Warped Riders 15th Anniversary Tour: The Sword Returns with a Vengeance!
The Sword is a heavy metal/stoner rock/hard rock/doom metal band based in Austin, Texas, that formed back in 2003. The Sword has released six (6) LPs, two (2) EPs, one (1) live album, three (3) compilation albums, three (3) splits, and several singles/music videos. The Sword consists of members: John D. (J.D.) Cronise (vocals/guitar), Kyle Shutt (guitar), Bryan Richie (bass/keyboards), and Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III (drums). The Sword took a brief break in 2022, but they could not stay away from the stage for too long, and their devoted fanbase. The Sword reunited in 2024 to play at the Levitation Festival on November 3rd, 2024, in their hometown of Austin, Texas. The Sword would later announce a New Year’s Eve show in Austin on their social media channels. The reaction was electric as fans were hungry for more live shows from The Sword and a possible North American tour if we were lucky.
Well, it just so happens that 2025 is the 15th anniversary of The Sword’s third (3) studio album, Warp Riders. And The Sword has announced a tour across the United States in celebration of Warp Riders. The tour started on August 7th in Phoenix, Arizona. at the Crescent Ballroom and concluded on October 26th in Nashville, Tennessee, at Brooklyn Bowl. Lucky for Atlanta, The Sword scheduled a tour date on October 24th at the Variety Playhouse in the area known as Little 5 Points in Atlanta, Georgia. Joining The Sword on their Warp Riders 15th Anniversary Tour is a fellow Austin doom metal/stoner rock band. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol. Plus, for the first half of the tour, Pink Fuzz would join The Sword, and the latter half of the tour would be my dudes in the band Moon Destroys.
I remember when Warp Riders was first released in 2010. At first glance, I was intrigued by the album cover’s theme of science fiction courtesy of artist Dan McPharlin. I later learned that this album was a brilliant concept album conceived by J.D. Cronise. With the release of Warp Riders, The Sword chose to adjust their sound in comparison to their first two studio albums, which were considered more heavy doom metal: Age of Winters (2006) and Gods of the Earth (2008). I was not mad at it. And neither were the music critics after the release of the album Warp Riders. What The Sword created with their album Warp Riders was a beast of a record, packed with heavy, groovy riffs, and some very captivating lyrics as they tell the story of Ereth.
According to The Sword’s website, Ereth is an archer who has been vanquished from his tribe and home planet of Acheron. Warp Riders is “a tale of strife and fantasy, the battle between pure good and pure evil”. From start to finish, you do not want to skip any track because the listener will become fascinated with this narrative of Ereth as he journeys the galaxy until he encounters “… a mysterious orb and meets the Chronomancer, a being beyond time and space who enlists him to restore…” Ereth’s home planet of Acheron. Acheron has experienced a tidal lock, causing one side of Acheron to be charred by three suns. The other side of Acheron is now covered in total darkness after the tidal lock. Along the way, Ereth and the Chronomancer cross paths with “Tres Brujas” (three witches), “strange warriors… ancient androids, and a crew of space pirates with a vessel that will alter the course of history… a vessel known as the Sword”.
Moon Destroys is a progressive metal/rock band from Atlanta, Georgia that has been active since 2020. Moon Destroys has released one (1) LP, two (2) EPs, and one (1) compilation. Moon Destroys’ debut album, She Walks by Moonlight, was released on April 4, 2025, and can be ordered directly from the band at their Bandcamp page. Moon Destroys consists of Juan Montoya (guitars), Evan Diprima (drums), Charlie Suarez (vocals/guitars), and Arnold Nese (bass). After The Sword announced their opening support for this momentous occasion, I was over the moon (pun intended) with joy knowing the homies in both Moon Destroys and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol were both coming back to play Atlanta so soon.
Moon Destroys kicked off the festivities this evening, and you can tell the crowd was just as excited as I was at this moment. Since a few members of Moon Destroys have called Atlanta home at some point in their careers, friends and family filled the venue to almost maximum capacity for the opening set. It was wonderful to see so many people come early enough to watch Moon Destroys warm up the crowd for The Sword’s big night back in Atlanta.
Since Moon Destroys’ latest album, She Walks by Moonlight, was released earlier this year, the band is still riding high off the critical acclaim that has been received since its release in April. Making the cut for this opening set was the thunderous track “Wondrous Beast,” which was released during the first incarnation of Moon Destroys when Juan and Evan formed Stallone in 2009 and released Stallone Demos 2009. Moon Destroys also added some of their newer songs off She Walks by Moonlight, like “The Nearness of June”, “Sway”, and “Only” to their opening set.
You can view Moon Destroys’ set list from their performance at the Variety Playhouse below:
· “The Nearness of June”
· “Stormbringer”
· “Wondrous Beast”
· “Sway”
· “Only”
· “At the End of Time”
You can stream Moon Destroys' music on their Bandcamp page today. You can also order, She Walks By Moonlight, in a few record variants and in digital format. You can also revisit my first review featuring Moon Destroys while on tour with Elder in 2024: Elder – Lore 10th Anniversary Tour: Live at The Earl.
