OK, this was a first

Until last night, I've never been asked to stop taking photos or shooting video in a club. I'm not sure if it was a directive from Lincoln Theatre (I got video of The Hold Steady when they were there) or The Sword. I'm inclined to think the former because the guy who told me to stop was wearing a Lincoln Theatre T-shirt. Oh well, at least he didn't make me erase what I'd already gotten, so here's a partial video of "The Frost-Giant's Daughter."

(VIDEO DELETED)

Tuesday night's can't miss show: The Sword

I could just do a cop-out here and quote my friend Joe, who said that The Sword's new CD, "Gods of the Earth," could be summed up in two words: "Bad ass." Or I could once again point you to the video I shot of them at Kings back in 2006 -- which was one of the heaviest shows I ever saw at that club. That should show you that "bad ass" is an understatement when it comes to this band. "Gods of the Earth" sounds like the soundtrack to an ancient battle involving elves, wizards, dwarves and a host of other magical peoples. Peter Jackson really should have have used "The Black River" for the battle scene between the Riders of Rohan and the Orcs in "The Two Towers." The fantasy imagery struck me as a bit heavy-handed the first few times I listened to this CD, but eventually I realized how well it goes with the band's stomping, grinding sound. They'll be at Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday night with another amazing band, Philadelphia's Stinking Lizavetta, who have been described as "doom-jazz." I know that when I saw them more than four years ago I was totally blown away.