shows progress .........
This review is for people who have heard Age of Winters (the first album) and are considering purchasing this. Firstly, my opinion of the previous CD was that it rocked pretty hard, but it did sound overly repetitive at times and somewhat amateurish; The cadence of the vocals were the same throughout the disc, which proved to be distracting almost to the point of being annoying. I would probably rate it a 2.5.
Now, on to "Gods of the Earth." Quite an improvement. The band didn't necessarily become more "polished", which could be construed as a criticism, but the sound and overall mix were more pleasing. The songs are structured better, more sophisticated without venturing into prog-rock. The album is heavy, heavy, heavy. And the crankin' riffs have much more effect because of the bass interludes and quiet sections that intro. the songs or divide up the time changes in the middle of songs.
Many of the lukewarm reviews written here don't seem to recognize that this disc is clearly, I think, the result of a band getting better.
The vocals and lyrics are better. They still sound like Tony Iommi, Ozzy, and Dio, playing Dungeons and Dragons - but they are more poetic and less sophomoric. So I would say if you were intrigued, but not totally sold on Age of Winters, check this out -- you might be pleasantly surprised.

One of the best metal albums in YEARS!!!!
I got turned on to The Sword when they hit the Austin music scene a few years ago. It was really refreshing to hear a very tight band with such heavy riffage! You just don't often get the heavy with such great musicians and lyrics. (Yes, they're just as good live as recorded) Their first album, Age of Winters didn't leave my CD player / iPod playlist for months.
Then, I got a treat... I found out Gods Of The Earth was coming out! I was a bit worried about The Sword's sophomore effort as their first had been so good. How could it be any better? Well, one spin of the disc and all worries were laid aside.

In short - This album is one of the best heavy rock / doom metal / stoner rock albums in YEARS! The Sword freakin' rocks and listening to this album never gets old. Great musical textures (without screaming screechy vocals) all woven together to make a very solid and heavy track listing. Buy this album and see why Metallica has tapped The Sword to be their opening act for the "Death Magnetic" tour!

I couldn't disagree more with the haters
I read the negative reviews and have to say that I don't think we have the same cd. This is a great rock and roll album. If you happen to love stoner rock/metal, you certainly aren't going to hear anything new. BUT, you aren't going to hear anything really new or different in the whole genre. This music is for people who like this kind of music. Don't allow a music snob to make the call for you, hear them yourself.

Good, but not as good as Age of Winters
Okay, The Sword first caught my attention, along with most people, in Guitar Hero 2. Yeah, I know... whatever. Anyway, Age of Winters was really good - it was kind of like what Black Sabbath would have sounded like in a slightly alternate universe (obviously before Dio). Their sophomore effort, Gods of the Earth, continues this, but the sound engineering was a bit disappointing. Guitars were less distinct - a fuzzier sound, and it was like they went out of the way to muffle the vocals. The songs are great, but the album gets four stars for poor sound quality.

WICKED
In the stoner rock scene, if it is a scene at all, The Sword are up there with Clutch and Fu Manchu. They definately captivate the fan bases of both those bands. Expect big things from this band in the future.

Whereas most of these stoner rock bands take their inspiration from Sabbath and Mountain, a metal sound forged from a molten aloy of FM Classic rock and obscure ancient acid rock, The Sword update the sound with element's of Slayer and Iron Maiden.

The album is structured much like a thrash album from the '80's injecting some sort of Robert E. Howard fantasy and Norse/ Saxon warfare imagery into their lyrics. The strange thing about that is they somehow play it like they live it, rather than make it into a parody. Don't ask me how but they do.

Highlights include "Maiden, Mother and Crone", a dense, heavy groove laden track about a warrior's encounter with a fair maiden less fair than she seems, and "To Take The Black", a track that makes you just wanna go out and march across a frostbitten waste to battle great and terrible things.

Awesome, huge, smokin tracks that bring you back to being a kid again.

Highly recommended for the nostalgia of reading the lyric sheet inside the album.