Gods of the Earth
2008 studio album by The Sword
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.
Track listing
All lyrics written by J. D. Cronise ; all music composed by The Sword.
Title 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
Australian edition Title 12. "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" (ZZ Top cover) 13. "The White Sea" (Live)
Japanese edition Title 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 , while "Maiden, Mother & Crone" is a reference to the Faith of the Seven in the same series.[ 7]
Personnel
The Sword
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]
References
^ "Gods of the Earth " . Allmusic . Retrieved February 18, 2012 .
^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews" . Rollingstone.com . Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2012 .
^ a b c d "The Sword" . Kemado Records . Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2008 .
^ "Artist Chart History - The Sword" . Billboard . Retrieved October 4, 2008 .
^ "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyria > Overview" . Allmusic . Retrieved October 9, 2008 .
^ "The Sword: Release Limited Edition Box Set" . Sonic Dice. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009 .
^ Ziemke, Mark (March 4, 2008). "The Sword are Gods of the Earth" . Ground Control. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008 .
^ "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Europe)" . The Sword . Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2008 .
^ "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Australia)" . The Sword . Retrieved November 26, 2008 . [dead link ]
^ "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Japan)" . The Sword . Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2008 .
Trivett Wingo
Kevin Fender
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