The Sword
Special Guests: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol & Pink Fuzz
Venue: Saint Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, Michigan.
Date: 9th October 2025
Review: Rick Farley
Pink Fuzz
Denver Colorado’s Pink Fuzz, admittingly is not a band I’m that familiar with. This was an opener that I was going mostly blind into and while I regretfully admit I was a tad late to the venue, this brother/sister led three-piece left quite the impact on me in a rather brief period of time. Raw, energetic, fuzzy rock mixed with emotional melodies that are as soothing as they are mesmerizing. The band ripped through songs with a precision that still felt totally free and alive. The quirky guitar feedback riffs of John Demitro combined with the moving powerful basslines of Lulu Demitro were so in sync with one another, it allowed the drums of Will Trafas to provide the loose bouncy groove while still steering the ship’s direction and bringing tons of intensity. The siblings both sing, harmonising with one another, just adding that much more hypnotic momentum to their stonerish, doomy, psychedelic fuelled rock. In my initial but brief research on this band prior to the show, I read a quote that described them as high speed desert rock, and well that certainly fits. Favourite track of the night was So Sad, a heavy rock bulldozer with luscious, melodic sing along vocals from Lulu and undeniable grooves. Tight rock energy, shimmering melody and far out guitar solos, what’s not to like? 
(4 / 5)
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol hit the stage with a thunderous gusto that provided silly laughs, big heavy riffs, and plenty of crowd energy. I’m going to go ahead and say, this is not a typical band that I would see live, or even listen to for that matter, but I had a fun time with their goofy lyrics and momentous grooves. I would say if you locked Primus, Limp Bizkit, Meshuggah and Beastie Boys in a room together and then rubbed a ton of sludgy mud on them while they were drunk, this is probably how they would sound if they wrote a few songs. I can surely see the live appeal, but musically this doesn’t do much for me personally. The rest of the crowd however in Detroit were loving it, furiously headbanging, and generally causing a ruckus while the band destroyed the venue with an eight-string guitar and ridiculous bass fuzzed heaviness. The vocalist/guitarist has a Fred Durst vocal delivery and sound that’s tough for me to get past, but again, the sheer heaviness and wackiness was enough to enjoy the show for what it was. 
(3 / 5)
The Sword
Let’s be honest, though, I came for the mighty Warp Riders themselves, The Sword. Austin, Texas’s premiere doomy, classic metal band that has incorporated elements of southern rock, stoner rock, prog rock and 70s garage rock into one hellacious force of highly energetic, catchy tunes that will stand the test of time like so many of the greats that came before them. ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple are just a few of the bands that The Sword take influence from in the form of memorable songwriting and heavy rock coolness.
The band kicks off with the spacey progginess of Empty Temples and then into the silky vocal melodies of High Country. Both fitting openers for a band that you probably know most all the songs to, making the anticipation for certain favourites to come all that much more exciting. Both Dying Earth and Maiden, Mother & Crone are tracks that I personally love, hearing them back to back was a huge bonus, and we haven’t even got to the 15th anniversary part of the show yet.
Acheron/Unearthing the Orb the cosmic, riff stomping instrumental that kicks off the Warp Riders album portion whips the crowd into a fist pumping frenzy. Distorted hooky guitars, soaring leads and high gear drumming leads seamlessly to the southern rock flavoured Tres Brujas, that’s seemingly impossible to stand still to. This feels like a celebration of a time when this record ruled my car stereo every time I went anywhere for a drive. The anticipation for The Chronomancer I: Hubris was nearly unbearable for me, its rock swagger hit, and I was ready to sing to the heavens. The slick, crispness of the riffs cut through the heaviness of the track like a knife and damn I thought I was going to pass out with euphoria. Each track from their celebrated Warp Riders album being precisely executed like it was their first time playing it, so much energy and feeling. Just glancing around, everyone was captivated and having a fucking blast. On a side note, the band encored with Winter’s Wolves, which was absolutely badass and sounded chunky as hell.
That’s what The Sword is all about, incredibly infectious music that translates to the live setting so well, it becomes a personal experience for everyone there. They never disappoint. 
(5 / 5)
