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Category: Iron Kingdom
0 Enter to win a FREE CD COPY of Iron Kingdom’s new album “The Blood Of Creation” from Metal Centre Contest ends Jan 22nd
0 Canada’s IRON KINGDOM Shares Part 2 of Behind The Scenes Making of Video For New Album “The Blood of Creation”
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – December 7, 2022
Canada’s IRON KINGDOM Shares Part 2 of Behind The Scenes Making of Video For New Album “The Blood of Creation”
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out Now!
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
Canada’s Iron Kingdom recently unleashed its fifth studio album “The Blood of Creation” this past November. Once again it was a DIY approach by the band, self-producing the record with vocalist/guitarist Chris Osterman doing the engineering with some help from the band and some friends (Dan Yakimow, Jeff Black) along with mixing by Andy Boldt and mastering done by Greg Reely.
Today, the band is giving their next glimpse into the making of the full-length with the second part of their behind-the-scenes making-of documentary.
“With the second part of our ‘Making Of’ documentary, we wanted to delve deeper into ‘The Blood Of Creation’. The band explains the meaning and stories behind each track on the album, the gear we used as well as going through some stories from behind the scenes. The documentary shares some never before seen footage from the studio as well as some specially recorded interviews with each band member to share their experience of our latest album! We wanted to make the extra documentary video as a very special thank you to our die-hard fans. We can’t thank you all enough for all the support we’ve received over the past 11 years as an independent act and we truly hope you all enjoy watching! Thank you for believing in us and for listening to our art!” adds Chris Osterman.
The Making Of ‘The Blood Of Creation’ Pt. 2 can be viewed at https://youtu.be/i11YWsaIPtw
and Pt. 1 is available at https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-A
Iron Kingdom‘s fifth full-length “The Blood Of Creation” contains eight impressive tracks running over three-quarters of an hour of classic heavy metal, windswept solos, memorable riffs, and piercing vocals conveying powerful stories. This new album saw a lot more musical content coming from lead guitarist Megan Merrick, and having Max Friesen on drums saw lots more ideas from yet another angle. Iron Kingdom continues to rework and evolve its sound and layers of professionalism can be heard throughout. This album is quite dark topically, the lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice, and pain, and the music although very classical and explorative also has some very evil moments throughout. The band, like so many others, was in a dark place due to the pandemic and the music reflects some of those emotions.
In the beginning, Iron Kingdom set out to create a sound paying homage to how things used to be in the 70s and 80s. They put on a big and energetic show, a show that brings you back to 1984, but in all the best ways. They are recommended for fans of Helloween, Judas Priest, and Queensrÿche.
The album “The Blood Of Creation” is available at the following links:
Iron-kingdom.com/shop/ (CD, Vinyl, Cassette), Iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com, Apple Music, Spotify
Album Stream – https://youtu.be/4pk7QzM4gBo
Music Video – Sheathe The Sword – https://youtu.be/gGI3PDyblUs
Music Video – Queen of The Crystal Throne – https://youtu.be/YyhEutgL9gI
Fun Fact: ‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’ played on City TV for Hockey Night In Canada (Montreal Vs Dallas) – Sat Oct 22, 2022.
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
– 30 –
“Loads of riffs and melodies some excellent lead breaks and pounding rhythms. This is bonafide, foot on the monitor, fist pumping, horn throwing real metal. I have never heard Iron Kingdom before but on the strength of this I will be obtaining the back catalogue very soon.” – My Global Mind (The Blood of Creation)
“With The Blood Of Creation, Iron Kingdom have forged a masterpiece that brings tears of joy to the eyes of every traditional metalhead. There is only high-quality material and everyone is encouraged to include this album in their choice of this year’s Top10. ” – Soundmagnet
“Iron Kingdom brings another solid heavy metal album with the fifth album ‘The Blood of Creation’. Slightly progressive, but especially heavy… Give the band a listen, you will be surprised!” – Metal Experience
“This is a solid album of heavy metal delivered in the style that is true to the cause and therefore, what the listener gets here with ‘The Blood of Creation’, is an album which mounts its steeds and charges forward in a cavalry strike as galloping riffage and rhythms never give the listener the chance to let up with tracks such as ‘Queen of the Crystal Throne’, ‘In the Grip of Nightmares’ and ‘Witching Hour’ having some very impressive twin guitar lines. This would impress any fan of Iron Maiden, Riot V and Iced Earth, but also sticks within the remit of trad metal with bands such as Katana, Skelator and Toledo Steel.” – Metal Digest
“Anyone who likes beautiful and playful melodies, extensive guitar solos, detailed arrangements and double lead guitars will be well served with “The Blood Of Creation”.” – PowerMetal.de
“Iron Kingdom created an iron-bound, battle-hardened piece of traditional Heavy Metal that truly made me want to turn the clock back to those long-gone days of glory. Times when metal was just that, the pure joy of a style that was still new, exciting, and powerful. Or to let the band speak in their own words, they “…decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s.” Well, mission fucking accomplished. Well done, guys.” – Rock Music Raider
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 Canada’s IRON KINGDOM’s New Video “Sheathe The Sword” Is A Shreddy Tale of A Warrior’s Last Chance At Victory
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – November 23, 2022
Canada’s IRON KINGDOM’s New Video “Sheathe The Sword” Is A Shreddy Tale of A Warrior’s Last Chance At Victory
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out Now!