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol is a rock/doom wop/groove metal/heavy metal/metal/party metal trio from Austin, Texas. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol consists of Leo Lydon (vocals/guitar), Sean St. Germain (drums), and Aaron Metzdorf (bass/backing vocals). Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol has released three (3) LPs, four (4) singles/EPs, two (2) compilations, and one (1) cassette. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol played The Earl earlier this year, and I could not make the show, so you know I was excited to get this second chance with The Sword.
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol was next to take the stage at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Leo came out sporting a fresh Ween hat that caught the eye of one of the attendees. The fan asked Leo if they could trade hats. Leo smiled and declined, but what a valiant effort by the fan. A few songs into the set, “Body Bag” was next up, and the crowd went wild, singing “You better put him in a body bag” to start the song off. I was pleased to hear so many people in the audience singing along to this song and many others during their incredible set.
One of my favorite tracks off Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol’s latest release, Big Dumb Riffs, made the setlist near the end: “1-800-EAT-SHIT.” And let me tell you, I thought the crowd went wild before with “Body Bag” and a few other songs throughout the set. Well, it seems those were just warm-ups as the crowd went ballistic for “1-800-EAT-SHIT.” The crowd’s eager participation throughout the set let Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol know that they were always welcomed back to Atlanta anytime they wanted to come to play. If this is your first time hearing the name Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, I suggest checking out Big Dumb Riffs (2024), Doom-Wop (2022), Burger Babes… FROM OUTER SPACE! (2020), and Burger Time Classics (2017) to get acquainted with their tunes.
Here is Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrols’ setlist from their opening set at Variety Playhouse while on tour with The Sword:
· “The Cincinnati Tilt”
· “Body Bag”
· “Peanut Butter Snack Sticks”
· “Whip it Around”
· “Sugarman”
· “Sister Militia”
· “Heel”
· “Shoo-in”
· “Jesus Was An Alien”
· “JR Wastes It”
· “I’m the Fucking Man”
· “1-800-EAT-SHIT”
· “Gravedigger”
You can listen to and support Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol on Bandcamp by following this link. You can also check out my first time covering Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol in 2024: Big Dumb Tour 2024: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol Live @ The Earl.
The Sword arrived on stage at the Variety Playhouse with a sold-out crowd of cheering fans, enthusiastic to see this reunion back in Atlanta. As the band set up, you could feel the anticipation building within the crowd as everyone prepared to take a journey with The Sword. I was thrilled to hear the opening chords to “Empty Temples” off their fifth (5) studio album, High Country (2015), to begin the night. As a bonus to start, The Sword chose a few songs from their back catalog and even included a special rendition of a David Bowie classic, “Space Oddity,” to end the first portion of their set.
Next up, the opening to “Acheron/Unearthing the Orb” began to play, which is the first song off Warp Riders. It was now time to blast off with The Sword as they guided us all on a journey with Ereth and the Chronomancer in hopes of saving planet Acheron. Over the years, I have seen some of these songs performed live, like “Tres Brujas”, “Arrows in the Dark”, “Lawless Lands”, and “Night City”. And tonight, I can cross the rest of this album off my list. Finally hearing “The Chronomancer I: Hubris” and “The Chronomancer II: Nemesis” live was a great feeling, but seeing the excitement in the crowd made it even more enjoyable.
From start to finish, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see The Sword perform Warp Riders in its entirety, many thanks to The Sword, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Moon Destroys, and their crew for their hard work to make this tour happen for the fans. After the success of the Warp Riders 15th Anniversary Tour, I hope that 2026 holds some exciting news regarding future tours and some possible new material from The Sword. In 2027, The Sword’s fourth (4) studio album, Apocryphon, turns 15, so maybe we get lucky with a featured tour to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Check out The Sword’s blistering setlist from their triumphant return to Atlanta on their Warp Riders: 15th Anniversary Tour:
· “Empty Temples”
· “High Country”
· “Sea of Green”
· “Dying Earth”
· “Maiden, Mother, & Crone”
· “Space Oddity” (David Bowie cover)
WARP RIDERS
· “Acheron / Unearthing the Orb”
· “Tres Brujas”
· “Arrows in the Dark”
· “The Chronomancer I: Hubris”
· “Lawless Lands”
· “Astraea’s Dream”
· “The Warp Riders”
· “Night City”
· “The Chronomancer II: Nemesis”
· “(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire”
ENCORE:
· “Daughter of Dawn”
· “Winter’s Wolves”
You can check out a previous review of The Sword during their tour in support of their last studio album, Used Future (2018), at The Masquerade exclusively at Concerthopper.com.
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