Was surprise to find the gig was on the small stage at the ABC, however, I was not disappointed as I tent to prefer intimate gigs.
Both support acts were very good with the second really setting the bar high for the main act, they had the crowd eating out of their hands (lonely kamal).
Then The Sword came on to an intense short intro of the synth sounds heard on a few tracks of their new album, which created a good atmosphere which was ripped appart by their intense riffs and powerful rhythm section.
They played all the classics including, what I feel the be, the strongest songs from their latest album.
The set went on roughly an hour, unfortunately there was not much crowd interaction, but this was made up for in the tightness of their performance and the quality of their playing.
To finish the show they did the usual 'guitars dropped to the floor feedback, walk off, crowd chant one more song, walk back on and play another two' trick, but it went down a treat.
Overall a very good night. Have already recommended to friends.
Well be returning to the O2ABC (which I think is a great venue) in may for another band and look forward to that.