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
Canada’s Iron Kingdom presents its new lyric video for its latest single “Sheathe The Sword”,which draws inspiration from the fantasy series “Wheel of Time”. For years now, Iron Kingdom has been gracing the world with its traditional heavy metal, weaving grand stories and teleporting listeners to far-off lands. This latest single refers to a sword move in which you willingly accept your opponent’s sword into your body in order to inflict a killing blow. The band comments on the single:
“We were looking to do something pretty fast and driving, and once we had the ideas for the first couple of riffs we knew it had to be about Lan Mandoragon – the uncrowned king of a lost and scattered kingdom and is highly respected by neighbouring kingdoms who recognize him as the battle lord of the borderlands. Musically this song is a speedy, driving power metal tune in the vein of early Hammerfall. “Sheathe The Sword” is a warrior’s last chance at victory, but that victory comes with a heavy cost.”
Watch and listen to “Sheathe The Sword” at https://youtu.be/gGI3PDyblUs
(the video features clips from the band’s sold-out album launch show held in Vancouver on November 4th at Wise Hall)
Iron Kingdom recently unveiled their album “The Blood Of Creation” at the beginning of this November. Their fifth full-length contains eight impressive tracks running over three-quarters of an hour of classic heavy metal, windswept solos, memorable riffs, and piercing vocals conveying powerful stories. This new album saw a lot more musical content coming from lead guitarist Megan Merrick, and having Max Friesen on drums saw lots more ideas from yet another angle. Iron Kingdom continues to rework and evolve its sound and layers of professionalism can be heard throughout. This album is quite dark topically, the lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice, and pain, and the music although very classical and explorative also has some very evil moments throughout. The band, like so many others, was in a dark place due to the pandemic and the music reflects some of those emotions.
“The Blood Of Creation” was completely self-produced, written, and recorded. The album was sent out for mixing (Andy Boldt) and mastering (Greg Reely), but they handled everything else. vocalist/guitarist Chris Osterman engineered the record with some help from the band and some friends (Dan Yakimow, Jeff Black).
In the beginning, Iron Kingdom set out to create a sound paying homage to how things used to be in the 70s and 80s. They put on a big and energetic show, a show that brings you back to 1984, but in all the best ways. They are recommended for fans of Helloween, Judas Priest, and Queensrÿche.
The album “The Blood Of Creation” is available at the following links:
Iron-kingdom.com/shop/ (CD, Vinyl, Cassette), Iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com, Apple Music, Spotify
Album Stream – https://youtu.be/4pk7QzM4gBo
Music Video – Queen of The Crystal Throne – https://youtu.be/YyhEutgL9gI
Fun Fact: ‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’ played on City TV for Hockey Night In Canada (Montreal Vs Dallas) – Sat Oct 22, 2022.
