It's often hard to tell whether The Sword [ tickets ] is trying to be serious or funny. That guessing game, however, is one of the reasons why this band is interesting.

In that sense, the Austin-based quartet--featuring vocalist/guitarist J.D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo--is a lot like The Darkness, a sometimes-serious band that likes to goof around with glam metal. The Sword is much better than The Darkness, mainly because it doesn't have falsetto-screecher Justin Hawkins doing the singing. In fact, The Sword doesn't feature much singing at all. What Cronise does is much closer to yelling than singing--but it works for this band.

On "Age of Winters," The Sword creates a retro-metal work that is every bit as menacing as the band's name. The main touchstone for the group's sound is, of course, Black Sabbath. And, in its best moments, the album does manage to recall a bit of Tony Iommi-like madness. Mainly, however, "Age of Winters" comes across like what might have happened if The Melvins had covered a Blue Oyster Cult album. In other words, if "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is your favorite song, then this is definitely the album for you.

The CD plays like a soundtrack to a Dungeons & Dragons game as the band pummels its way through weighty guitar anthems like "Celestial Crown" and "Barael's Blade," as well as over-the-top Tolkien-esque numbers such as "Winter's Wolves" and "The Horned Goddess." The lyrics are absolutely outlandish and, whether they are meant to be or not, quite humorous.

In all, "Age of Winters" is highly recommended for those who want a dose of Spinal Tap-like laughs. It's hard, however, to envision The Sword having a lengthy career beyond this one album. The joke, intentional or otherwise, simply isn't funny enough.