> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.themetalverse.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Sword and Red Fang Concert Review and Photos - URL: https://www.themetalverse.net/the-sword-and-red-fang-concert/ - Published: 2026-08-21T23:11:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-21T23:11:19.000Z - Author: Brooks Robinson - Tags: Concert Reviews **The Sword – Red Fang – August 18, 2026** In 2018 I had no idea who The Sword was. I was in Washington DC working on a movie, and a co-worker with informed musical taste dragged me out to their show after a 14-hour day, claiming they were his favorite band. Well, I couldn’t turn that down – it isn’t every day that you get to experience a trusted friend’s favorite band live, especially when you haven’t even heard of them. We went down the stairs of the now defunct 400-cap Rock & Roll Hotel, and I was immediately hit by the smell of stale beer and a wall of sound that exploded from the stage. The Sword was the real deal, and from the first note I was a fan. ### The Sword ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/1-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/2-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/3-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/4-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/5-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/6-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/7-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/8-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/9a.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/10-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/11-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/12-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/13-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/14-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/15-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/16-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/17-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/18-3.jpg) A lot has happened in the eight years since I’d first seen The Sword. They took a break in 2022, something guitarist/vocalist JD Cronise described as a “dissolution”, and their sound underwent a gradual evolution, from doom metal to a modern-day reimagining of old-school rock. JD described that progression in SPIN Magazine as “Our tastes have changed and evolved and matured over the years, and to me, everything we’ve done feels totally natural.” What hadn’t changed was their show, and their ability to unite an audience with great music. On this night, it was coming from a 100-year-old Hollywood stage looking out over 1200 excited people, instead of a cramped basement, but the music and vibe was exactly the same. People had turned out in droves to have a great time, and that’s exactly the vibe The Sword provided. The Austin Texas band was there to throw down, and as song after song played, the audience got wilder and wilder. It was exactly the show people had paid for and come to expect from this band over the years – from sharing the stage with Metallica to logging millions of miles on the road, The Sword are a fine-tuned touring machine, and exactly what you’d hope for in a night of rock & roll mayhem. **The Sword is**: - John D. Cronise – Vocals, Guitar - Kyle Shutt – Guitar - Bryan Richie – Bass, Keyboards - Santiago "Jimmy" Vela – Drums **Setlist:** 1) Celestial Crown 2) Barael's Blade 3) Maiden, Mother & Crone 4) Tres Brujas 5) Hammer of Heaven 6) Freya 7) Empty Temples 8) Mist & Shadow 9) Sea of Green 10) Necron 11) The Horned Goddess 12) To Take the Black 13) Cloak of Feathers 14) Winter's Wolves ### **Red Fang** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/1-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/2-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/3a-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/4-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/5-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/6-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/7-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/8-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/9-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/10-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/11-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/12-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/13-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/14-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/15-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/16-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/17-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/18-4.jpg) Portland Oregon’s co-headliner Red Fang came prepared to blow away the Hollywood crowd with their trademark dual guitar attack and massive sound. Their music has been described as stoner rock with a sped-up punk beat – I dislike putting bands in predetermined descriptive boxes. All I know is the audience was hooked from the first song, and the vibe grew in intensity as songs were checked off the setlist. From the audience participating and clapping along to “Wires”, to a killer mosh pit, to one solo guy pogoing, there was something for everyone in attendance – but mostly great music and vibes. I’d seen Red Fang previously, and was super-excited to catch another show. They have a thickness to their sound that is unique, while at the same time having a clean sound that allows each instrument to be distinctly heard without bleeding into one another – not an easy feat for this style of music in a theater of this size. Throughout the night Aaron Beam beat the living shit out of his bass while singing, while Bryan Giles sang and traded off screaming guitar solos with David Sullivan. Not to be outdone was John Sherman behind the kit, driving the relentless locomotive beat with ease. Red Fang is a top-notch live band and well worth catching if you get the chance – it’s impossible not to have a good time at their show. **Red Fang is:** - Bryan Giles – Guitar, Vocals - Aaron Beam – Bass, Vocals - David Sullivan – Guitar - John Sherman – Drums **Setlist:** 1) Blood Like Cream 2) Malverde 3) Crows in Swine 4) Arrows 5) Night Destroyer 6) Antidote 7) Into the Eye 8) Wires 9) Good to Die 10) Dirt Wizard 11) Bird on Fire 12) Sharks 13) Prehistoric Dog 14) Hank Is Dead 15) Throw Up ### **Spoon Benders** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/1-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/2-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/3-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/4-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/5-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/6-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/7-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/8-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/08/9-4.jpg) On paper, the Portland Oregon trio Spoon Benders seemed to be a little out of place in the evening’s lineup. Would their psychedelic punk flavored brand of music translate to the stoner rock crowd in attendance? The answer was a resounding yes. The audience was ready to celebrate a great line-up and everyone on it, and despite being a different type of band than Red Fang or The Sword, the seven-song set the Spoon Benders played was the perfect way to kick off an exceptional night of great music. **The Spoon Benders are:** - Katy Black: Vocals, Bass - Leo Pastor: Guitar - AJ Herald: Drums ![Brooks Robinson](https://storage.ghost.io/c/60/70/60704230-225f-4e1e-97b0-46ab38fbc08d/content/images/2026/02/Brooks-Robinson.jpg) Brooks Robinson Photographer & Writer [ ](https://www.instagram.com/the%5Fmetalverse/?ref=themetalverse.net) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/themetalverseofficial/) [ ](https://www.themetalverse.net/author/brooks-robinson/) Brooks Robinson is an LA-based concert photographer, and 30+ year freelance camera operator for film, television, and music videos. 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