The Making of “The Blood Of Creation” – Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] – https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-A
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
– 30 –
“Loads of riffs and melodies some excellent lead breaks and pounding rhythms. This is bonafide, foot on the monitor, fist pumping, horn throwing real metal. I have never heard Iron Kingdom before but on the strength of this I will be obtaining the back catalogue very soon.” – My Global Mind (The Blood of Creation)
“With The Blood Of Creation, Iron Kingdom have forged a masterpiece that brings tears of joy to the eyes of every traditional metalhead. There is only high-quality material and everyone is encouraged to include this album in their choice of this year’s Top10. ” – Soundmagnet
“Iron Kingdom brings another solid heavy metal album with the fifth album ‘The Blood of Creation’. Slightly progressive, but especially heavy… Give the band a listen, you will be surprised!” – Metal Experience
“This is a solid album of heavy metal delivered in the style that is true to the cause and therefore, what the listener gets here with ‘The Blood of Creation’, is an album which mounts its steeds and charges forward in a cavalry strike as galloping riffage and rhythms never give the listener the chance to let up with tracks such as ‘Queen of the Crystal Throne’, ‘In the Grip of Nightmares’ and ‘Witching Hour’ having some very impressive twin guitar lines. This would impress any fan of Iron Maiden, Riot V and Iced Earth, but also sticks within the remit of trad metal with bands such as Katana, Skelator and Toledo Steel.” – Metal Digest
“Anyone who likes beautiful and playful melodies, extensive guitar solos, detailed arrangements and double lead guitars will be well served with “The Blood Of Creation”.” – PowerMetal.de
“Iron Kingdom created an iron-bound, battle-hardened piece of traditional Heavy Metal that truly made me want to turn the clock back to those long-gone days of glory. Times when metal was just that, the pure joy of a style that was still new, exciting, and powerful. Or to let the band speak in their own words, they “…decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s.” Well, mission fucking accomplished. Well done, guys.” – Rock Music Raider
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 Canada’s Iron Kingdom Now Streaming “The Blood Of Creation”
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – November 4, 2022
Canada’s Iron Kingdom Now Streaming “The Blood Of Creation”
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
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 Canada’s Iron Kingdom have a hot new album “The Blood Of Creation” ready for release and can be heard in full at https://youtu.be/4pk7QzM4gBo
“The Blood Of Creation”, the band’s fifth, is not a concept album, but it does have a trilogy about the creation myth from the ancient Mesopotamians. It tells the tale of Tiamat and Marduk and the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mankind. This story is known as being one of the oldest, if not the oldest known story from mankind. The band comments on the album:
“Our music is best described as if Iron Maiden and Judas Priest had a child and raised it on Hammerfall, Helloween, Rush, and, Blind Guardian. With this album, we feel like we’ve merged the more straightforward approach of our last record ‘On the Hunt’ with the storytelling and epic quality of our earlier releases. We took advantage of the forced hiatus from shows and spent the longest on writing that we have for any of our previous efforts and feel like it’s really paid off. The pandemic also brought us a new drummer to solidify what we feel is our strongest lineup yet and his influence is felt on this record. This album shows the level of maturity we have reached as songwriters as well as musicians while maintaining what makes an Iron Kingdom release.”
According to the band, they expect that this new offering will be very exciting for fans old and new. They have caught the essence of all the previous albums into one killer new package, there are fast songs, mid-tempo bangers, and even an epic. They’ve put the time into getting this album just right and it shows.
“The Blood Of Creation” was completely self-produced, written, and recorded. The album was sent out for mixing (Andy Boldt) and mastering (Greg Reely), but they handled everything else. vocalist/guitarist Chris Osterman engineered the record with some help from the band and some friends (Dan Yakimow, Jeff Black).
With “The Blood Of Creation” listeners can expect the usual mix of fantasy and history-inspired songs that aim to entertain and at least lightly educate about past events and beliefs. They are recommended for fans of Queensrÿche, Riot, and Iron Maiden.
The band will also be hosting a now sold-out release party for their release day on Nov 4th at Wise Hall in Vancouver. For more info, please visit the following link here.
The album “The Blood Of Creation” is available as of November 4, 2022.
Music Video – Queen of The Crystal Throne – https://youtu.be/YyhEutgL9gI
Fun Fact: ‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’ played on City TV for Hockey Night In Canada (Montreal Vs Dallas) – Sat Oct 22, 2022.
The Making of “The Blood Of Creation” – Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] – https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-A
Album order and stream available at the following links:
http://www.iron-kingdom.com/shop/
https://iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com
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
– 30 –
“Loads of riffs and melodies some excellent lead breaks and pounding rhythms. This is bonafide, foot on the monitor, fist pumping, horn throwing real metal. I have never heard Iron Kingdom before but on the strength of this I will be obtaining the back catalogue very soon.” – My Global Mind (The Blood of Creation)
“Iron Kingdom brings another solid heavy metal album with the fifth album ‘The Blood of Creation’. Slightly progressive, but especially heavy… Give the band a listen, you will be surprised!” – Metal Experience
“the hype is real: “The Blood of Creation” is an overdose of classic power metal, a homage to the late 80’s – 90’s power metal heroes: HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, HEAVEN’S GATE, SCANNER, early CHINCHILA (remember those guys?), EDGUY with a touch of American stuff like RΙΟΤ.” – Forgotten Scroll
“They are aiming at the classic sound from the 70s and 80s, so if you want something modern then you have nothing to pick up here. The lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice and pain. Luckily the music is not that dark though, but rather very uplifting and pleasant, as it’s a more melodic kind of heavy metal that we get from this band, even though there’s some more powerful tracks too…. I like what I hear.” – Hard Rock Info
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 MetalInsider Presents Iron Kingdom’s Seductive New Single “Queen Of The Crystal Throne” + New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – October 20, 2022
MetalInsider Presents Iron Kingdom’s Seductive New Single “Queen Of The Crystal Throne”
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
Canada’s Iron Kingdom are purveyors of traditional heavy metal bringing forth epic tales set to equally epic music. A throwback to the 80s when metal was loud and shocking, they blast listeners in the face with thunderous drums, walls of riffs, and well-woven fantasy tales told with soaring vocals. They have a fifth album on the way “The Blood Of Creation”, which takes their entire evolution through hard rock, progressive metal, and finally classic Metal and combines it into one impressive package. The second single is “Queen Of The Crystal Throne”, which the band explains in their own words:
“This powerful mid-tempo banger was written about a dark seductress: cold, aloof, and dangerous, you show interest at your own peril. We wanted a straight rocker tune, and that’s exactly what we did here with ‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’, with hints of early Queensrÿche or Accept, the riffs have some balls, but they also keep a cool pace, it’s really just a super fun tune.”
