THE SWORD
  • Sam Holden
  • THE SWORD

THE WELL-MARKETED METAL OF THE SWORD

(Neumos) Austin, Texas retro-metal outfit the Sword’s initial traditional approach of black-light-poster medieval imagery and chugging doom riffs was cliché but well-executed, but 2010’s Warp Riders and 2012’s Apocryphon took different approaches in terms of both sound and thematic content, ditching the Dark Ages for outer space and other mythological subjects and moving to a more classic-sounding hard-rock style. Though this new stuff isn’t necessarily better than the old, the band seems to be doing something right, as they have recently been featured on soundtracks of big-budget Hollywood films and released their own line of hot sauces and beers (so metal). Locally founded Big Business manage to do way more with less—that is, make louder, better-sounding records with fewer members/publicity moves. MIKE RAMOS
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You can read Trent Moorman's interview with the Sword here »


FUCK THE PATRIARCHY AND PARTY ON WITH JOAN JETT

(Snoqualmie Casino) Some people are dicks about musical legends who keep touring later into their lives. Those people, are, obviously, dicks. If you love Joan Jett, go to this thing. Celebrate badassery, rocking out, not giving a shit about your reputation. Woohoo! If you don’t care about Joan Jett, you can fix that easily in three steps. (1) Go watch The Runaways, a movie about her first band. It has the most feminist opening shot in film history: a drop of period blood falling to the pavement. FUCK THE PATRIARCHY. (2) Read about how she had to self-release the album now known as Bad Reputation because no major labels wanted it. Suck on this, ya dumb suits! And (3) is a duh: Listen to her music. Go do it immediately, it’s easy! Now: Don’t you fall into the “if you love Joan Jett” category? Good. You know what to do. ANNA MINARD
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