*VIDEO EPISODE* Episode 49: Rick Hughes of Sword and Saints & Sinners

Sword is a Canadian heavy metal band from Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, that was formed in 1981 and is still active to this day. To date, they have released three studio albums, one compilatiom and one live album

In 1981, Rick (vocals) and Dan Hughes (drums) formed the band and they were joined by guitarist Mike Plant and bassist Mike Larocque in the first lineup of the band. They signed their first recording contract in 1984 with Aquarius Records and released two albums for the label in the late 1980s; the debut album Metalized in 1986 and its follow-up Sweet Dreams in 1988.

They toured in the support slots for Motörhead and Alice Cooper, and the group also opened for Metallica on their Master of Puppets tour in 1986.
Rick Hughes also went on to form Saints & Sinners and released a self-titled album with them in 1992, which is still revered by many hard rock fans worldwide.

Throughout their career, Sword sold in excess of 180,000 albums and the band has been more active since 2011 when they reunited for a show and they have since played various festivals in Canada and Germany. In 2016, they released Live Hammersmith, recorded while they were on tour supporting Motörhead in 1987.

Sword's third studio album (their first in 34 years!) titled III was released on November 25, 2022. So check out our interview with Rick Hughes to hear about all things Sword (and Saints & Sinners)!