Canada’s NWOTHM outfit Iron Kingdom is releasing their fifth studio album “The Blood Of Creation” this fall and in advance have the melodic new single “In The Grip Of Nightmares” ready for your consumption. The album is not a concept album, but they exhibit a passion for fantasy themes and pays homage to tales woven by acclaimed authors. The single is about the sword Stormbringer from the Michael Moorcock books Elric of Melnibonè Series. Bound together by fate, Elric consumes the souls of those he slays with Stormbringer and this dramatic relationship is conveyed through progressive traditional heavy metal in the vein of Helloween and Fates Warning. Fast and driving, it is also melodic with plenty of solos and focus on the leads. The band explains the track 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 sword ‘consumes’ the souls of those who it strikes down and feeds the energy into Elric, who needs it to survive. The two are bound together by fate. A fate that twists Chaos and Law, and leaves Elric in the grip of nightmares.”
Iron Kingdom set out 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 while transporting listeners into unique, fantastic worlds. Since their conception, they have toured around the world, keeping old-school vibes alive.
This upcoming album sees a lot more music content coming from lead guitarist Megan Merrick and having drummer Max Friesen (ex-Ophelia Falling) has added another layer of ideas giving this latest offering a new perspective than the previous ones, while maintaining the shredding heavy metal thunder fans have come to love. The album was self-produced by Iron Kingdom with mixing done by Andy Boldt and mastering by Greg Reely (Overkill, Fear Factory, 3 Inches of Blood).
This refreshingly classic and refined taste of traditional heavy metal is recommended for fans of Riot, Iron Maiden, and Helloween.
The single “In The Grip Of Nightmares” can be heard via its premiere on Bravewords HERE.
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/shop/
https://iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com
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/ironkingdom
https://www.instagram.com/iron_kingdom
https://twitter.com/iron_kingdom
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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#5 (On The Hunt) Canadian National Loud Chart – For the Week Ending: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 (earshot)
“a glorious gallop of foot on the monitor, traditional heavy metal that will have NWOBHM fans drooling. 9/10” – Metal Gods TV
“It’s a pleasure when you have the chance to listening to bands such as IRON KINGDOM, true defenders of best tradition of our loved music. 88/100” – Hard Rock Heavy Metal
“One of Western Canada’s finest exports is traditional heavy metal band Iron Kingdom… another solid effort proving why Canada is by far the best country for modern traditional heavy metal!” – Skull Fracturing Metal
“With On The Hunt, you can expect Iron Kingdom’s traditional heavy metal. They make no apologies for invoking legends like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, et al, for metal inspiration. Not dismissing the excellent rhythm section, but with the twin guitar attack of Osterman and Merrick, you’ll find all the songs within On The Hunt quite guitar-forward… Essentially, with this album, Iron Kingdom remains true to their metal style. 4/5” – DangerDog Music Reviews
“Of the hundreds of heavy metal bands that have “Iron” in their name, not very many of them are deserving of it. Iron Maiden? Obviously. Iron Savior? Yup. Iron Fire? Definitely. Of course, Iron Kingdom are undoubtedly deserving of the mark, because the metal they’ve forged is strong, heavy, and true. 9/10” – Power Thorn
“Holy Shit! Have you heard Iron Kingdom’s On the Hunt? If you haven’t you are missing out on one of the coolest album’s of 2019.” – 10/10 Keeper Magazine