Iron Kingdom’s M.O. is to take people away into some unique fantastic worlds they may or may not have experienced, but this album is also quite dark and it’s meant to be that way. Coming out of a pandemic brings some darker emotions some people may have never experienced previously, which they think this album may parallel. Ultimately they want people to get the chance to escape this world for a time and find solace in the music.
They usually get a lot of their ideas from fantasy but they also like topics around history or religion and other topics to just make people think. They like things to have a deeper meaning than meets the eye. “The Blood Of Creation” is not a concept album, but it does have a trilogy about the creation myth from the ancient Mesopotamians. Telling the tale of Tiamat and Marduk and the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mankind. This story is known as being one of the oldest, if not the oldest known story from mankind.
“Queen Of The Crystal Throne” is one of many immersive and powerful tracks on the album and is recommended for fans of Judas Priest, Queensrÿche, and Riot.
Watch and listen to “Queen Of The Crystal Throne” via its music video premiere on MetalInsider HERE.
The album “The Blood Of Creation” will be released on November 4, 2022.
Single “In The Grip Of Nightmares” – https://youtu.be/Z0HrAd6WGNI
The Making of ‘The Blood Of Creation’ – Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] – https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-A
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.
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.
– 30 –
#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
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 Witness The Thunder Behind IRON KINGDOM’s “In The Grip of Nightmares” With Drum Playthrough
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – September 29, 2022
Witness The Thunder Behind IRON KINGDOM’s “In The Grip of Nightmares” With Drum Playthrough
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
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.
Single Stream – https://youtu.be/Z0HrAd6WGNI
The Making of ‘The Blood Of Creation’ – Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] – https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-A
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.
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.
– 30 –
#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
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 Bravewords Premiering Canadian NWOTHM IRON KINGDOM’s New Single “In The Grip Of Nightmares”; New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – September 6, 2022
Bravewords Premiering Canadian NWOTHM IRON KINGDOM’s New Single “In The Grip Of Nightmares”
New Album “The Blood Of Creation” Out November 4th
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
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 is 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.
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.
– 30 –
#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
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 Canada’s IRON KINGDOM Unveil Album Artwork, Track Listing And Release Date For Fifth Album “The Blood of Creation” + Launch Album Pre-Order
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – August 19, 2022
Canada’s IRON KINGDOM Unveil Album Artwork, Track Listing And Release Date For Fifth Album “The Blood of Creation”
Launch Album Pre-Order
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
Vancouver, Canada’s IRON KINGDOM has been slicing and shredding NWOTHM anthems for metal fans for over a decade since their inception in 2011. The band will be unleashing their fifth studio album “The Blood of Creation” this coming fall on November 4th and they are excited to share its cover artwork and track listing listed below along with the record’s teaser at https://youtu.be/V-9Cr-ABE3I
“This album is quite dark topically, the lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice, and pain, and the music although very classical and explorative also has some very evil moments throughout. We were in a dark place due to the pandemic and the music reflects some of those emotions.” adds guitarist/vocalist Chris Osterman.
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
“The Blood of Creation” follows Iron Kingdom‘s highly praised 2019 full-length “On The Hunt”, which took the band to new heights with tours across Canada, the USA, and Europe along with topping the Canadian loud radio charts at #5 (Earshot) and garnering such reviews as “Holy Shit! Have you heard Iron Kingdom’s On the Hunt? If you haven’t you are missing out on one of the coolest albums of 2019. 10/10″ (Keeper Magazine),”Classic sound, modern feel” Powerplay Magazine (UK), “a glorious gallop of foot on the monitor, traditional heavy metal that will have NWOBHM fans drooling. 9/10″ (Metal Gods TV) and “40 minutes of enjoyable no-frills classic metal.” (Angry Metal Guy).
