LP Review 'Ecate' by Ufomammut

The Italian trio are back with their seventh studio album ‘Ecate’ which takes its name from the Greek Goddess associated with all things darkness – nice. As expected among the noise saturation and dissonant crushing doom, Uffomammut throw out some rib-cage rattling riffs and the occasional dissonant hateful gem ‘Plouton’.

The band have nailed their space-doom formula by now, but refreshingly after the lighter 2012’s ‘Oro: Opus Primum’ which treaded a more prog rock terrain and was heavily laden with distorted chants, ‘Ecate’ is a heavier beast altogether. Expectant wails and feedback are accompanied by Swans-esque bass lines and slow builds giving the album an unsettling tone. ‘Chaosecret’ in particularly sounds like it was dreamed up by Michael Gira ‘Filth’ era. ‘Ecate’ however utilise the heaviness with refrained precision, the album segues effortlessly between the heaviest of doom similar to Neurosis and lighter sequences – which are terrifying in an altogether different way.

This time the band have held back on the space rock special effects opting for a more straight up less flashy album. Brittle and circular Uffomammut are self-descriptive. Seven albums in and the band are nothing if not authentic. The album showcases influences from as far afield as Pink Floyd and Hawkwind on the classic spectrum to more obvious counterparts like Electric Wizard and Om the next.

At this stage it is expected that the band deliver – and once again they have done just that – a crushing masterstroke.

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LP Review "Alunah - White Hoarhound"

The sprawling and pollution stained concrete of Birmingham city, which lies in the appropriately named area of the UK known as the Black Country, can be considered the great womb of heavy metal and its splintering genres, having spawned such ground breaking and brain quaking bands as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Witchfinder General, Napalm Death and, a personal favorite of mine, Godflesh. But those are just some of the more well known bands from Brum (as it's affectionately known here), and with this latest release from Alunah, Brum has yet again spawned a band who have a direct link to the heavy current that flows through the dark land of the Black Country.

This past few years has seen a flurry of female fronted doom and stoner bands, none of which I'll mention here as you will probably know at least a couple of the more well known and successful ones. The lead singer of Alunah however, gives those particular bands a real run for their money. Her voice is simply exquisite and is a nigh on perfect accompaniment for the sound that Alunah make.

White Hoarhound is Alunah's second full length release, with 6 tunes of crunchy fuzzed out, down tuned and shroomy pagan inspired Doom Metal (and one acoustic dark folk jam) released on vinyl by Napalm Records.

From the opener, Demeter's Grief, Alunah come with spaced out psychedelia preceding mighty doom riffs of low-end fuzz conjured from the earth as if tapping a vein of ancient bardic energy that has lain dormant for time immeasurable. I can almost taste the soil and the stone when the thick fuzz hits me. When I close my eyes I see hoards of robed up wizards carrying oaken staffs, a sacrament of psilocybin brews consumed and chanting huge bass tones at a towering monolith, drawing mother Gaia's nurturing flow of life giving energy to ensure a bountiful crop and a strong and healthy tribe. This is doom but it is natural earthy doom and it's very laid back in its delivery.

Track 2 is White Hoarhound and Alunah do not mess about here. They slam you immediately with chunky stoner grooves, the solid fuzz tickling the core of your brain and guitar licks of stupendous mind expanding proportions. The singers lyrics are delivered with sumptuous earthy vibes that put the listener in a trance; telling a story that could well have been penned by some vastly ancient scribe. It is spiritual stuff indeed; an ode to the old ways of pre-Roman Britain, ways that never really went away because they are recorded in the ground and in the rocks and in the forests.

Belial's Fjord, the third track, reinforces the pagan vibe that Alunah create with this album. We are treated to yet more low-end fuzziness and stomping drums and riffs of doom with vocals that drift through unexplored mountains and valleys filled with long stretches of deep dark water. What lies beneath nobody knows, but this must be the sound the  ancients used to move their huge stones vast numbers of miles.

Next is The Offering where Alunah offer up a slow dirge of fuzz and other worldly chanting followed by spine wrenching stoner rock riffage and a hymn to the pagan gods. It traverses huge expanses of sacred land and echoes around the temple of Gaia. It is indeed an offering and one that Alunah make in earnest showing where their heavy hearts truly lie.

