"Apocryphon", the fourth album from Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD, sold nearly 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart.

John Franck, SVP of Marketing for Razor & Tie, comments: "THE SWORD have created a remarkable album that everyone here at Razor & Tie is proud to be associated with. We congratulate the band and their entire team on this impressive debut."

THE SWORD's third album, "Warp Riders", sold around 8,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In other news, THE SWORD has expanded its branding activities which started this summer with the release of "The Tears Of Fire" hot sauce, by partnering with Baltimore Maryland-based brewery Oliver Ales to introduce "Winter's Wolves Beer". Steve Jones, brew master at Oliver Ales, says the following regarding the beer: "Winter's Wolves is hand crafted in 7 bbl batches from the finest pale, crystal and roasted malts with the addition of a little clover honey and Scottish Heather Tips and generously bittered with American Chinook and English First Gold hops and finished with American Centennial and English Kent Goldings hops. Each batch is open fermented with English Ale Yeast and aged with toasted American White Oak ... a heavy metal ale weighing in at a little over 7% abv. We are proud to partner with THE SWORD to produce this ale year round in keg and cask. Listen to great music, drink craft beer!"

The beer will currently be available in pubs throughout Maryland, Washington D.C, and northern Virginia. Future distribution will be announced.

"Apocryphon" was produced and engineered by J. Robbins (CLUTCH, JAWBOX) at Magpie Cage Studios and features cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea).

"Apocryphon" track listing:

01. The Veil Of Isis
02. Cloak Of Feathers
03. Arcane Montane
04. The Hidden Masters
05. Dying Earth
06. Execrator
07. Seven Sisters
08. Hawks And Serpents
09. Eyes Of The Stormwitch
10. Apocryphon

Bonus tracks:

01. Arrows In The Dark (live at Emo's)
02. Barael's Blade (live at Emo's)
03. Chronomancer II: Nemesis (live at Stubb's)
04. Ebethron (live at Stubb's)
05. Cheap Sunglasses