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, on November 4 and they are excited to share its cover artwork and tracklisting.
"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," says guitarist/vocalist Chris Osterman.
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).
Pre-order the album here, or here.
Tracklisting:
"Tides Of Desolation"
"Sheathe The Sword"
"Queen Of The Crystal Throne"
"Hunter And Prey"
"Witching Hour"
"In The Grip Of Nightmares"
"Primordial"
"The Blood Of Creation"
Teaser:
In additional news, Iron Kingdom have announced their album launch show for November 4 in Vancouver, BC, at the Wise Hall. For more info, head here.
(Photo - Caitlin Delaplace)
