As Metal Director/DJ at WRUV, plus owner of this website, I get sent a metric shit ton of new music every year. I was once able to house my entire MP3 collection on a 160 GB iPod Classic, but as the inevitable digital shift progressed, my virtual library grew exponentially.

Cole checks in with his year-end best-of list, but don’t let that picture confuse you—”Snakes for the Divine” doesn’t actually show up until #7 …see what else he chose!

THE SWORD has recently canceled their European tour dates, and now regretfully reports that the remainder of US dates are indefinitely postponed. This is unfortunately due to drummer Trivett Wingo’s departure from the band.

Another bittersweet post, as the nearly month-long tour will span the entirety of the Midwest and parts of both the East Coast and the West Coast, but we Vermonters may need to travel to Boston for the concert. It may be a bit much to arrange a three-hour detour for a Monday night show up here, but if they are nearby your location, go!

Rating: 3.5/5 …

Maybe I’m just an ornery fan who can’t get past a sound shift, but “Warp Riders” has proved to be one of my biggest disappointments of the year. You guys can enjoy the new sci-fi stuff all you want. I’m gonna go listen to “Freya” and “Winter’s Wolves” and continue my worship of Thor and Odin.

The Sword – “Gods of the Earth” [Kemado] … simply put, they are the sound of awesome: a near-flawless blend of Thrash and Stoner Groove, now injected with Classical riffage (check out those opening and closing instrumentals!) and still exploring fantastical mythological themes … make no mistake, they’re every bit as good as you’ve heard–perhaps the best of their breed–and will likely only improve with time … easy pick for Best of 2008 … FCC OK … Try *2*, 3, 4, *5*, 6, 7, *8*, *9* … 2008Mar18 1. The Sundering 2. The Frost-Giant’s Daughter 3. How Heavy This [...read more]