“The Blood of Creation” continues the reign of classic heavy metal that Iron Kingdom has been presenting over the years to music lovers of the style along with keeping the flame burning for a new generation.
“We wanted to create music in a style of metal that seemed to have been forgotten when we were kids. Since no one else seemed to be doing it, we decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s. That was the reason for forming Iron Kingdom. Essentially, we wanted to give people an exciting show like an early Iron Maiden, Scorpions, or Saxon show from the 1980s.” recalls Osterman on the beginnings of the band.
Iron Kingdom has come a long way since their 2011 debut “Curse Of The Voodoo Queen” and their next offering is a potent full force of classic shredding heavy metal thunder and will take the fans into some unique fantastic worlds, but will also show a dark side of storytelling.
“I think we started as a bit more of a hard rock band on the first record, taking a progressive metal dive for Gates Of Eternity and Ride For Glory, then for On The Hunt, I’d say we went fully classic metal, leading into this new record being a pretty solid mix of all those styles combined. We also came out of the pandemic, which brought some darker emotions some people may have never experienced previously that I think this album may parallel. In the end though, we want people to get the chance to escape this world for a time and find solace in the music.” adds Osterman.
The new album also sees new drummer Max Friesen (ex-Ophelia Falling) making his recording debut with the band to add another angle to their songwriting for this release. 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).
Recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween, and Saxon, the album pre-order for “The Blood of Creation” is 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.
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.
– 30 –
#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
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
0 EPK – Iron Kingdom – The Blood Of Creation (2022)
EPK – Iron Kingdom – The Blood Of Creation (2022)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“We are stoked to be sharing with you our 5th studio album ‘The Blood of Creation.’ Our music is best described as if Iron Maiden and Judas Priest had a child and raised it on Hammerfall, Helloween, Rush, and, Blind Guardian.
With this album, we feel like we’ve merged the more straightforward approach of our last record ‘On the Hunt’ with the storytelling and epic quality of our earlier releases. We took advantage of the forced hiatus from shows and spent the longest on writing that we have for any of our previous efforts and feel like it’s really paid off.
The pandemic also brought us a new drummer to solidify what we feel is our strongest lineup yet and his influence is felt on this record. This album shows the level of maturity we have reached as song writers as well as musicians while maintaining what makes an Iron Kingdom release.
With ‘The Blood of Creation’ listeners can expect the usual mix of fantasy and history-inspired songs that aim to entertain and at least lightly educate about past events and beliefs.” – Leighton Holmes (Bass)
For fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Riot, Helloween
Band: Iron Kingdom
Album Title: The Blood Of Creation
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Self Released
Distribution: Indie Pool (Digital Distributor)
Iron-kingdom.com | Facebook.com/ironkingdom | Twitter.com/iron_kingdom | YouTube.com/IronKingdom | Instagram.com/iron_kingdom
Band’s Online Store Iron-kingdom.com/shop | Iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music
“Loads of riffs and melodies some excellent lead breaks and pounding rhythms. This is bonafide, foot on the monitor, fist pumping, horn throwing real metal. I have never heard Iron Kingdom before but on the strength of this I will be obtaining the back catalogue very soon.” – My Global Mind (The Blood of Creation)
“If you haven’t checked out Iron Kingdom’s earlier releases and you dig pure ’80s metal, grab a copy of The Blood of Creation then get ready to hunt down their earlier catalog. You will not be disappointed.” – The Metal Crypt
“I am compelled to say that IRON KINGDOM most surely outdone themselves with “The Blood Of Creation”… A distinctively distinguished experience in Heavy Metal relishment distils at an epically entrancing adventure, should you desire it… an injection in infectiously venomous momentum most definitely deserves interest – do check it out.” – Metal Temple
“With The Blood Of Creation, Iron Kingdom have forged a masterpiece that brings tears of joy to the eyes of every traditional metalhead. There is only high-quality material and everyone is encouraged to include this album in their choice of this year’s Top10. ” – Soundmagnet
“To put a bow on IRON KINGDOM’s The Blood of Creation, it’s dang good, borderline perfect and any fan of hard rock and heavy metal that is slathered with soaring epic vocals, dual guitar rhythm and shredding solo’s layed down on a feather bed of thunderous, galloping and filling chattering drums and bass then go, go, go get you some of this. A monster thank you to Chris for taking the time to chat me up and gift me this glorious CD. Now I need to go and get the back catalog…” – KNAC
“a barnstorming barrage of blistering heavy metal, highly head bang-able and immensely infectious.” – Metal Gods TV
“Iron Kingdom brings another solid heavy metal album with the fifth album ‘The Blood of Creation’. Slightly progressive, but especially heavy… Give the band a listen, you will be surprised!” – Metal Experience
“”The Blood of Creation” is a satisfying excursion into metal classicism.” – Wormwood Chronicles
