Blast from the past albums #10: THE SWORD - Gods of the Earth (2008, Kemado Records)

In this series of posts I'll discuss an album I picked up as a teenager or in my early 20s and haven't listened to in a very long time.

This is now article number 10 in this particular series of posts, and it's no coincidence that every single one of the albums I've spoken - with the exception of Morbid Angel's Illud Divinum Insanus - about has been released between 2006 and 2009. These are albums I bought as new (or nearly new) releases when I was first properly getting into music during my school and college days. I was buying many classic albums at the time as well, and most of those are one's that have been in rotation for me forever. But this isn't always the case with albums I bought as new releases. A lot of them aren't classics, and probably never will be. It doesn't mean they're poor, it just often means that I listened to them a bunch of times when they were new and then simply moved on. The Sword's second full-length, 2008's Gods of the Earth, is one such record.

The funny thing about me and my relationship with The Sword is that I picked up Gods of the Earth back in '08 in a slipcase package with their 2006 debut, Age of Winters. I still dig out Age of Winters every once a while, even to this day; I've always been a fan of that album, and songs like 'Freya' and 'Iron Swan' are tracks I like to put in playlists. Yet I've barely touched Gods of the Earth since my teens, despite actually liking it at the time. Even weirder is the fact I never bought any Sword albums that came since, despite seeing them live at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton back in 2013!

Anyway, Gods of the Earth is totally worth a revisit, and certainly qualifies for this series of blog posts. Hearing it again now for the first time since who knows when, I'm not quite sure why it's been gathering dust on my shelves for so bloody long. Sonically, it sounds a lot like Age of Winters. The guitars have that similarly fuzzed-up, overdriven sound once again. It sounds deliberately under-produced, but not necessarily in a "raw, lo-fi" kind of style. It feels like they were aiming more for a vintage, organic sound. If they wanted this album to sound clean and crisp, then they would've recorded it that way - this was 2008, not 1978 after all. And considering the strong stoner/doom metal style of the band (at least at this point in their career), it was the correct way to go. I think Age of Winters' production was pretty spot-on, why change if it worked so well the first time?

The songs themselves mostly feel like a natural progression from the debut. They retain the same levels of heaviness - in fact, I'd argue that Gods of the Earth is maybe even heavier than it's predecessor. Just listen to the crushing doom monger that is 'Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians' (I have no fucking clue what a "Hyperzephyrian" is!)! But I also think on a technical level, the songs are a tad more intricate and ambitious this time around. They're not progressive in a way that they transition in and out of different styles or anything like that, there's just a little bit more going on this time. Little melodies and licks that have been interwoven within riffs nicely, stuff like that. But like I was saying before, they're still just as heavy, if not heavier at the end of the day. The riffs once again blend the doominess of Black Sabbath and Pentagram with the fuzzy, stoner tones of a band like Kyuss - and it's done in a way that feels natural and effortless.

On a musical level, I think this album is more impressive than it's predecessor. The only thing that somewhat lets things down slightly (on surface level anyway) is the fact the songs aren't as memorable because of it. Songs like 'Barael's Blade' and 'Freya' etc. from Age of Winters will stick in your head almost immediately after you've listened to them. 'The Frost-Giants Daughter', 'To Take the Black' or 'How Heavy This Axe' etc. from Gods of the Earth require repeated listens for me to really take in. There's definitely a simplicity/catchiness factor lacking here that the debut album didn't have. This sounds like a glaring issue, but considering I enjoyed practically every second of Gods of the Earth after hearing it again for this post, it's really not a huge deal. The album is a good time from start finish, it just has subtle differences that make it a slightly more demanding listen I guess. But even so, I'd still say this album is pretty accessible as far as stoner/doom metal goes. And there's plenty of variety in tempo throughout these tracks too - there's some speed within songs like 'Lords' and 'The Black River'. It's not all slow and lumbering stuff. 

Really, if you liked the debut, then there's no way in hell you're not gonna enjoy this follow-up record. Vocalist/guitarist J.D. Cronise sounds identical here vocally, and the songs along with the production still sounds like The Sword. Early-career The Sword anyway. It's a fine follow-up to a great debut. I still prefer the debut, but the fact Gods of the Earth has been rotting away for so long in my collection is sacrilege! 
Adam's rating: 8/10