L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
The electrifying quartet of Iron Kingdom has a hot new album “The Blood Of Creation” coming out in the winter and in order to get fans as excited about it as they are, are releasing a drum playthrough of their first single “In The Grip of Nightmares” so folks at home can watch Max Friesen bring the thunder. Along with this they also released a mini-documentary about the making of the album on social media last week.
Iron Kingdom wanted to create music in a style of metal that seemed to have been forgotten when they were kids. Since no one else seemed to be doing it, they decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s. They combine this classic sound with dark lyrics surrounding a variety of topics including myths, historical events, and fantasy books. The single “In the Grip Of Nightmares” spins off a character in Michael Moorcock’s “Elric of Melnibonè” book series. The band explains further:
“We started writing this song during the ‘On The Hunt’ sessions back in 2019, however, the song had a different energy than the rest of the album so we decided it would be best to come back to it at a later date. In late 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, we took a second look at what was to become ‘In The Grip Of Nightmares’. We rewrote the tune to be what it is today. It tells the tale of the legendary sentient sword ‘Stormbringer’ and its relationship to Elric. The two are bound together by fate. A fate that twists Chaos and Law, and leaves Elric in the grip of nightmares. Musically, this song is relatively progressive, I’d say it has some Helloween and Fates Warning like feelings. It is quite fast and driving, but also quite melodic with lots of leads and solos.”
Drummer Max Friesen also adds about the track:
"This song was one of the first we worked on as a group. It was one where I tried to make a good first impression haha. The kicks go for quite the gallop at a middle tempo so It’s a bit of an endurance run with full leg motion. I tried to feature both rides in this track and took influence from a cymbal riff by Amanda Osterman from the song “At The Gates” off of the 2013 album 'Gates of Eternity'."
“The Blood Of Creation” is the fifth album from the Vancouver-based band and over the years they have moved from being a hard rock band, then taking a progressive metal dive, going fully classic metal, and ultimately bringing all of those together in the latest. They lean into dark themes, dark topics, dark vibes, and a dark cover, and at the end is just a wall of music.
Iron Kingdom is recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Helloween, and Judas Priest.
The drum playthrough for “In The Grip Of Nightmares” can be seen and heard via its premiere on TechnicalMusicReview HERE .
The Making of 'The Blood Of Creation' - Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] -
The album “The Blood Of Creation” will be released on November 4, 2022.
Album pre-order / save available at the following links:
http://www.iron-kingdom.com/
https://iron-kingdom.
Apple Music , Spotify
In additional news, Iron Kingdom have announced their album launch show for November 4th in Vancouver, BC, hosted by the Invisible Orange at the Wise Hall. For more info, please visit the following link here .
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Track Listing:
1. Tides Of Desolation – 1:13
2. Sheathe The Sword – 5:25
3. Queen Of The Crystal Throne – 4:58
4. Hunter And Prey – 5:25
5. Witching Hour – 5:44
6. In The Grip Of Nightmares – 5:23
7. Primordial – 1:40
8. The Blood Of Creation – 13:38
Total Running Length: 43:29
For more info:
https://www.iron-kingdom.com
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://twitter.com/iron_
About: Inspired by legendary pillars of heavy metal such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, and Rush, this four-piece is well known for their energetic and electrifying stage presence, as well as intricate musical melodies that bring listeners back to a time when heavy metal was in its prime.
Formed in Surrey, B.C. Canada, in June of 2011, the band's core members were Chris Osterman on guitar and vocals, bassist Leighton Holmes, and drummer Amanda Osterman, joined by Jordan Wright on guitar. This quickly changed, after recording their debut album ‘Curse Of The Voodoo Queen’ Jordan was replaced by guitarist Kenny Kroecher. ‘Curse Of The Voodoo Queen’ was released on Dec 14, 2011, and the band took the opportunity to tour western Canada, along with an appearance on the TV Show, Canada’s Got Talent.
With the debut album receiving little attention, the group decided it was time to record a new album, and by April 26, 2013, ‘Gates Of Eternity’ was released. Garnering some strong reviews coming in around the world, attention was growing, and the band was invited to perform at Germany’s Keep It True XVII festival. This opened up many new avenues for the act to pursue, including some serious time on the road through Canada in 2013, and Europe in 2014, followed by a tour in the USA with California’s Night Demon. The band had created some major momentum and Iron Kingdom was spreading their moniker far and wide in support of the first two releases.
On July 30, 2015, Iron Kingdom released not one, but two more albums, ‘Ride For Glory’ their 3rd full-length album, as well as ‘Unleashed at the Kraken (Live in Seattle)’ an exclusive live E.P. recorded on a previous tour. The band set out on the road again in support of the two new releases. The tour was unfortunately riddled with many trials, including a vehicle accident that almost killed the band members. Following the tour, Amanda decided to step back from the band to pursue other commitments. Joey Paul then took her place behind the kit.
Life on the road continued, including a massive North American tour in 2016, as well as a tour in Brazil in a supporting slot for former frontman of Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley. After many performances, guitarist Kenny and drummer Joey departed, thus leaving the door open for Chris Sonea, and Megan Merrick, on drums and guitar respectively.
It took four years for the follow-up album after ‘Ride For Glory’, but finally on Oct 4, 2019, ‘On The Hunt’ was released. This was the fourth full-length release from this traditional metal act. Iron Kingdom toured ‘On The Hunt’ immediately with an extensive North American tour in the fall of 2019, and shortly after, toured Europe in March of 2020. Thankfully the band was able to perform the majority of their European dates, but unfortunately, COVID-19 took its toll and their final performance was canceled. At the return of the tour, drummer Chris Sonea decided to depart from the group, and the band (now consisting of band members, Leighton Holmes, Chris Osterman, and Megan Merrick) began auditions to fill the void on the drums.
In the Spring of 2020, Max Friesen joined the band, taking his seat behind the kit, and once again, Iron Kingdom stands ready to take the world by storm and aid in the revival of the mighty and classic sounds of Traditional Heavy Metal. Their new album "The Blood of Creation" is scheduled to be released in Fall 2022.
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