“This is a solid album of heavy metal delivered in the style that is true to the cause and therefore, what the listener gets here with ‘The Blood of Creation’, is an album which mounts its steeds and charges forward in a cavalry strike as galloping riffage and rhythms never give the listener the chance to let up with tracks such as ‘Queen of the Crystal Throne’, ‘In the Grip of Nightmares’ and ‘Witching Hour’ having some very impressive twin guitar lines. This would impress any fan of Iron Maiden, Riot V and Iced Earth, but also sticks within the remit of trad metal with bands such as Katana, Skelator and Toledo Steel.” – Metal Digest
“if you like your music to deliver heavy metal in that classic way with some heavy NWOBHM worship, then this latest offering from Iron Kingdom is a very good shout” – Metal Digest
““The Blood Of Creation” is a 13-plus-minute epic track that covers the entire spectrum of what Iron Kingdom is and can be. There is Power, Progressive, Thrash, NWOBHM, and NWOTHM. Soaring vocals, hefty guitars, riffs, rhythms, powerful drums, and bass are all on display for this one. The composition is impressive, complex, and very coherent. The transition makes sense, feels like they are timed perfectly, and flows from one element to the next.” – Metal-Zenith
“Anyone who likes beautiful and playful melodies, extensive guitar solos, detailed arrangements and double lead guitars will be well served with “The Blood Of Creation”.” – PowerMetal.de
“The musicianship is solid, the lead work sharp and Osterman’s high-pitched vocals can certainly hit the heights. His soaring shrill delivery on ‘Queen of the Crystal Throne’ demonstrates that perfectly. New drummer Max Friesen makes his recording debut for the band and puts in a sterling effort with some robust and powerful performances.” – Ever-Metal
“the hype is real: “The Blood of Creation” is an overdose of classic power metal, a homage to the late 80’s – 90’s power metal heroes: HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, HEAVEN’S GATE, SCANNER, early CHINCHILA (remember those guys?), EDGUY with a touch of American stuff like RΙΟΤ.” – Forgotten Scroll
“They are aiming at the classic sound from the 70s and 80s, so if you want something modern then you have nothing to pick up here. The lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice and pain. Luckily the music is not that dark though, but rather very uplifting and pleasant, as it’s a more melodic kind of heavy metal that we get from this band, even though there’s some more powerful tracks too…. I like what I hear.” – Hard Rock Info
“Iron Kingdom created an iron-bound, battle-hardened piece of traditional Heavy Metal that truly made me want to turn the clock back to those long-gone days of glory. Times when metal was just that, the pure joy of a style that was still new, exciting, and powerful. Or to let the band speak in their own words, they “…decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s.” Well, mission fucking accomplished. Well done, guys.” – Rock Music Raider
#5 (On The Hunt) Canadian National Loud Chart – For the Week Ending: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 (earshot)
“Classic sound, modern feel” – Powerplay Magazine UK (On The Hunt 2019)
“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
“they’re clearly a talented band and I enjoyed the thematic elements in the album. If you like traditional Metal, specifically older Speed Metal, they’re worth checking out. 8/10” – Metal Temple
“Assigning the label traditional to this Vancouver metal quartet is entirely fair. From the cover that could have been by Frank Frazetta to the shrieking high register howling of the lead singer. His Rob Halford-by-way-of-Tygers of Pan Tang vocals and the power metal surges, impressed the judges on CTV’s Canada’s Got Talent who thought referencing the beginning days of the NWOBHM (New wave of British Heavy Metal was in the right place with an eighties revival looming. They certainly have tight chops. ” – Vancouver Sun
“40 minutes of enjoyable no-frills classic metal.” – Angry Metal Guy
StillSpinning.ca top albums for 2019 #38 on Iron Kingdom – “On the Hunt” – 7.5/10 – “Solid metal album. Worth taking a listen”
“a mouth watering and exciting gallop, ‘White Wolf’ is cracking traditional heavy metal.” – Frenzy Fire
“This is what heavy metal is supposed to sound like. No let up at all just an album of full on greatness.” – The Dirty Room
“A rollercoaster ride of pure, unadulterated adrenaline.” – Zachary Houle (Ride For Glory Review 2015)
“This is a tremendous throwback into the (first) golden age of metal.” – Merchants of Air (Belgium) (Ride For Glory Review 2015)
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Band: Iron Kingdom
Album Title: The Blood Of Creation
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Self Released
Distribution: Indie Pool (Digital Distributor)
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
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Iron Kingdom
• All songs written by: Iron Kingdom
• Produced by: Iron Kingdom
• Mixed by: Andy Boldt
• Mastered by: Greg Reely At The Green Jacket
• Album Artwork by: Alan Lathwell
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album Recording and Live Band Line Up:
Chris Osterman – Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar
Leighton Holmes – Bass Guitar
Max Friesen – Drums
Megan Merrick – Lead Guitar
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The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
This album is quite dark topically, the lyrics speak of war, fear, sacrifice and pain, and the music although very classical and explorative also has some very evil moments throughout. We were in a dark place due to the pandemic and the music reflects some of those emotions.
