A doomy, retro-metal four-piece hailing from Austin, Texas, the Sword draw from a wide array of influences and hard rock subgenres. Combining lyrical themes from fantasy and science fiction, the band emerged in 2006 with the Black Sabbath-leaning Age of Winters. They adopted a traditional hard rock style for 2012's Warp Riders, an aesthetic that carried over to subsequent efforts like the elemental High Country (2015) and the bluesy, fuzzed-out Used Future (2018), albeit with elements of stoner and progressive metal tossed in for good measure.