The Chester Summer is track 5 which opens with sounds of an ominous wind blowing until a bass tuned to doom and stepping drums herald a plunging of thick warm fuzz and Sabbathian riffs cover you from head to toe entombing you in a cocoon of doom metal and words of praise to the solstice day of summer. The pagan tribes gather around a circle of stones to honor and pay tribute to the rising sun where they celebrate the longest day of light and the shortest dark of night.

Oak Ritual I breaks the flow of shroomy doomy fuzz with a psychedelic acoustic jam sounding like a pagan lullaby to an ancient forest of oaks. The robed up wizards gather again, walking in line towards the father of all oak trees that lies within the center, the vocalist singing a soft ethereal chant to awaken the forest spirits. Hypnotic acoustic guitar riffs sound a homage to the oak trees with an organ adding to the invocating vibrations. The ritual has begun.

Oak Ritual II follows where the riffs fall thick and heavy with stoner doom grooves that penetrate the earth, waking the ancient ones; the echoed airy voice of the mother goddess drifts around the darkness of the oak forest and over the empty fields forging an electric connection to the essence of soil, stone and wood. The track evolves into psychedelic drifts of sound until it builds to celebratory uplifting guitar licks and thudding totemic drums. The energy from the earth is now invoked and passes through those that are gathered for the supreme ritual of the oak.
But there is something hidden that comes after the ritual is complete so listen out for it.

Alunah are fast shaping up to be one the UK's best paganistic Doom-Metal bands and if laid back earthy fuzzed out grooves are what lifts your spirit to unexplored dimensions then this is an essential addition to your collection.

White Hoarhound is now available in green or white vinyl from Napalm Records or as a digital download from their bandcamp.

  

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Seth's Top 12 of 2012

ZAC: "Dad? Dad?! Hey Dad!"

REG: "WHAT?! Goddammit!"

ZAC: "How come Seth gets to make two lists this year and we only got one? Sludge, non-sludge... who gives a fuck?!"

TOBY: "Yeah, Dad. Totally not cool. He just whines and gets whatever he wants all the time. "

REG: "That's not true, it's just that..."

KEN: "Oh, COME ON! Ever since he flunked 7th grade you've taken this new age, Montessori approach to dealing with all his bullshit, so he just does whatever the hell he wants."

REG: "Who's the parent here! I am! Lee and Mark turned out alright, didn't they?"

TOBY: "Dad, we haven't seen them in months."

REG: "They've just been in the basement."

ZAC: "What about Misha?"

*Silence*

REG: "Alright, look. It's no secret your brother's always been different. He asked if he could make two lists, and I didn't want another argument. I mean, he was raised in the Midwest, he seems to do alright so long as he's not..."

KEN: "Fuckin' typical, Dad!"

1. The Midnight Ghost Train - Buffalo

I was disappointed when Karma to Burn had to pull themselves from a Chicago show with Truckfighters in March. I hung around the merch booth and tried my best not to be "that guy." Ozo and Pezo were approachable and warm, so when I spoke of missing KtB, they immediately assured me I wouldn't be disappointed. The Midnight Ghost Train took stage and Steve Moss immediately commanded everyone's ear. You'll hear about Buffalo being the next closest thing to TMGT's live show, and it's a safe assessment of David Barbe's excellent production.

The reason I've chosen Buffalo as 2012's best album is because it fucking was. Call it stoner-rock, delta blues, or grit-groovin', muddy soul, this stomper has it all. Every track ties into the album as a whole, though the themes aren't lost when examining each song in itself. I love the fuzz, but that's not enough to craft one of the finest stoner-rock records I've ever heard. Moss is true to his roots, whether they be in Topeka or Buffalo, and you can hear every calloused, bone-stiff blue collar American in this thirty minute trip. I guess the simplest terms and most convenient definitions boil down to this: Buffalo is 100% homegrown.

2. Pelican - Ataraxia / Taraxis

Ataraxia / Taraxis demonstrates both Pelican's fidelity to longtime loyals and their open arms to fresh ideas. The band does more in these eighteen minutes than most bands do on a double-disc greatest hits compilation. Here, Pelican reach their pinnacle with a balance of technical and absolutely fucking beautiful, an accomplished and sand-caked progression toward ever-escalating volume and scope. Ataraxia / Taraxis is only the most recent in a string of assertions that Pelican lead the pack of instrumental outfits. At times illusory and other times heavy, this EP is considerably expansive for its brevity. Contrasting moods and harmonies will have listeners enthralled, while Pelican's musicianship remains simply unmatched.