Track by Track explained (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
1 – Tides Of Desolation – (Instrumental) – This intro tune has a Tribal like feel to it. The first song of the trilogy within this album tells of the beginnings of the ancient Mesopotamian creation myth and the creation of the gods. This song is best explained from this quoted source: “In the beginning, there was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos. Out of this swirl, the waters divided into sweet, fresh water, known as the god Apsu, and salty bitter water, the goddess Tiamat.” World History Archive http://www.worldhistroy.org
2 – Sheathe The Sword – Based on the Wheel of Time character Lan Mandoragon. The title Sheathe the Sword refers to a sword move in which you willingly accept your opponent’s sword into your body in order to inflict a killing blow. Lan is the uncrowned king of a lost and scattered kingdom and is highly respected by neighbouring kingdoms who recognize him as the Battle lord of the borderlands. Musically this song is a speedy, driving power metal tune in the vein of early Hammerfall.
3 – Queen Of The Crystal Throne – A Song about a dark seductress: cold, aloof and dangerous, you show interest at your own peril. Musically: this song is a powerful mid-tempo rocker, with hints of early Queensrÿche or Accept.
4 – Hunter And Prey – Telling the historic tale of Simo Häyhä, a Finnish hunter, farmer and sniper who played a large role in the Winter War with Russia (November 1939 – March 1940) Simo had over 500 confirmed kills in the conflict and earned the nickname ‘White Death’. Musically this song takes on a speedy Power Metal feel not unlike something Stratovarious or Sonata Arctica may have done in some of their earlier pieces.
5 – Witching Hour – The shifting darkness in the corner of your eye and all the things that go bump in the night. Is it there? Is it real? There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of… Musically this song has some evil almost Black Sabbath vibes from around the Tony Martin era, with some melodies even hinting towards Gamma Ray.
6 – In The Grip Of Nightmares – This song is about the sword Stormbringer from the Michael Moorcock book Elric of Melnibonè Series. 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. Stormbringer has sentience to it and ‘shrieks’ as it cuts down foes. 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.
7 – Primordial – (Instrumental) – This instrumental is the second installment towards the Ancient Sumerian creation tale of Marduk and Tiamat. One of the oldest known stories of mankind. Following from the beginnings of ‘Tides Of Desolation’ this song speaks of the beginning of time, and the calm before the storm that is about, to begin with, the epic ‘The Blood Of Creation’.
8 – The Blood Of Creation – Telling the tale of the Mesopotamian creation myth: the gods are created in the beginning by Tiamat and Apsu her partner. Gods kill Tiamat’s partner Apsu. Tiamat becomes a dragon and creates a demon army. Marduk defends the remaining gods and defeats Tiamat in her dragon form along with the demon army. The god Anke uses the dragon’s corpse to create the heavens and the earth. The blood of the demons is used to create humanity. Musically this is a 13+ minute epic tale with twists and turns, and epic musical passages that take you beyond this world. Leaving you at the end in contemplation as the acoustical passages slowly fade into the abyss.
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. The Blood Of Creation was completely self-produced, written and recorded. The album was sent out for Mixing (Andy Boldt) and Mastering (Greg Reely), but we handled everything else. Chris engineered the record with some help from the band and some friends (Dan Yakimow, Jeff Black)
2. We went on tour to Europe in March of 2020 in support of our 4th LP ‘On The Hunt’, which went great until the last week or so when Covid-19 started to shut down events and countries began closing borders. We tried to come home early but we couldn’t get through to the airlines due to the phone lines being so busy, so we stayed and continued to play as many of our final shows as we could. Some nights we waited with our gear set on the stage to find out only 30 minutes before if we’d even be allowed to perform. We ended up playing our last show on March 15/2020 in a town called Magdeburg, DE and the bar wanted to empty its Keg’s so they kept giving us beers. We got pretty wasted. The next day we travelled through Germany, Belgium and into France as each country closed its borders, and we were on the 3rd last flight out of Paris to Vancouver. Seems we got pretty lucky when we first bought our flights, had they been booked for one day later and we would’ve been stranded.
