local record store. Fans will be able to visit their local Metal Club store for special metal promotional pieces, exciting in-store events, and a series of exclusive Metal Club releases. Please visit here for store locations, news and information on other Metal Club releases.

Other Metal Club releases include:
Metallica – “Live at Grimey’s” CD/10″ (11/26)
Anthrax - “Live at the Sonisphere” Picture Disc (11/26)
The Damned Things – “Ironiclast/We’ve Got A Situation Here” 7″/CD Single (11/26)
Monster Magnet – Mastermind Special Edition Box Set (Available Now)
The Sword - “(The Night The Sky Cried) Tears of Fire” Hexagonal Picture Disc (Available Now)

For more METAL CLUB click here.
For more SLAYER click here.
For more JOB FOR A COWBOY click here.

After an amicable split with drummer Trivett Wingo forced THE SWORD to cancel its remaining tour dates, the band has now found someone to fill in for behind-the-kit duties and is ready to hit the road again. Joining them on the upcoming run is Kevin Fender, best known for his work with the Texas hardcore outfit EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE. All tickets from previously postponed shows will be honored at the door.

Here is an official statement from THE SWORD:
“We are pleased to announce the Warp Riders 2010 U.S. Tour Mk. II, beginning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 27! These performances will feature the formidable skills of notorious intergalactic bounty drummer Kevin Fender. A veteran of the Austin music scene, Mr. Fender is best known for his devastating work with Texas hardcore legends EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE.”


Rescheduled U.S. tour dates:
Nov. 27 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
Nov. 28 – Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
Nov. 29 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Nov. 30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Dec. 01 – Roanoke, VA @ Martin’s Downtown
Dec. 02 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
Dec. 03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
Dec. 04 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Dec. 05 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
Dec. 06 – Washington, DC @ The 9:30 Club
Dec. 07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre
Dec. 08 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Dec. 09 – Huntington, WV @ V Club
Dec. 10 – Covington, KY @ The Mad Hatter
Dec. 11 – Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
Dec. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Dec. 13 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
Dec. 14 – Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose Tap House
Dec. 15 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
Dec. 16 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s

For more THE SWORD click here.

THE SWORD are canceling the remainder of their scheduled US dates due to the departure of their drummer, Trivett Wingo. The split is amicable and both Trivett and the rest of the band wish each other the best of the luck with their respective plans. The Sword are already working diligently to reschedule their European and US dates.

Trivett explains: “It is with deep sadness that I am announcing my departure from The Sword. After nearly seven years and some of the most amazing adventures of a lifetime, I have arrived at a place where I am physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of The Sword. If I could go any further, I would as I love the music and JD, Bryan and Kyle are people that I deeply respect, but I have reached a point where I just can’t do this anymore. I would like to thank the wonderful people who made this experience what it has been: the fans, the people that I have worked and all of the bands and musicians that have inspired me over the years. I thank you and apologize for any disappointment that this may cause anyone, not least of which The Sword.”

An official statement from The Sword: “We wish Trivett nothing but the best, and it is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell. He is a phenomenal musician and has been an integral part of this band’s success. He helped to lay the foundation that we will continue to build upon, and we wouldn’t be where we are without him. We wish he could continue the adventure with us, but we understand that the life of a touring musician is not for everyone. It’s been a hell of a ride, and we’re sad to see this part of the journey end. The show must go on, though, and we’ll be back on the road as soon as humanly possible.”

For more THE SWORD click here.

“Tres Brujas“, the new video from Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD, has been released. The track comes off the band’s third full-length album, “Warp Riders“, which was released this week via Kemado Records. The first of a trio of conceptually linked videos (“Tres Brujas“, “Lawless Lands” and “Night City“) that tie in themes of “Warp Riders” was filmed in the hot California desert with Artificial Army. It’s described as “‘Seven Samurai‘ crossed with ‘The Magnificent Seven‘ meets ‘Mad Max‘ filtered through the imagination of THE SWORD.”





