Gods of the Earth
2008 studio album by The Sword
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Gods of the Earth is the second studio album by American doom metal band The Sword, released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in the United States on April 1.[3] It gave the band their first experience of commercial success when it peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200 chart.[4] The single released from the album was "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians",[5] which did not chart. Gods of the Earth was later re-released as part of a two-disc box set with Age of Winters on November 25, 2008.[3][6] Their track "The Black River" was featured in the game Guitar Hero: Metallica, released in March 2009. "Maiden, Mother & Crone" is featured in Guitar Hero 5, released in September 2009.
(release history)
| Gods of the Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 2008 (release history) | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studio | Folkvang Studios and Premium Recording (Austin, Texas) | |||
| Genre | Doom metal, heavy metal, stoner rock | |||
| Length | 47:59 | |||
| Label | Kemado | |||
| Producer | J. D. Cronise | |||
| The Sword chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Gods of the Earth | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Track listing
All lyrics written by J. D. Cronise; all music composed by The Sword.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Sundering" | 2:04 |
| 2. | "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" | 5:02 |
| 3. | "How Heavy This Axe" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Lords" | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" | 3:28 |
| 6. | "To Take the Black" | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Maiden, Mother & Crone" | 3:59 |
| 8. | "Under the Boughs" | 4:57 |
| 9. | "The Black River" | 5:53 |
| 10. | "The White Sea" | 7:22 |
| 11. | "To Take the Black – Reprise" (hidden track) | 2:23 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" (ZZ Top cover) | |
| 13. | "The White Sea" (Live) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Sea of Spears" | 4:46 |
| 13. | "To Take the Black" (Live) | 4:38 |
| 14. | "He's Waiting" (The Sonics cover) | 1:55 |
Lyrics
Several songs reference Conan the Barbarian stories by fantasy author Robert E. Howard. "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is based on Howard's short story by the same name and "The Black River" was inspired by "Beyond the Black River", while "How Heavy This Axe" makes references to Howard's fictional Hyborian Age. "To Take the Black" is a direct reference to the Night's Watch in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.[7]
Personnel
- The Sword
- J. D. Cronise – vocals, guitar, production, mixing
- Kyle Shutt – guitar, mixing
- Bryan Richie – bass, engineering, mixing
- Trivett Wingo – drums, percussion, mixing
- Additional personnel
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | March 31, 2008 | Kemado Records | CD album | KEM 073[8] |
| United States | April 1, 2008 | Kemado Records | CD album | KEM 071[3] |
| LP album | KEM 072[3] | |||
| Australia | May 24, 2008 | Impedance Records | CD album | IMP 006[9] |
| Japan | June 11, 2008 | Toy's Factory Records | CD album | TFCK-87438[10] |