Low Country (album)

Low Country is a compilation album by American hard rock band The Sword. Recorded at The Bend in Austin, Texas and The Berry in Taylor, Texas, it was produced by the band's bassist Bryan Richie and released on September 23, 2016 by Razor & Tie. The album features stripped-down acoustic recordings of ten of the 15 songs from the band's 2015 fifth studio album High Country, which were recorded shortly before the album's release, between June and August 2015.

Low Country
Compilation album by
The Sword
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)
RecordedJune–August 2015
Studio
Genre
Length32:16
LabelRazor & Tie
ProducerBryan Richie
The Sword chronology
High Country
(2015)		 Low Country
(2016)		 Greetings From...
(2017)
Singles from Low Country
  1. "Seriously Mysterious"
    Released: August 26, 2016 (2016-08-26)

Background

After recording their fifth studio album High Country between March and June 2015,[1] The Sword recorded primarily acoustic versions of ten of the album's 15 tracks at The Bend in Austin, Texas and The Berry in Taylor, Texas.[2] The recordings were produced by the band's bassist Bryan Richie and mixed at Magpie Cage Studios in Baltimore, Maryland by J. Robbins, who also mixed High Country and had previously produced the band's 2012 fourth studio album Apocryphon.[3]

Low Country was first announced on August 11, 2016, described in an official press release as "a stripped-down acoustic presentation of [High Country's] songs".[3] Following its release, the band supported the album with a number of tour dates in late September and throughout October, including a stint supporting Swedish heavy metal band Opeth and ten headline shows.[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Austin Chronicle[6]
Metal Injection4/10[7]

Critical reception to Low Country was mixed. AllMusic's James Christopher Monger claimed that it "delivers on its promise of "The Sword: Unplugged," emitting its own curious current of intimacy, leaving the listener both transfixed and uneasy".[5] Monger highlighted tracks such as "Empty Temples" and "Mist & Shadow", but criticised "Seriously Mysterious" and "Ghost Eye" for feeling "a bit weightless".[5] Jeremy Ulrey for Metal Injection criticised many songs on the album in a track-by-track review, claiming that the album "mostly reaffirms that only about half of these songs bear any real heft to them at all", although he did praise the renditions of "Mist & Shadow", "Seriously Mysterious" and "Early Snow".[7] Michael Toland of The Austin Chronicle hailed the album for presenting "genuine creative advancement", in particular claiming that the acoustic format suited frontman John D. Cronise's vocals more than the band's regular style.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by John D. Cronise; all music is composed by The Sword.

No.TitleLength
1."Unicorn Farm"0:52
2."Empty Temples"3:53
3."High Country"3:05
4."Mist & Shadow"5:20
5."Seriously Mysterious"2:21
6."Early Snow"4:46
7."The Dreamthieves"3:52
8."Buzzards"2:41
9."Ghost Eye"2:14
10."The Bees of Spring"2:12

Personnel

Chart positions
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[8] 10
US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[9] 97
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] 32
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[11] 24

References
  1. "The Sword To Enter Studio In March". Blabbermouth.net. February 2, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. Low Country (Media notes). The Sword. Razor & Tie. 2016.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "The Sword Strips Down For 'Low Country' Album". Blabbermouth.net. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  4. Childers, Chad (August 11, 2016). "The Sword Strip Back Songs With 'Low Country' Release". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  5. Monger, James Christopher. "Low Country - The Sword: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  6. Toland, Michael (September 23, 2016). "Review: The Sword - Low Country". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  7. Ulrey, Jeremy (September 22, 2016). "The Sword's Low Country: A Track-by-Track Review". Metal Injection. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  8. "Hard Rock Albums: The Sword Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  9. "Top Current Albums: October 15, 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  10. "Top Rock Albums: The Sword Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. "Tastemaker Albums: The Sword Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
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