Didn’t I just write about how bands like Pelican and Russian Circles draw kinder, mellow, gentler folks by filing down metal’s caustic edges? Well, so do Austin’s metal darlings, The Sword. Another amazing band that satisfies indie kids’ guilty pleasure, the most commonly overheard phrase during their set was some derivative of “face melting”. By smartly mixing new songs into a set littered with tracks from their two albums, they kept new and old fans’ fists pumping with early Metallica-meets-Sabbath riffs and pounding low end. And, unless my ears were mistaken, I think the band has been listening to some Ronnie James Dio. (If not, they should be) Two thumbs up? More like two metal horns up.
