The Sword & Red Fang in Dallas

The Sword is an American heavy-metal band formed in Austin, Texas, in 2003. Their music draws on stoner metal, doom and hard rock, led by heavy guitar riffs and science-fiction and fantasy imagery. The band became known through albums including Age of Winters, Gods of the Earth, Warp Riders and Apocryphon; “Freya” also reached a wider audience through Guitar Hero II. The Sword played Ozzfest in 2006, then joined portions of the World Magnetic Tour beginning in 2008. That run put them in arenas as an opening act for Metallica, while later headline tours behind Warp Riders and Apocryphon took them through clubs and theatres.

Red Fang is an American heavy-rock and stoner-metal band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 2005. The group became known through the albums Murder the Mountains and Whales and Leeches, as well as songs including “Prehistoric Dog,” “Wires” and “Blood Like Cream.” Videos directed by Whitey McConnaughy gave “Prehistoric Dog” and “Wires” memorable comic narratives built around the band. In 2011, Red Fang toured North America with Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape Plan during Mastodon’s The Hunter cycle. Three years later, they joined Opeth and In Flames for another North American run. Their festival appearances have included Hellfest in Clisson and Download Festival at Donington Park.