The Sword (Doom Metal)

J.D. Cronise (singer/guitarist)
Kyle Shutt (guitarist)
Bryan Richie (bassist)
Trivett Wingo (drummer)


The Sword is a Doom Metal/Stoner metal band, which strangely for a band of this genre, use high fantasy lyrics and themes in their lyrics and albums. The band formed in Austin, Texas in 2003.

THE SWORD is the soul of the warrior. Therefore, when the warrior is the subject, the sword inevitably comes with him. The warrior who wishes to be faithful to his vocation will have first of all to ask himself the question: How shall I transcend birth and death so that I can be ready at any moment to give up my life if necessary? This means exposing himself before the enemy's sword stroke or directing his own sword toward himself. The sword thus becomes most intimately connected with the life of the warrior, and it has become the symbol of loyalty and self-sacrifice. The reverence universally paid to it in various ways proves this.
The sword has thus a double office to perform: to destroy anything that opposes the will of its user and to sacrifice all the impulses that arise from the instinct of self-preservation. The one relates itself to the spirit of patriotism or sometimes militarism, while the other has a religious connotation of loyalty and self-sacrifice. In the case of the former, very frequently the sword may simply mean pure destruction, and then it is the symbol of force, sometimes devilish force. It must, therefore, be controlled and consecrated by the second function. Its conscientious wielder is always mindful of this truth. For then destruction is turned against the evil spirit. The sword comes to be identified with the annihilation of things that lie in the way of peace, justice, progress, and humanity. It stands for all that is desirable for the spiritual welfare of the world at large. It is now the embodiment of life and not of death.
It is noteworthy that, when making swords, the swordsmith invokes the aid of the guardian god. To invite him to the workshop, the smith surrounds it with consecrated ropes, thus excluding evil spirits, while he goes through the ceremony of ablution and dons the ceremonial dress in which he works. While striking the iron bar and bathing it in fire and water, the smith and his assisstant are in the most intensified state of mind. Confident the god's help will be given to their work, they exert themselves to the limit of their powers: mental, physical, and spiritual. The sword thus produced is a true work of art.
As something of divinity enters into the making of the sword, its owner and wielder should also respond to the inspiration. He should be a spiritual man, not an agent of brutality. His mind should be at one with the soul which animates the cold steel. Here is the true warrior.

痺れます。是非轟音で聴いてみてください。

http://www.swordofdoom.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thesword