Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Alternative Press
The Austin Chronicle
Blabbermouth.net	10/10
Classic Rock	7/10
Consequence of Sound	C+
Kerrang!
Magnet	9/10
Ultimate Guitar Archive	8/10

High Country is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band the Sword. Recorded at studios in Austin, Texas and Asheville, North Carolina with producer Adrian Quesada, it was released on August 21, 2015 by Razor & Tie. The album was mixed by J. Robbins, who had previously produced The Sword's 2012 fourth studio album Apocryphon. "High Country" was released as a single on July 20, 2015.

The album was largely a critical success. Commentators praised the change in musical style and levels of experimentation on High Country, with most noting a clear shift toward classic hard rock. Some reviewers, however, proposed that this change might alienate fans of the band, and some noted the presence of weaker tracks.

The Sword first hinted that work on their fifth album had begun in November 2014. It was later announced in February 2015 that recording for the follow-up to 2012's Apocryphon would begin on March 16, with the eventual release scheduled for the summer. Former Grupo Fantasma guitarist and Grammy winner Adrian Quesada led production of the record, with fellow Grammy winner Stuart Sikes engineering and J. Robbins (who produced Apocryphon) mixing the album. Most of the recording took place at Church House Studios in Austin, Texas, with additional recording at Austin's Level One Sound and High Country Atelier in Asheville, North Carolina; Robbins mixed the album at his own studio, Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Maryland, and it was mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio in Cornwall, New York.

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Wikipedia