Album Review: The Sword - Apocryphon

Stoner rock has long been known for its striking symbolism of all things 'otherworldly', be it charred desert landscapes, gas-guzzling hot rods or in The Sword's case, space and its surrounds. Musically borrowing from stoner rocks fore fathers, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu and with a hint of classic Black Sabbath, The Sword's fourth album Apocryphon is filled with more guitar riffs than there are references to the multiverse. Riding high off of the wave of recognition of their previous concept album Warp Riders, sonically this release is slightly more 'polished' whilst still managing to maintain the band's rawness, and extra emphasis appears to have been put on capturing the perfect vocal take.

The Sword excel in long musical interludes, which is synonymous with the genre. The point of difference with The Sword is the band's metal influences are more obvious, and cunningly disguised as slower mid-tempo stoner riffs. The albums title track is tucked away at the end of the album, starting off with a synth intro similar to The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again, before a frantic guitar riff picks the song up and takes us on a bleak astral journey. Dying Earth has an intro that would be perfect in any badly produced '70s sci-fi flick, whilst Seven Sisters cuts straight to the point.

The Sword's Apocryphon is a ten-track barrage of pure stoner awesome, both lyrically and musically. However at times it is slightly tired sounding and in need of a few songs with some minor tempo changes to help the album flow more smoothly. Overall this is a great album to leave your normal existence and travel elsewhere for 45 minutes.