Music Review: The Sword, High Country

By Tim Murr

I was ready for The Sword’s High Country and was initially excited when I heard the first single, “High Country.” While there’s still a lot to appreciate about the album as a whole, I found the overall experience a bit of a let down.

Lyrically, High Country is still The Sword, but musically they’ve become less Black Sabbath and more prog-rock Allman Brothers. That’s not so bad and High Country is a solid hard rock album, but it lacks the edge of earlier albums from The Sword.

It’s hard for me to knock High Country because The Sword is not lacking in talent and singer/guitarist JD Cronise is a great lyricist. Yet to me, the album is coming from a place in rock and roll I’ve grown weary of and while I can certainly appreciate and respect the craftsmanship behind songs like “Empty Temples,” “Mist and Shadow,” and “The Dreamthieves,” I think I’ll be revisiting Warp Riders more often than High Country.

Still, I want to encourage everyone to go check out High Country. It’s streaming on Spotify for a no-risk look-see. If you like it, please go BUY it!

High Country was released on August 21 through Razor & Tie.

Tour Dates:
Aug. 25 – Helsinki, Finland – Tavastia
Aug. 27 – Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser Strand
Aug. 28 – Malmö, Sweden – KB
Aug. 29 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Lille Vega
Aug. 30 – Hamburg, Germany – Rock Café St Pauli
Aug. 31 – Berlin, Germany – Magnet
Sep. 2 – Wien, Austria – Arena
Sep. 3 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Club
Sep. 4 – Milan, Italy – Legend
Sep. 5 – Salzburg, Austria – Rockhouse
Sep. 6 – Winterthur, Switzerland, Salzhaus
Sep. 7 – Stuttgart, Germany – Universum
Sep. 9 – Antwerp, Belgium – Trix Club
Sep. 10 – Tilburg, Netherlands – Extase
Sep. 11 – Cologne, Germany – Luxor
Sep. 12 – Paris, France – La Boule Noire
Sep. 14 – Nottingham, United Kingdom – Basement
Sep. 15 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – King Tuts
Sep. 16 – Manchester, United Kingdom – Academy 3
Sep. 17 – Wolverhampton, United Kingdom – Slade Rooms
Sep. 18 – London, United Kingdom – Underworld
Oct. 9 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live!
Oct. 10 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
Oct. 11 – Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds
Oct. 13 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Oct. 14 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater
Oct. 15 – Iowa City, IA – Gabes
Oct. 16 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
Oct. 17 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
Oct. 18 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Oct. 20 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red
Oct. 21 – Las Vegas, NV – Vinyl
Oct. 22 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up
Oct. 23 – San Francisco, CA – Slims
Oct. 24 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater (Knotfest)
Oct. 25 – Sacramento, CA – Gibson Ranch (Aftershock)
Oct. 27 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Oct. 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw
Oct. 29 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Oct. 30 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Oct. 31 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
Nov. 2 – Denver, CO – Gothic
Nov. 3 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Nov. 4 – Lubbock, TX – Jakes
Nov. 18 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
Nov. 19 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Nov. 20 – St. Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
Nov. 21 – Jacksonville, FL – Freebird Live
Nov. 23 – Birmingham, AL – Satum
Nov. 24 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
Nov. 25 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
Nov. 27 – Chapel Hill, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Nov. 28 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
Nov. 29 – Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
Dec. 1 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
Dec. 2 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
Dec. 3 – Albany, NY – Northern Lights
Dec. 4 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
Dec. 5 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Dec. 6 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Dec. 8 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls
Dec. 9 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom
Dec. 10 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig
Dec. 11 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
Dec. 12 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Dec. 13 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
Dec. 15 – Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge
Dec. 16 – Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s Cantina & Ballroom
Dec. 17 – Oklahoma City, OK – ACM
Dec. 18 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Dec. 19 – Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock