NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – October 20, 2022
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MetalInsider Presents Iron Kingdomâs Seductive New Single âQueen Of The Crystal Throneâ
New Album âThe Blood Of Creationâ Out November 4th
L-R: Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar), Leighton Holmes (Bass Guitar), Megan Merrick (Lead Guitar), Max Friesen (Drums)
Photo Credit â Caitlin Delaplace
Canadaâs 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 âThe Blood Of Creationâ, 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 âQueen Of The Crystal Throneâ, which the band explains in their own words:
âThis 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 thatâs exactly what we did here with âQueen Of The Crystal Throneâ, with hints of early Queensrÿche or Accept, the riffs have some balls, but they also keep a cool pace, itâs really just a super fun tune.â
Iron Kingdomâs 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 itâs 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. âThe Blood Of Creationâ 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.
âQueen Of The Crystal Throneâ 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 âQueen Of The Crystal Throneâ via its music video premiere on MetalInsider HERE.
The album âThe Blood Of Creationâ will be released on November 4, 2022.
Single âIn The Grip Of Nightmaresâ –Â https://youtu.be/Z0HrAd6WGNIâ
The Making of ‘The Blood Of Creation’ – Pt 1. [Mini Documentary] –Â https://youtu.be/TSrv44SXQ-Aâ
Album pre-order / save available at the following links:
âhttp://www.iron-kingdom.com/shop/â
âhttps://iron-kingdom.bandcamp.comâ
âApple Music, Spotifyâ
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:â
1. Tides Of Desolation â 1:13
2. Sheathe The Sword â 5:25
3. Queen Of The Crystal Throne â 4:58
4. Hunter And Prey â 5:25
5. Witching Hour â 5:44
6. In The Grip Of Nightmares â 5:23
7. Primordial â 1:40
8. The Blood Of Creation â 13:38
Total Running Length: 43:29
For more info:
âhttps://www.iron-kingdom.comâ
âhttps://www.facebook.com/ironkingdomâ
âhttps://www.instagram.com/iron_kingdomâ
âhttps://twitter.com/iron_kingdomâ
About:Â 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.
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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 âCurse Of The Voodoo Queenâ Jordan was replaced by guitarist Kenny Kroecher. âCurse Of The Voodoo Queenâ was released on Dec 14, 2011, and the band took the opportunity to tour western Canada, along with an appearance on the TV Show, Canadaâs Got Talent.
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With the debut album receiving little attention, the group decided it was time to record a new album, and by April 26, 2013, âGates Of Eternityâ was released. Garnering some strong reviews coming in around the world, attention was growing, and the band was invited to perform at Germanyâs 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 Californiaâs 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.
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On July 30, 2015, Iron Kingdom released not one, but two more albums, âRide For Gloryâ their 3rd full-length album, as well as âUnleashed at the Kraken (Live in Seattle)â 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.
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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.
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It took four years for the follow-up album after âRide For Gloryâ, but finally on Oct 4, 2019, âOn The Huntâ was released. This was the fourth full-length release from this traditional metal act. Iron Kingdom toured âOn The Huntâ 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.
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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
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“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
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“One of Western Canadaâs 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
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“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
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“Of the hundreds of heavy metal bands that have âIronâ 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 theyâve forged is strong, heavy, and true. 9/10” – Power Thorn
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“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 Magazineâ
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