The Sword, Ume, Twichard
Majestic Theatre 115 King St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
“American heavy metal.” There’s a term you don’t see much these days. Yet this quartet out of Austin, Texas, proudly flies the flag — wrapping doom, stoner and prog influences into its brand of what The Sword’s Facebook page refers to as “warlock rock.” That’s something of a misnomer, although these guys have released records with titles like 2008’s Gods of the Earth and the 2010 sci-fi concept album Warp Riders. The Sword’s latest, Used Future, boasts a heavy groove that owes a major debt to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and even Jethro Tull. Yet considering this band takes its name from a medieval weapon, there’s also something compellingly contemporary about The Sword. With Ume and Twichard
$20 ($18 adv.).