The Sword @ Mr. Smalls Theatre

It’s been two years since the Austin, TX heavy rockers decided to take a break, but The Sword are unsheathed once more. In 2020, two career-spanning collections were released simultaneously, both showcasing the technically dazzling, riff-heavy and far-reaching metal that the band has been known for since forming 15 years ago. Conquest of Kingdoms is a three-disc vinyl collection of rarities and oddities (also available digitally), while Chronology 2006–2018 is a three-CD set, which —in addition to the rarities —also includes tracks hand-selected by The Sword from each of the band’s studio albums. Singer and guitarist John D. Cronise describes the differences between the two formats and the methodology for compiling these:“The CD package will be more of a career retrospective with selections from each of our albums as well as the rarities and B-sides and things. Sort of a mini box set, you could say. The set will include a booklet with essays and photos, to make it special and extra. Whereas the LP release [Conquest of Kingdoms] is more streamlined, with just the B-side and rarities material. Personally for me, that’s what’s exciting about the releases. A lot of that stuff I never thought would see the light of day but I always thought was really cool and was proud of. That’s what I think is exciting about it.”Bassist Bryan Richie says that it was simply the right time to put these albums out, and to revisit what has been a stellar career thus far. Assembling Chronology 2006–2018was a no-brainer; the band has an abundance of fan favorite tunes from which to cherry-pick.“We’ve got all these exclusive 7”s and a split record or two, that were pressed in 1,000 quantities —maybe people heard those tracks on a YouTube stream in not really the greatest quality,” he says. “As the band had gone on hiatus, we had this wealth of material to share including live sets —things that were sitting on my hard drive for years, things that were given to me at shows. It seemed like the r