The Sword takes a lot of stick in certain quarters of the metal community, mostly for having committed that cardinal indie sin of getting too big, too fast. The Austin, TX band was an overnight sensation thanks to debut LP Age of Winters, which blazed onto the scene full of fuzzy Orange amps, epic, martial lyrics, and titanic, bong-water-rippling riffs. A plum deal with hipper-than-thou NYC label Kemado was the first detail that rankled the ranks of forum-trolling purists, and press photos depicting four fresh-faced youths fresh from Texas' hippest municipality were ripe for the metal grist mill, which preferred [...]