The Sword - Warp Riders (2010) [Kemado] // Grade: B+

I get heckled by the Mishka fam a lot for being too contrived in my music taste. Jokingly, they’ll accuse me of only liking brutal vocals and predictable growls, pit kicks and blood-curdling screams; often overlooking inherently good music because it’s not metal enough, or something like that. While it’s not entirely true, there is some truth behind that. In fact, when I first hear the Sword years ago, I hated them. I’d much rather listen to Zeppelin or Sabbath. Why would I want to indulge in a bunch of hippie-esque Texas boys who prolly spent their summers in Austin smoking grass and swimming in the Hippie Hole. Fuck that shit. Where’s the METAL!? Right? Well, that’s where the Sword’s newest album Warp Riders steps in and once again, my foot is in my mouth.

Warp Riders is, in many ways the Blue Record of the 2010 stoner rock albums. While a comparison to Baroness may not be the best, one truth is told by bringing that to light; both the Blue Record and Warp Riders are good rock albums that mark a level of maturity for each band. While one is more sludge and the other is traditionally more stoner rock, each shot the bands into a new ranking caste system. In their 5 year career, the Sword has ruffled a lot of feathers. Out of no where, this band came about and kinda nailed the classic stoner rock formula. It was almost too perfect and music snobs everywhere wanted to nit-pick. Well, 5 years later and Warp Riders proves the naysayers, myself included, wrong.

If you’ve spent any amount of time jamming out to Orange Goblin, Sleep or even Cathedral and Saint Vitus, you don’t want to miss Warp Riders. Complete with picturesque cover art and a space-aged theme, the album delivers in the classic and timeless sense. Yeah, I said themed album. It took a few rotations but after reading the lyrics, it became evident that The Sword took on a new direction and added an underlying theme of science fiction. The story tells tales of a war-torn planet. Where good and evil plot against each other and scar their homeland with wars. All tied together with a 1970′s jam fest filled with riffs and soothing vocals.

Warp Riders may not be for everyone. It’s certainly not for your beer-chugging, headbanging “SLAYER!” friends but it’s a good album to blaze out and relax to. A perfect album for the end of summer. So fill up the cooler, grab the bikes, boombox and ride down to the Hippie Hole to cool off while blasting it. Make sure you remember your headband and Levis though. Cynicism aside, I for one, am impressed. Maybe it’s the sci-fi nerd in me who was looking for an anthem album to top off my summer jams? Who knows.

- Prolly