Dad Rock mines for metal with The Sword
A band named The Sword should rock pretty convincingly. And in the case of this "retro metal" band, that certainly is true.
With five albums — and some well-timed opportunities to get its music in front of new listeners (opening for Metallica; tracks on the Guitar Hero videogame) — The Sword has developed a strong base of fans who long for the days when bands play irony-free, guitar-driven hard rock. Think Black Sabbath or Motorhead.
The band released its latest album, High Country, this year and has been melting face at clubs across the USA. The album expands The Sword's sound, adding some more intricate dynamics and instrumentation (even including horns on one track).
Bryan Richie, who plays bass and keyboards, often at the same time, stopped by Paste BN for an interview on the Dad Rock podcast. Joining co-hosts Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan was Bobby Padavick, a Paste BN colleague, a drummer and a devoted fan of The Sword.
In a wide-ranging conversation that touched on Richie's influences (few of which are metal) and The Sword's diverse revenue streams (including lines of hot sauce and beer), Richie brushed aside the genre labels and explained the band's straightforward mission: "We're just trying to rock ... and be funky," he said. "You can chop it up however you'd like, but it is just rock 'n' roll. It's the harder side of rock 'n' roll, but it's definitely rock 'n' roll."
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