Earthless et The Sword

California’s instrumental rock band Earthless are one of the most interesting and exciting live acts out there at the moment. The idea of a ‘jam’ or improvisation band is an old one, evoking classic acts like The Grateful Dead, and for Earthless, this association is apt ad well earned. While they have released studio albums, it is live where their material take on a life of its own. It is often clear that even the band sometimes do not know in what direction the song is going to go, and while that could be seen as criticism, for Earthless, it is praise, and is evidence of the trio’s extreme talents and ability to work well as a group. Their set is mostly instrumental, which is something that may out some people off, but in this case, don’t let it put you off – Earthless more than make up for the lack of vocals with dazzling displays of personal skill and ensemble performance. With songs regularly passing the 30 minute mark, it is often hard to distinguish one track from the other, as Earthless are able to seamlessly blend and switch between them making their live show one organic and amazing process.

The flow of highly charged energy at a concert by The Sword is nearly unstoppable. Loud distorted guitar riffs are blared through stacks of massive guitar amps and the drums are beating with a brashness that resonates through your skull. The Sword is fierce when they take the stage. The dueling Guitarists, John Cronise and Kyle Shutt, perform in a way reminiscent of Judas Priest’s fast paced guitar solos and duets. The band is also known to play in slower tempos, and retain a sludgy sound of deep distorted guitars, and low, bellowing drumming, somewhat in the stoner metal style of Black Sabbath and Sleep. The Sword’s lyrics are also very interesting drawing inspiration from Norse mythology. John Cronise’s vocals are also presented in a yearning way, which is very similar to Ozzy Osbourne.
The Sword’s stage theatrics usually consist of fog covering every inch of the stage and dim lights of dark colors shining down upon them. The band is enthusiastic during their performance, head banging to each song. Their audience seems to be loving it as well, riotously rocking out to each song, crowd surfing, and signaling the devil horns with their hands as a rock and roll salute.
The Sword keeps things interesting with their retro sound of the golden age of metal, but still manages to keep their music fresh and youthful. The Sword is sure to meet high expectations of blasting their audience away with their heavy brand of doom metal.