The Sword's third album is the first by the band to be produced by someone other than frontman Cronise, who handled production duties on Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth.

It was also the last album to feature original drummer Trivett Wingo, who left the band in October 2010 early into the promotional tour for the record, citing physical and mental exhaustion.

It first came to light that the Sword was working on a follow-up to Gods of the Earth in August 2009, when the band revealed that "The writing process is nearing completion, and demoing will soon commence.

"[1] In March 2010, primary songwriter Cronise added further detail to this idea by suggesting that the album would have a "broader hard rock sound", explaining that "It's really a concept record.

The reason for creating a narrative to base the songs around was essentially to provide interesting and varied lyrical subject matter with a core theme to tie it all together.

"[9][11]It was revealed as early as November 2009 that the band were aiming to take a new direction with the third album, with Cronise explaining that "coming up with eight or nine or 10 different themes [for songs] every couple years, well, it's a little daunting some times, especially for me personally" and noting that "Given the types of themes we'd covered already, I didn't really want to revisit the same stuff again on another record and talk about the same things and doom and gloom and sorcerers and ravens and things.

"[14] According to the press release, the album "is anchored by an epic science-fiction narrative" and "the storyline is a psychedelic space opera that explores temporal themes of death and rebirth.

Cronise and Kyle Shutt, and the concussive rhythm section of bassist Bryan Ritchie and drummer Trivett Wingo – underscores the narrative with molten steel and unreal precision.

Cronise explains the lineage of Warp Riders: "I'm pretty sure the first concept album I ever heard was Operation: Mindcrime by Queensrÿche when I was a kid, which I was way into.

Inspiration took hold from "lots of things ... the legend of Atlantis, old Heavy Metal magazines, the films of René Laloux, a childhood dream, and The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda to name a few."

The story of Warp Riders, entitled "The Night the Sky Cried Tears of Fire" (written by Cronise), follows Ereth as he discovers a mysterious orb and meets the Chronomancer, a being beyond time and space who enlists him in a quest to restore the planet's balance.

[17]Music website musicOMH also briefly detailed the synopsis of the album's story, explaining that "we follow the tale of an archer by the name of Ereth, who has been cast out from his tribe on the planet Acheron.

As luck would have it the planet has undergone a tidal lock, causing one half to be cast in shadow, whilst the other is burnt to a crisp by a set of unforgiving suns.

Blabbermouth.net reported the following descriptions: Opening track "Acheron/Unearthing the Orb" begins with ominous, fog-drenched atmosphere before a flurry of nimble fretwork and galloping drums storm out of the gate.

The energy doesn't let up once and by the final moments of closing cut, "(The Night Sky Cried) Tears of Fire", an intensely satisfying resolution sets in.

[19] On July 18, 2010, the Sword reported on their official Facebook page that "We are almost done shooting our radical video trilogy for Night City, Tres Brujas and Lawless Lands.

[26] In reply to a query from a fan on Twitter,[27] the band revealed that they are planning on releasing a comic book based on the Warp Riders album.

"[30] Pierce also suggested that "There isn’t a bad song on the record, and it delivers solid stand-outs ... while remaining a surprisingly unified whole.

"[30] Eduardo Rivadavia of allmusic awarded the album three and a half stars out of a possible five, the same as Gods of the Earth but one less than Age of Winters,[36] and praised the band's choice to change direction both musically and thematically, highlighting "Tres Brujas", "Lawless Lands" and "The Warp Riders" as particularly notable tracks.

[29] Reviewing the album for the BBC, critic Noel Gardner suggested that Warp Riders "is not likely to blow the mind of anyone well versed in this strain of chest-puffing metal, either in terms of originality or any member’s technical ability", although did recognise that "The Sword have stepped up a gear with this release, and ought to crumble the defences of more than a few cynics.