Gods of the Earth

Gods of the Earth is the second studio album by American doom metal band The Sword, released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in the United States on April 1.[3] It gave the band their first experience of commercial success when it peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200 chart.[4] The single released from the album was "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians",[5] which did not chart. Gods of the Earth was later re-released as part of a two-disc box set with Age of Winters on November 25, 2008.[3][6] Their track "The Black River" was featured in the game Guitar Hero: Metallica, released in March 2009. "Maiden, Mother & Crone" is featured in Guitar Hero 5, released in September 2009.

Gods of the Earth
Studio album by
The Sword
ReleasedMarch 31, 2008
(release history)
Recorded2007
StudioFolkvang Studios and Premium Recording (Austin, Texas)
GenreDoom metal, heavy metal, stoner rock
Length47:59
LabelKemado
ProducerJ. D. Cronise
The Sword chronology
The Sword/Witchcraft split
(2007)		 Gods of the Earth
(2008)		 Warp Riders
(2010)
Singles from Gods of the Earth
  1. "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians"
    Released: March 18, 2008 (US only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Track listing

All lyrics written by J. D. Cronise; all music composed by The Sword.

No.TitleLength
1."The Sundering"2:04
2."The Frost-Giant's Daughter"5:02
3."How Heavy This Axe"3:05
4."Lords"4:57
5."Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians"3:28
6."To Take the Black"4:40
7."Maiden, Mother & Crone"3:59
8."Under the Boughs"4:57
9."The Black River"5:53
10."The White Sea"7:22
11."To Take the Black – Reprise" (hidden track)2:23
Australian edition
No.TitleLength
12."Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" (ZZ Top cover) 
13."The White Sea" (Live) 
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
12."Sea of Spears"4:46
13."To Take the Black" (Live)4:38
14."He's Waiting" (The Sonics cover)1:55

Lyrics

Several songs reference Conan the Barbarian stories by fantasy author Robert E. Howard. "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is based on Howard's short story by the same name and "The Black River" was inspired by "Beyond the Black River", while "How Heavy This Axe" makes references to Howard's fictional Hyborian Age. "To Take the Black" is a direct reference to the Night's Watch in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, while "Maiden, Mother & Crone" is a reference to the Faith of the Seven in the same series.[7]

Personnel
The Sword
Additional personnel

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog
Europe March 31, 2008 Kemado Records CD album KEM 073[8]
United States April 1, 2008 Kemado Records CD album KEM 071[3]
LP album KEM 072[3]
Australia May 24, 2008 Impedance Records CD album IMP 006[9]
Japan June 11, 2008 Toy's Factory Records CD album TFCK-87438[10]

References
  1. "Gods of the Earth". Allmusic. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  2. "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  3. "The Sword". Kemado Records. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  4. "Artist Chart History - The Sword". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  5. "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyria > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
  6. "The Sword: Release Limited Edition Box Set". Sonic Dice. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  7. Ziemke, Mark (March 4, 2008). "The Sword are Gods of the Earth". Ground Control. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  8. "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Europe)". The Sword. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  9. "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Australia)". The Sword. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  10. "The Sword - Gods Of The Earth (CD/Japan)". The Sword. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
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