Tres Brujas

The Sword | MySpace Music Videos




THE SWORD‘s insane tour schedule:
Sep 15 2010 Rod Laver Arena w/ Metallica Melbourne, VIC, AUSTRALIA
Sep 16 2010 Rod Laver Arena w/ Metallica Melbourne, VIC, AUSTRALIA
Sep 18 2010 Acer Arena w/ Metallica Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Sep 21 2010 Canterbury Arena w/ Metallica Christchurch, Canterbury, NEW ZEALAND
Sep 22 2010 Canterbury Arena w/ Metallica Christchurch, Canterbury, NEW ZEALAND
Sep 25 2010 Saitama Super Arena w/ Metallica Saitama-shi, Saitama, JAPAN
Sep 26 2010 Saitama Super Arena w/ Metallica Saitama-shi, Saitama, JAPAN
Oct 1 2010 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Oct 2 2010 The Regency San Francisco, CA
Oct 3 2010 The Roseland Portland, OR
Oct 4 2010 The Showbox Seattle, WA
Oct 6 2010 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Oct 8 2010 Austin City Limits festival Austin, TX
Oct 12 2010 Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Oct 13 2010 Orange Peel Asheville, NC
Oct 14 2010 Martin’s Downtown Roanoke, VA
Oct 15 2010 Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
Oct 16 2010 Webster Hall New York, NY
Oct 17 2010 Royale Boston Boston, MA
Oct 19 2010 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
Oct 20 2010 9:30 Club WASHINGTON, DC
Oct 21 2010 V Club Live Huntington, WV
Oct 22 2010 The Shelter Detroit, Michigan
Oct 23 2010 Metro Chicago, IL
Nov 8 2010 Trix Antwerp, Belgium, BELGIUM
Nov 9 2010 Molotov Hamburg, Germany, GERMANY
Nov 11 2010 Gote Killare Stockholm, Sweden, SWEDEN
Nov 12 2010 KB Malmö, Sweden, SWEDEN
Nov 13 2010 Garage Oslo, Norway, NORWAY
Nov 15 2010 Magnet Berlin, Germany, GERMANY
Nov 16 2010 59:1 Munich, Germany, GERMANY
Nov 17 2010 Szene Vienna, Austria, AUSTRIA
Nov 18 2010 Live Club Milano, Italy, ITALY
Nov 19 2010 PPC Graz, Austria, AUSTRIA
Nov 21 2010 Dynamo Zurich, Switzerlan, SWITZERLAND
Nov 23 2010 Underground Köln, Germany, GERMANY
Nov 24 2010 Le Fleche D’Or Paris, France, FRANCE
Nov 26 2010 De Pul Uden, Holland, NETHERLANDS
Nov 27 2010 Rock Temple Kerkrade, Holland, NETHERLANDS
Nov 29 2010 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Nov 30 2010 Fleece & Frirkin Bristol, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 1 2010 Bar Academy Birmingham, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 2 2010 Cockpit leeds, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 4 2010 G2 Glasgow, Scotland, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 5 2010 Academy II Newcastle, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 6 2010 Academy III Manchester, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 8 2010 Rescue Rooms Nottingham, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 9 2010 Islington Academy London, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 10 2010 Audio Brighton, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Dec 11 2010 Dublin Academy Dublin, Ireland, IRELAND
Dec 12 2010 Stiff Kitten Belfast, NI, UNITED KINGDOM
Feb 26 2011 Soundwave Festival Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Feb 27 2011 Soundwave Festival Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Mar 3 2011 Soundwave Festival Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Mar 5 2011 Soundwave Festival Adelaide, SA, AUSTRALIA
Mar 7 2011 Soundwave Festival Perth, WA, AUSTRALIA

For more THE SWORD click here.

In support of their critically acclaimed new album, Appalachian Incantation, KARMA TO BURN are hitting the road in October as direct support to Kemado recording artists THE SWORD. The nearly month-long tour will span the entirety of the Midwest and parts of both the East Coast and the West Coast. Released this past May to rapturous approval, Appalachian Incantation is Karma To Burn‘s first studio album in eight years and the legendary stoner rockers’ first album for Napalm Records, following the release of their Live 2009 - Reunion Tour DVD earlier this year.”

KARMA TO BURN dates:
October
1 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
2 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
3 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre
4 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
6 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
12 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
13 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
14 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s Downtown
15 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Art
16 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
17 – Boston, MA – Royale
19 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
20 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
21 – Huntington, WV – V Club
22 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s
23 – Chicago, IL – Metro

For more KARMA TO BURN click here.

A live EP featuring five songs that were recorded during THE SWORD‘s July 3, 2010 performance at the iTunes Festival 2010 at London, England’s Roundhouse has been released exclusively via Apple’s iTunes Store here.


The track listing is:
01. Freya (live)
02. Arrows In The Dark (live)
03. Winter’s Wolves (live)
04. To Take The Black (live)
05. The Horned Goddess (live)

“Tres Brujas“, a brand new song from THE SWORD, is now available for purchase via iTunes here. The track comes off the band’s third full-length album, “Warp Riders“, which is scheduled for release on August 24 via Kemado Records.

For more on The Sword click here.