3. Wo Fat - The Black Code

Riffs. Endless fuzz. It's The Black Code's thickness that sets it apart from the balance of 2012's stoner metal releases. Wo Fat have reached their apex, jamming with a psychedelia that keeps the swamp teeming with sin. The songwriting finds the band at their best (so far), and the fuzz is no detraction from the craft. Dissect this disc from any perspective and you'll find reason to keep coming back. This chewy release is moldy Texas Toast slathered in bourbon barbecue glaze. Fucking delicious.

4. Greenleaf - Nest of Vipers

Composed of accomplished musicians from accomplished acts, it'd be easy for Greenleaf to ride their own coattails and trust that fans of Dozer and Truckfighters would buy the record anyway. It's impossible to deny these songs, and all of Nest of Vipers is timeless and nearly flawless. Our buddy Lee made heavy mention of the record's drumwork, and I'd be a fool to leave it out of this endorsement. I loved this album for adding up to more than the sum of its parts. Exceeding expectations is no easy task. Greenleaf breeze through it.

5. Ufomammut - Oro Opus Primum

It took Oro Opus Primum for me to fully embrace Ufomammut's supernatural, ultra-expansive space-metal. But hallelujah, holy shit... the deceptive tranquility builds toward cosmic doom, all the while the band exercises an incredible use of dynamic progressions. I had a hard time even approaching Oro Opus Alter, simply because I was so stunned by Primum. The natural pacing alone puts this album among the year's best, but Ufomammut's execution and songcraft cement their status as otherworldly luminaries.

6. Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

If I learned anything about my tastes in 2012, it was that I succumb to drone as easily as I fall for sludge. There's something cathartic and melancholy about drawn out progressions hovering as they snag my sensibilities and make others question my tastes. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II was 2012's first album that I played incessantly. These five songs perfectly complemented any mood, lending themselves to whatever I was feeling on that day. At times minimalistic, at times incredibly instrumentally proficient, it's easy to see how Earth inspired countless acts. These experimentations are more powerful and memorable than what many bands take years to construct.

7. Nate Hall - A Great River

I'd heard Nate Hall recorded A Great River in the span of one night, and I believe it. Taking an evening away from U.S. Christmas ended up being far more layered and pained than you'd expect from one man with one guitar. Hall plunges himself toward some heartbreaking depths, taking listeners with him. If these songs don't pluck your heart strings, your blood has finally gone cold.

8. Horseback - Half Blood

Well, here comes that weird chill. That chill that only the finest drone metal can inspire. The atmospheres of Half Blood are enough to complement those vocals you can't ignore. The keys and chimes are surprisingly effective, and the guitar layers showcase a band committed to doing things however they feel. Experimentation? I can't say. But I'm hearing more and more with each listen. An album that evolves is an album I can't leave alone.

9. Christian Mistress - Possession

I've got a soft spot for female vocalists in a genre heavily dominated by gruff, aggressive frontmen. When metal's catchy, I get nervous. But when Christine Davis harmonizes over old-school heavy metal hellfire, it's impossible not to get lost in the hooks. The best part? I burned a copy for my wife (a fan of Heart and Joan Jett) and introduced her to 2012's finest nod to NWOBHM.

10. Alice Tambourine Lover - Naked Songs

Alice Tambourine Lover immediately took me on the most bare and basic of trips. The songs are organic and stripped to the bone. Sometimes a woman's voice hits deeper than anything, and pairing Romanelli's guitar warble with Albertazzi's hauntingly sexy vocal is a recipe for some cool jams. I immediately swooned at the stoner slides, but that voice will set you adrift.

11. Snarf - Arrak Bisa Ular

Zac called this album "a prolonged sense of paranoia." This spooky set left me removing my headphones and checking doors and windows. Sprawling and patient, Snarf stuck with me for days. The hypnosis i entered was never a comfortable one, but it was never one I could pull myself from.

12. Pilgrim - Misery Wizard

Alright, let's slow things down. If you struggle to remain patient with your children, leave this album alone. But there was no way this album, what I would call the year's finest classic doom release, wasn't making an appearance. I love the plod, I love the patience, and I love that Pilgrim doesn't care if I love it or not. There are Sabbath nods, and there are hardly any tempo shifts, but I could plug away with Pilgrim all day. Straight-forward and at times completely malevolent, I loved every second. Every weepy, drawn-out second.

