THE SWORD Frontman Talks About Drummer Change

Vocalist and songwriter John "J.D." Cronise of Austin, Texas luminaries THE SWORD recently spoke to the Dallas Observer about the departure of the band's original drummer and longtime friend, Trivett Wingo, and addition of Kevin Fender, best known for his work with the Texas hardcore outfit EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE.

"The transition has gone really well, but it was interesting because we had so many professional drummers with their own web sites — that we hadn't ever known — contacting us, asking to be in the band," Cronise said. "That was really new for us. Luckily, we found a guy here in town that has played in other bands and was a friend of a friend, and it was just a normal situation, like when any of the other bands I've been in would find a new member. It's worked out awesome for us, so far."

Regarding the heavy metal genre as a whole, Cronise said, "The music itself is just kind of extreme and loud. It's either heavy or fast or a combination of both, and it's generally played by young men who have a lot of testosterone and are prone to flights of fancy, while really being into monster movies and tales of spaceships. So, that energy sort of permeates the youthful, masculine energy that heavy metal is based upon, and it lends itself to ridiculous subject matter."

On the topic of two of THE SWORD's songs, "Freya" and "The Black River", appearing in versions of the "Guitar Hero" video game series, Cronise said, "These games are great for musicians, because they keep people who aren't serious about playing out of the guitar store."