Austin's The Sword aren't your average metal band. They're "the best band" Klosterman saw at SXSW '05, and they're even up to Joe Gross' (Austin American-Statesman) high standards. Beyond the acclaim, The Sword are one of the only bands left that can manage to take heavy metal seriously without coming off like a dated tribute band or an inside joke gone horribly serious. If you missed them at SXSW, and if you missed their... more ›

The fall tour is an encore of their multi-continent spectacle entitled 'A Bigger Bang,' which was the most successful U.S. and world tour of last year with over four and a half million fans attending in total. This time around, they're hitting up slightly smaller cities (like ours), and even offering student discounts on tickets -- no word on whether Austin will be so lucky, though one would imagine so. more ›

Mick, Keith and the boys are coming to town? more ›

Our second giveaway of the day is a pair of tickets to The Sword's show at Emo's this Thursday, plus a signed CD. The Austin-based metal thrashers are currently on the road, touring in support of their new LP, Age of Winters, which came out back February. Shortly after they finish up stateside, the foursome are heading over to Europe for an enormous month-long tour at venues with such ridiculous names as "Rockfabrik," "De Effenaar,"... more ›