Zac's "Double Dose": The Civil Dead / Juggernaught

The Civil Dead: Bird Bones 

Droners unite! This first dose will take some patience, but fans of Earth are sure to enjoy The Civil Dead's summer 2012 release Bird Bones. The brains behind the project, Christopher Langer, resides in a strange realm where drone collides with some interesting genres like folk and western music. Like most good drone jams an overwhelming feeling of isolation blankets the listener. Bird Bones is a small five track EP, but spans an enormous forty minutes. Spin my favorite track Bird Bones (Nest of Teeth) below and check the rest of this fresh drone at bandcamp.

 

Members: 

Christopher Langer

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Juggernaught: Bring the Meat Back 

This weeks second serving is a testosterone-infused South African quartet labeling their murky classic blues as MAN-ROCK. Juggernaught got started in 2008 with a relentless touring schedule, playing some of the biggest festivals South Africa has to offer. Late in 2009 the four-some released their debut Act of Goat. In 2012 Juggernaught continued with tradition, slingin' ax heavy guitars and pounding their chests with whiskey soaked fists, producing and releasing their sophomore effort Bring The Meat Back. Check out their latest video, title track, Bring The Meat Back in all its' meaty glory!

 

Members: 

Herman - Guitar // Vocals 

Jovan - Guitar // Backing Vocals 

Oneyedogman - Drums 

Angilo - Bass

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Om - Advaitic Songs - Full Album Review

The sonic alchemy of Om is a contientous effort towards hosting an array of disastrous doomsday hymnals for the modern man with ancient sounds. This effort marks the first time Om has gone on record as a trio, Bass titan Al Cisneros and Grails skinsman Emil Amos flanked by tamburist and co-vocalist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe from Lichens. The record is also flanked with 2 cellists, a violinist, flute, and tabla. The full rotation of Om's previous efforts is returned with another dose of drone-heavy ancient music. Evoking textures akin to the ancient isod (drone), the album plunges us into a trance-like pit of would-be archaic cult chants.

1. "Addis" - A lone and ominous female vocalist moans over haunting sahara-inspired bells drenched in reverb. Violin, piano, and guitar penetrate the background. Warm mesmerizing religious tones with cavernous depictions propel the piece.

2. "State of Non-Return"- Only making entrance as a mellowed guitar and piano tour, Al Cisneros snaps back in with a bassline reminiscient of his  Sleep years, a metallic beastly voyage of bass doom-dom winding up in a somber, brooding string arrangement.

3."Gethsamane"- A tune mirroring Grails persuasions towards big cavernous opuses, this tune plods on with a dark bass line connected with gregorian chantlike vocals and swirling violin all underpinned by a pulsing tambura. This culminates in a nasty octaved guitar line.

4."Sinai"- Wailing moaning overtone-rich drones pinch the intro to this tune before Cisneros' harrowing vocals arrive. The din echoes on until the tribal  pouncing drum kicks in, complete with a low tinged guitar line and piercing string snaps. The cello comes in and out with interplay a few times. 10 minutes of trance-like doom

5. " Haqq-Al Yaquin"- Might have the most demonic cello line I've ever heard on a doom record. Complete with plodding tabla and evocative quiet vocals with arabic tinged melody intertwined. A haunting closer complete with crafty folkish guitar shimmering over the trancelike rhythm.

Overall, the record speaks to a grooving ancient-sounding monolithic psycho-spiritual gloomfest. A triumph of Om's somber but monolithic intent to inflect atmosphere into their playing. A genuine return to form for the band, this album is a prime example of the power of orchestral instruments to inflect the most devious of sounds into the most prudently bellowing and electric music.

Check out Om 

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Sunday Sludge: enskye - "Eosphorus/Quintessence"

Hurricane season decided to show up. Strong winds, heavy rain, and repeated ass-whippings don't even begin to describe what these storms impose. And when the air and water decide to creep on earth, all elements trade blows to create one hell of a problem. Board up your windows and pack some bottled water, but also prepare for the mindfuck possibility of losing everything.

I can't speak on the residual effects of tropical cyclones once they lose their steam, but the American Southeast isn't the only region affected. It seems four dudes from New York's Hudson Valley are creating a storm of their own. Post-metal sludge slingers enskye have released a five-track homage to air, earth, ether, water, and fire that builds and crashes, whispers and screams; progressively shifting from serene to apocalyptic. Eosphorus/Quintessence is one saturated collection, but listeners are gonna have a hard time driving away.

