The Sword • Age of Winters

B+

The Sword proves that sometimes (most often by my count) a band can sound so good, so fresh, simply by returning music to its roots and starting all over from the beginning. Here, The Sword conjurs the black arts long abandoned by but forever associated with Ozzy, Iommi, Ward and Butler (Black Sabbath). In other words, The Sword brings metal back to the blues.

The Sword builds from the Sabbath template, but Age of Winters isn't a novelty project. It is a relentless album—a thunderstorm gone awry. There is little variation between the songs, but this is what is so effective about it. From opening "Celestial Crown," to the stunning "Iron Swan," the songs effectively coalesce into a single body of work.

The Sword carries the metal torch with pride. The sure rawness of Age of Winters makes contemporaries Wolfmother seem polished and calculated; Queens of the Stone Age pretentious. And damn if that isn't good company to keep. The Ozzman would be proud.