THE SWORD lives by the rule of "there are no rules in rock". There is no oppression and no constraints within the music these guys create. In 2015, THE SWORD released their fifth full-length album "High Road". They have been touring to promote this release, but made a little discovery while traveling. Using more of their creative genius, they have stripped "High Road" down to its acoustic version "Low Road". "Low Road" was released in 2016 comes in with the same ten stripped back tracks with a listening time of about 32 minutes.

"Unicorn Farm" is the 52-second intro to the album. It gives a bluesy and artsy feeling to the album. Being that the album is acoustic, this theme was expected but still done uniquely, creating an intro that fits the album and gives the audience an idea of what they can expect from the beginning. Track three "High Country", the title track of the plugged in version. In this un-plugged counter, there is a very folk-ish and tribal element. The vocals are cryptic and almost back woods-y. This is a track I would half expect to hear out in the boondocks.

"Mist & Shadow", track four, takes notes from the previous track with the same vibes of blues meet folk with lustrous back woods elements. The lyrics even match the sound of this track. Track six, "Early Snow" is less boondock inspired and more classic rock. It's a nice switch up in the middle of the album, giving the listener an idea of how artistic these guys are being able to change up the an acoustic sound, but still keeping the integrity of the track and the album together. The final track, "The Bees of Spring" is interesting because it is really different from the first nine tracks. It has a Reggae feel, but still keeps the rock alive. It's a fun high energy, but low-key track. This un-plugged album is a fun listen. Its something different, but still has all the virtue of its counter-part "High Road". Check out "Low Road" and  take a peek at how one band can challenge themselves to take an album and strip it down to barebones, and still keep its virtue.