A wintry wind and somber pluck open the album on Soul Meets Sky (the rise). The growing haunt of a storm only magnifies the isolation. Aaron Weseman's whispers float under the crashing weather before yielding to fuzzy, agonized riffs spat with deliberate pace. It's a huge mood shift of collapsing trudge, as the track wrests its lament and chokes it with ebbs and flows. Remaining true to itself, the sound is slow and murky, while Phil Motl's drumwork grows into flurry under Dan Pizappi's space-candy guitar goodness. The elements bounce off one another, blending chaos and beauty. Louder than bombs and bigger than God... this is gonna be good.

A noticeable trend spanning this disc is the gentle onsets. Aetherial (the bridge between heaven and earth) presents a quiet strum punctuated by cymbal taps, with a distant howl that doesn't worry you quiet yet. Instrumental and haunting, guitars lift and hover like dense fog awaiting the sun. Ah, but nothing gold can stay. Distortion grows and thickens, managing to somehow get cleaner and grimier all at once. Acoustic contributions hit like a spacy, slow-motion slab of Earth drubbing your temple. Trepidation breeds restraint, effectively capturing Aetherial's stripped, lurid air.

Down in Death Valley (an ode to gaia) floats and buzzes on reverb until a swampy Whiskey Creek banjo welcomes itself in. The Weedeater rehearsal breaks to enter a chanted, Persian occupancy. When Weseman deadpans "Nobody knows... the secret I hold," you're torn on whether or not you want any elaboration. The lyrics here are the album's best, climbing a growl toward vacuum-echoed screams that claw themselves free. Repetitive and heavy under the weight of drums and Cameron Burkhart's low-end bass, enskye return to the broken-wrist flutter of the opening track. Mob mentality vocals canvas the dirge; we're not just witnessing death and loss, we're also preparing for it.

Soft, rolling waves highlight somber tones on The Great Abyss (poseidon's lament). Gorgeous guitar hovers over sharp rocks on a sound that's not hopeful, but not quite hopeless either. But these waves are quickly slugged unapologetically in a sludge-metal stomp. The vocal whisper/scream tandem courses through a song enveloped by that which is greater than itself. Hard, heavy hits pause and repeat; we can't deny the waves are eternal, but the new beginnings these waves bring are only possible when the old ones drown.
As Weseman assures "A cleansing, a purging," we're invited by prog-metal shadows countering the clouds. enskye here demonstrate their broad scope and sea of varying influences.

The guitar warp of Abyss leads into Infernus (the fall), a dark, down autumn of one's life. This is the sludgiest track on E/Q, but the preceding slow-grown buzz and doom-drum confidence are pretty fucking cool. Boiling and teeming with a foreboding menace, an abrupt and staggering drop of monster riffage and sludge grind is executed remorselessly. Pizappi's buzzsaw licks highlight this twelve-minute brick. Rolling repetition picks up the pace, spiraling downward on vocals that become a whirlpool of loss and despair. Heavy and choppy with a shift between woodshop uncertainty and a steep hill-tumble, the dynamic is repeated and celebrated. Sludge flirts, flaunts, and grinds down the spurs and ribs. On this Sunday, the best sludge arrives at the back end of this exhaustingly gorgeous disc. The pairing of hollow, gutteral descent and smoldering campfire embers is simply a bonus.

enskye may cheekily call themselves pretentious, but they're also smart. The calm before the storm can be as frightening as the storm's arrival. And looking back on the devastation can be more gut-wrenching than observing the destruction firsthand. When the sludge isn't knocking you flat, the cool-wind atmospherics are piquing your suspicion. Is it the storm that worries you? Well, it should be. But peer deeper and you may realize the threat of the storm, the threat of the unknown, is far more frightening.

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Mini-Review: Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1

by Zac Boda

Where oh where to begin… This is tremendous! Part of me wants to leave this review at that statement, in fear that I cannot possibly do this album justice with my writing.


For those who are not aware of doom / drone genius Dylan Carlson and his creation Earth, you are in for a trip. I would suggest listening to this record and also picking up “The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull”. Angels of Dark, Demons of Light 1 is the beginning of a concept that will complete with Angels of Dark, Demons of Light 2 (most likely due out sometime next year). Dylan has added the dark and beautiful sounds of a cello played by Ms. Lori Goldston. This instrument accents the music so perfectly giving AoD, DoL 1 a deep and resonating sound.