THE SWORD are kicking it into high gear as the release of their highly anticipated third full-length, “Warp Riders” (August 24; Kemado Records) rapidly approaches. The band has finally revealed the album’s artwork and will be releasing additional visual companions in the form of an upcoming picture disc and an epic video trilogy.

With a narrative arc that the band describes as “a psychedelic space opera that explores the temporal themes of death and rebirth,” it’s only fitting that the record’s cover art is equally mind melting. Paying homage to authors that inspired the album’s lyrics, artist Dan McPharlin created an image in the tradition of classic science fiction book covers. THE SWORD will also release a limited edition hexagon-shaped picture-disc 12-inch single for “(The Night Sky Cried) Tears of Fire“.

Fans that are eagerly awaiting to hear the new material will have their thirst quenched on July 6 when first single “Tres Brujas” will be let loose online. The track is also the first part of a video trilogy helmed by former THE SWORD collaborators Artificial Army, which will launch in August. The second and third chapters of the saga will be for “Lawless Lands” and “Night City“.

“Warp Riders” marks the first release where the group has worked with an outside producer. Helmed by Matt Bayles (PEARL JAM, MASTODON, ISIS), the album is anchored by an epic science-fiction narrative. The storyline is a psychedelic space opera that explores temporal themes of death and rebirth. “Warp Riders” also finds THE SWORD expanding its range from pure metal to include bone-crunching hard rock at large. Rather than dampening its sound, the band actually sounds more amplified than ever, spewing out some of its most scalding riffs to date and channeling an unearthly bellow from its low end.

Opening track “Acheron/Unearthing The Orb” begins with ominous, fog-drenched atmosphere before a flurry of nimble fretwork and galloping drums storm out of the gate. The energy doesn’t let up once and by the final moments of closing cut, “(The Night Sky Cried) Tears of Fire“, an intensely satisfying resolution sets in. Guitarists Kyle Shutt and John “J. D.” Cronise execute punishing acrobatics while injecting melody at every turn. Bryan Richie‘s warm bass lays down the foundation and ripples with menace. Trivett Wingo‘s drumming explodes with the perfect balance of both precision and dexterity.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine, THE SWORD guitarist/vocalist John “J. D.” Cronise stated about the forthcoming effort, “This is what you’d technically call a ‘concept album,’ though I’d describe it as more of a soundtrack to a story I came up with. All the songs are about aspects of the story, but they don’t cover every detail from beginning to end. It’s a science fiction story, and it deals heavily with themes of light and dark and perceptions of time. One of the main settings is a planet, which has experienced tidal locking, creating a side of perpetual day and a side of perpetual night. The reason for creating a narrative to base the songs around was essentially to provide interesting and varied lyrical subject matter with a core theme to tie it all together.”

Cronise previously told AOL’s Noisecreep that “Warp Riders” will have a broader hard rock sound but stressed that the band’s aim isn’t to broaden its appeal outside of the heavy metal market. “If more people listen that’s great, but we’re not doing it for that reason,” he said. “We are just more interested in expanding our sound for ourselves. If we wanted to expand our audience we should just remake the second album over again, rather than challenge people with something new.”

THE SWORD will have the honor of being the sole opener for OZZY OSBOURNE at the iTunes Roundhouse Festival in London on July 3. Their set will be recorded and available on iTunes in early July.

Current THE SWORD live dates:

Jul 3 2010 Roundhouse London, UNITED KINGDOM
Jul 5 2010 The Barfly London, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 8 2010 Austin City Limits Austin, TX

For more information on THE SWORD check out their website here.

Itunes is hosting a month long festival in London’s Roundhouse for the month of July.
From the iTunes Festival Facebook page: The iTunes Festival is back for 2010. We’re returning to Camden’s Roundhouse on 1st July for 31 nights of back-to-back live music. All tickets are free for fans and customers of iTunes. Recordings from each gig will be available to download on the iTunes Store.
You can enjoy the best of the Festival right here on Facebook. Be the first to find out how you can watch highlights, read the latest news and see behind the scenes photos.

Confirmed acts so far:
Ozzy Osbourne
Scissor Sisters
TOny Bennett
The Sword
Foals
N-Dubz
Kate Nash
Paloma Faith
Ellie Goulding
Mumford & Sons
The National
The XX
Faithless
Amy MacDonald
Underworld
The Futureheads
Pixie Lott
The Courteeners
Goldfrapp
Defecated In The House
Foreigner
Europe
Plan B
Scouting For Girls
Phoenix

You can get more information here. Or the iTunes Festival Facebook page here.