On the heels of the band’s new albumGods of the Earth, The Sword have announced summer, 2008 tour dates with the legendary Metallica, beginning July 16 in Bergen, Norway. Joining Metallica and The Sword on the tour will be New Orleans’ Down.

The Sword’s brand new music video for “Maiden, Mother & Crone” can be viewed HERE.

Additionally, The Sword will perform as one of the featured artists of the 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival, set to take place June 12-15 in Manchester, TN. The Sword perform alongside a diverse crowd, including Metallica, Sigur Ros, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Raconteurs, M.I.A., Willie Nelson and more.

The Sword features guitarist / vocalist J.D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo.

To check out the Gods of the Earth E-card, featuring “Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians,” visit this location http://www.kemado.com/ecards/thesword.

The Sword tour dates are as follows:

U.S. “Gods of the Earth” west coast tour (with support from Slough Feg and Children)

April 14 Lubbock, Texas Jake’s Sports Center
April 16 Phoenix, Arizona The Brickhouse
April 17 San Diego, California The Casbah
April 18 Los Angeles, California El Rey Theatre
April 19 San Francisco, California Slim’s
April 21 Pan Portland, Oregon Berbati’s
April 22 Seattle, Washington Neumo’s
April 24 Boise, Idaho Neurolux
April 25 Salt Lake City, Utah Club Vegas
April 26 Denver, Colorado Bluebird Theatre
April 28 Wichita, Kansas BarleyCorns
April 29 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Conservatory

U.S. “Gods of the Earth” east coast tour (with support from Torche and Stinking Lizaveta)

May 9 Ft Worth TX Lola’s
May 10 Memphis TN Hi Tone
May 11 Nashville TN Exit / In
May 12 Covington KY The Mad Hatter
May 13 Detroit MI The Magic Stick
May 14 Columbus OH Ravari Room
May 15 Washington DC Rock and Roll Hotel
May 16 Philadelphia PA First Unitarian Church
May 17 Brooklyn NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 18 Cambridge MA Middle East Downstairs
May 20 Raleigh NC Lincoln Theater
May 21 Savannah GA The Jinx
May 22 Tallahassee FL The Beta Bar
May 23 St. Petersburg FL State Theatre
May 24 Orlando FL The Social
May 25 Gainesville FL Common Grounds
May 26 Atlanta GA Lenny’s
May 27 Birmingham AL Bottle Tree
May 28 Baton Rouge LA Spanish Moon
May 29 Houston TX Rudyard’s

June 12-15 Manchester, TN 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival (see: www.bonnaroo.com )
METALLICA / DOWN / The Sword European Tour

July 16 Bergen, Norway Koengen
July 18 St. Petersburg Russia - SKK Hall
July 20 Riga, Latvia Skonto Stadium
July 22 Bologna, Italy Parco Nord
July 23 Bucharest, Romania Cotroceni (no DOWN)
July 25 Sofia, Bulgaria Vasil Levski Stadium

Photo Credit: J. Thompson