THE SWORD Drummer Denied Entry To Canada; HEAVY T.O. Appearance Canceled

July 23, 2011

Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD have been forced to cancel their appearance at this weekend's Heavy T.O. festival at Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario because their drummer was denied entry to Canada.

After an amicable split with drummer Trivett Wingo forced THE SWORD to cancel a number of U.S. tour dates in late 2010, the band last year found someone to fill in for behind-the-kit duties. Joining them on the road is Kevin Fender, best known for his work with the Texas hardcore outfit EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE.

THE SWORD's third full-length album, "Warp Riders", sold around 8,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Warp Riders" marked the first release where the group has worked with an outside producer. Helmed by Matt Bayles (PEARL JAM, MASTODON, ISIS),the album is anchored by an epic science-fiction narrative. The storyline is a psychedelic space opera that explores temporal themes of death and rebirth. "Warp Riders" also finds THE SWORD expanding its range from pure metal to include bone-crunching hard rock at large. Rather than dampening its sound, the band actually sounds more amplified than ever, spewing out some of its most scalding riffs to date and channeling an unearthly bellow from its low end.

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