The album begins with Old Black. A very western feeling tune that has a country twang to it. Old Black is followed up by Father Midnight and Decent to the Zenith. Zenith is an absolutely mesmerizing track bringing forth emotions of windswept solitude. Hell’s Winter’s riffs continue the march through the barren desert, one of my favorite pieces of AoD, DoL 1. Nothing can truly compare to the solitary confinement feeling that the title track leaves you with.

The artwork, the music, the emotion this record has created is astounding. To Dylan and the rest of Earth, we sincerely thank you here at Heavy Planet for blessing our ears with AoD, DoL 1.

There is no question about this one: 5 out of 5

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Earth Ready To Embark On Spring Tour

Upon returning from more than a month touring Europe on their new album, The Bees Made Honey In The Lion`s Skull, Seattle`s masters of Americana-style drone Earth begins waves of US touring. Beginning this month they`ll hit the Midwest and South a bit then travel up the East Coast. More waves of dates will be announced over the coming months as the band confirms more regional touring.

04/25/2008: Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
04/26/2008: Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts, with Sword Heaven
04/27/2008: Lexington, KY - The Dame
04/28/2008: Nashville, TN - Springwater
04/29/2008: Birmingham, AL - Bottletree, with Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
04/30/2008: Atlanta, GA - The Earl, with Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
05/01/2008: Athens, GA - Calendonia, with Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
05/02/2008: Asheville, NC - Rocket Club
05/03/2008: Raleigh, NC - Downtown Events Center
05/04/2008: Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel, with Kayo Dot
05/05/2008: Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s, with Kayo Dot
05/06/2008: New York, NY - Knitting Factory, with Kayo Dot

THE SWORD SLAY EUROPE, COME BACK TO U.S. IN SUPPORT OF "GODS OF THE EARTH"

Aside from SXSW and a lone date February 28th at the Clearchannel Metroplex Event Center in Little Rock, AR, the U.S shores won't see The Sword until early April, back from their whirlwind tour with Saviours and Black Cobra in the UK. U.S. April dates, with Children and Slough Feg also on the bill, are below!

Monday, April 14- Jake’s Sports Center Lubbock, TX
Tuesday, April 15- Launchpad Albuquerque, NM
Wednesday, April 16- The Brick House Phoenix, AZ
Thursday, April 17- The Casbah San Diego, CA
Friday, April 18- El Rey Theatre Los Angeles CA
Saturday, April 19- Slim’s San Francisco, CA
Monday, April 21- Berbatis Portland, OR
Tuesday, April 22- Neumo’s Seattle, WA
Thursday, April 24- Neurolux Boise, ID
Friday, April 25- Club Vegas Salt Lake City, UT
Saturday, April 26- Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
Monday, April 28- BarleyCorns Wichita, KS
Tuesday, April 29- Conservatory Oklahoma City, OK

Oh, and they're capping it off with a little festival in Manchester, Tennessee you may have heard of called Bonnaroo. Tickets go on sale this Saturday for the June 12 - 25 event.

THE SWORD Completes Work On New Album

Austin, TX-based quartet THE SWORD has completed work on its sophomore album, entitled "Gods of the Earth". The follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed debut, "Age of Winters", is set for an April 1, 2008 release via Kemado Records.

Recorded at Folkvang Studios in Austin, TX, "Gods of the Earth" instantly conveys what words can only try to describe: THE SWORD is not to be taken lightly. From the moment the album’s lead track "The Sundering" explodes, it is immediately apparent that THE SWORD has upped the ante on a sound all its own. More ambitious, more accomplished and simply bigger, "Gods of the Earth"'s huge, mountaintop-friendly hooks, thunderous drumming and oceanic bass lines cut through the air like a scythe, while the ominous vocals of frontman J.D. Cronise weave fantastical tales rife with myth and mythology. Waves of powerful riffs and low-end thunder dominate songs such as the immediate "Maiden, Mother & Crone", "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians", "Under the Boughs" and the paralyzing "The Black River".

"Gods of the Earth" track listing:

01. The Sundering
02. How Heavy This Axe
03. Lords
04. Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians
05. To Take the Black
06. Maiden, Mother & Crone
07. Under the Boughs
08. The Black River
09. The White Sea