High Country

When it comes to rock music, one message is left unspoken and handed down through the ages there are no rules. Nobody picks up a guitar to be bogged down or held back. It s all about feeling free. The Sword John Cronise [vocals, guitar], Kyle Shutt [guitar], Bryan Richie [bass], and Santiago Vela III [drums] have defied boundaries since day one. Their style never followed trends. They always create what feels right and let the music speak for itself. When it came time to record the group s fifth full-length album, High Country [Razor & Tie]. Cronise found himself at a spiritual crossroads. Following the final tour for their critically acclaimed Apocryphon, Cronise holed up in his North Carolina home and eventually began writing new songs. He soon found the music began to head into a place it had never gone before. High Country became new territory for The Sword. 2012 s Apocryphon debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200, marking their highest entry on the chart. However, The Sword s impact continues to expand with High Country, the band s biggest, boldest, and brightest album yet.