The Sword is a retro metal four piece hailing from of all places the singer songwriter haven of Austin, Texas. Beginning in 2003, The Sword with founding vocalist and guitarist J.D. Cronise joined forces with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Trivett Wingo, and they appeared at Austin's famed SXSW Festival. They did national touring stints with everyone from progressive metal saviors Mastodon, to indie rock darlings... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead followed, and by mid 2005, The Sword had been picked up by New York based indie label Kemado Records, with their much anticipated debut album, Age of Winters.