3. During the writing process of The Blood Of Creation, Chris had actually broken the tuft (or tip) of one of his fretting fingers in a work accident. He proceeded to write with the group using only two fingers for three months.
4. This is our drummer Max Friesen’s debut with Iron Kingdom, we got quite lucky that he was even able to join the group as he was teaching abroad in Japan until the Covid-19 pandemic drove him back home. He’s been with us now for 2 years.
5. ‘The Blood Of Creation’ is not a concept album, but it does have a trilogy about the creation myth from the ancient Mesopotamians. Telling the tale of Tiamat and Marduk and the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mankind. This story is known as being one of the oldest, if not the oldest known story from mankind.
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
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 bands 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, 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 were 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 front man 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 cancelled. 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.
Band Line Up:
Chris Osterman – Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar
Leighton Holmes – Bass Guitar
Max Friesen – Drums
Megan Merrick – Lead Guitar
Discography:
2022 – The Blood Of Creation
2019 – On The Hunt
2015 – Ride For Glory
2015 – Unleashed At The Kraken (Live in Seattle) [Live EP]
2013 – Gates Of Eternity
2011 – Curse Of The Voodoo Queen
Tours and Festivals:
2014 – Very ‘Eavy Fest – Stadskanaal, NL
2014 – Warm Up Festival – Paris, FR
2014 – Keep It True XVII – Lauda-Konigshofen, DE
2014 – Throwback Metal Fest – Apple Valley, CA, USA
2015 – Metallion Fest II – Vanderhoof, BC
2016 – Tatuira Festival – Bento Gonçalves, Brazil
2016 – Metallion Fest III – Vanderhoof, BC
2018 – Halloween Havoc Festival – Surrey, BC
2018 – Hyperspace Metal Fest I – Vancouver, BC
2020 – Full Metal Osthessen – Niederjossa, DE
2021 – Loud As Hell Fest – Drumheller, AB
2022 – Hyperspace Metal Fest III – Vancouver, BC
2022 – Armstrong Metal Fest – Armstrong, BC
0 Canadian NWOTHM IRON KINGDOM Posts Teaser + Launch Pre-Order For Fifth Album “The Blood of Creation”
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – August 8, 2022
Canadian NWOTHM IRON KINGDOM Posts Teaser + Launch Pre-Order For Fifth Album “The Blood of Creation”
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace
Vancouver, Canada’s IRON KINGDOM is returning in 2022 with their fifth studio album “The Blood of Creation” to follow 2019’s highly praised “On The Hunt”, which took the band to new heights with tours across Canada, the USA, and Europe along with topping the Canadian loud radio charts at #5 (Earshot) and compliments such as “a glorious gallop of foot on the monitor, traditional heavy metal that will have NWOBHM fans drooling. 9/10” – Metal Gods TV and “40 minutes of enjoyable no-frills classic metal.” – Angry Metal Guy.
“The Blood of Creation” continues the reign of classic heavy metal that Iron Kingdom has been presenting over the years to music lovers of the style along with keeping the flame burning for a new generation.
“We wanted to create music in a style of metal that seemed to have been forgotten when we were kids. Since no one else seemed to be doing it, we decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s. That was the reason for forming Iron Kingdom. Essentially, we wanted to give people an exciting show like an early Iron Maiden, Scorpions, or Saxon show from the 1980s.” recalls guitarist/vocalist Chris Osterman on the beginnings of the band.
Iron Kingdom has come a long way since their 2011 debut “Curse Of The Voodoo Queen” and their next offering is a potent full force of classic shredding heavy metal thunder and will take fans into some unique fantastic worlds they may or may not have experienced, but will also show a dark side of storytelling.
“I think we started as a bit more of a hard rock band on the first record, taking a progressive metal dive for Gates Of Eternity and Ride For Glory, then for On The Hunt, I’d say we went fully classic metal, leading into this new record being a pretty solid mix of all those styles combined. We also came out of the pandemic, which brought some darker emotions some people may have never experienced previously that I think this album may parallel. In the end though, we want people to get the chance to escape this world for a time and find solace in the music.” adds Osterman.
The new album also sees new drummer Max Friesen (ex-Ophelia Falling) making his recording debut with the band to add another angle to their songwriting for this release. 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).
Recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween, and Saxon, Iron Kingdom is sharing their teaser for “The Blood of Creation” that can be heard at https://youtu.be/V-9Cr-ABE3I
The album track listing, artwork, and singles will be revealed in the coming weeks and is available for pre-order 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.
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.
– 30 –
#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
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