Kyle Shutt, guitarist for the band the Sword, says the group got together because there was a lack of heavy power-metal bands on the scene.
"There are a lot of good bands," Shutt said by phone from the band's van while traveling between San Diego and Los Angeles, "but we wanted to play some good guitar and cymbal music. That was basically what it came down to.
"I mean, J.D. (Cronise) wrote all the songs on the new album and asked us to join the band. We made demos of all the songs over and over again. We really didn't want to make an album before we had a record contract, but we wanted to make sure we were prepared when it happened."
The band — composed of guitarist Shutt, vocalist Cronise, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo — signed with Kemado Records in 2005 and released its debut album "Age of Winters" earlier this year. "It's been falling into place ever since," said Shutt, who cut his teeth on the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and ZZ Top. "It's been pretty easy for us.
"By easy, I don't mean we don't work. But things have opened up for us. We love what we're doing. So there's not any problems there. . . . The touring gets a bit long at times, but, again, we love what we're doing. So it doesn't get to us as much as it would a band who hates hitting the road."
Still, the band has had to overcome disappointment from time to time. "Our last European tour was not as good as we wanted it to be. We're looking forward to going back this fall and making it better. But things have snowballed since we released 'Age of Winters' and we're hoping the snowball continues to roll and not melt.
"There are so many things that are messed up in the music business today. We just want to make it through those things and have a long life as a band."
If you go
What: The Sword
Where: Club Vegas, 400 South and 400 West
When: Monday, 10 p.m.
How much: $8
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com