The small, tight-knit Burlington metal community came out in full stride on Sept. 19 to see The Sword, the 21st century “retro-metal” gods from Austin, Texas.
The Sword — frequently labeled as “retro-metal” for their sound that pays homage to the marijuana-induced heaviness of Black Sabbath and the bluesy hard rock of Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy — are sometimes accused of simply ripping off their contemporaries.
But the 200 or so people who showed up to their headlining show at Higher Ground — including those people well into their 40s and even 50s that — together, made up a predominantly male crowd, begged to differ.
“The Sword are the sound of awesome,” Matt Longo said. “Inexplicably catchy, consistently impressive, always identifiable yet willing to evolve — they are a rare, indomitable