CHRIS OSTERMAN - IRON KINGDOM

💿 Hi, it's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal CHRIS OSTERMAN of IRON KINGDOM!! Welcome!! Thanks for inviting us for an interview! 💿 On Oct 4th will be out your new full-length entitled ON THE HUNT. We had the chance to listen to it in preview and we were really impressed!! Can you tell us something about its composition process and the new line up that shows two new members? Glad you guys are enjoying the new album! I guess it all started when we found Chris, our drummer. He contacted us from our craigslist ad, we auditioned him and it felt right so we kept inviting him over to jam. Over some time, we decided he was the right fit so we offered him the spot. We had begun writing the album at this point, songs like "Driftin' Through Time" and "White Wolf" we're among the first. Then we found out, Megan wanted to find a band to play within Vancouver, (before this she lived in Toronto and had been playing in bands there), we were still seeking a guitarist so we wanted to try her out. After some time and a few jams, we all agreed that she would be a solid contributor, so like Chris, we offered her to join. Although Megan was not around for the very beginning stages of writing the album, she was around for the majority of it, I think it's safe to say she made her mark across the record and had input on every song. 💿 Can you tell us somethin'about the birth and the name of your band? Which artists or bands impressed you the most? Iron Kingdom was formed in 2011, the names meaning stems from the idea of an almost dream-like concept of a land (or kingdom) where metal reigns supreme, doesn't matter your country, race, religion or what have you, if your a metalhead than this it's your kingdom, that was the idea behind it anyways! We're influenced by bands like Judas Priest, Helloween, Saxon, Iron Maiden, The Scorpions, Rush, and so many others! Mostly classic 70s or 80s Metal or Hard Rock bands. 💿 You come from Canada. Can tell us somethin' about your local scene? We're from Vancouver, BC on the west coast of Canada, we've found that the scene is actually quite strong out here, I think there's also a higher demand for old school styled bands than people might realize! We've had a lot of fun performing out here but there's plenty of great scenes all over the world that we love touring to! We just happen to be from this one. 💿 There's a great return of format such as vinyl and cassette. What's your thinking about these classic format..love for vintage or is it impossible a future for music outside digital? For us, vinyl, cassettes, and CDs are hugely important, I think however that it's very genre-specific. Metalheads seem to appreciate physical releases so we keep on releasing them! Of course, we also sell our music digitally on the side. I think the metal genre will always have physical releases of some kind, and the vintage ones like vinyl or cassette are rad so yea I'd like to see them stick around in the future! 💿 Inside your songs what's the role of lyrics in the composition process? Words follow music or vice versa? Honestly, we go back and forth on that all the time, some songs are written lyrically first, others it's the music first, we don't really have any set formulas to how we write, just do what feels and sounds right to us. 💿 ON THE HUNT is a self-release. A chance to be totally free or relationships with label aren't easy today? We usually like working with labels for licensing deals on a short or limited release of vinyl records or cassettes. That way we keep our rights to the music and only need to sell a specific portion of the release (IE, Vinyl or Cassettes) before either making a new deal for more copies or moving to another label, or possibly making a pressing with our own finances. Remaining independent has still felt like the right thing to do so far, but you never know what the future will hold. 💿 You're ready for an intensive tour that starts on Oct 3rd throughout North America. What are your expectations and how much is important playing live today? Yes, we're playing 43 shows across North America, before heading over to Europe in March of 2020. It's absolutely crucial to play live shows, for us it's the only option! We tour to play for our fans, to get our albums out there and help build the metal scene around the globe. It's also a great way to help us finance future albums and other expenses. As for expectations, well we expect an epic adventure across a massive continent, and on top of it we get to play to our fans, old an new! We're honestly so stoked to finally hit the road again! I'm personally really looking forward to it! 💿 Thank you so much for your time! See you soon on Hardrockheavymetal! 

No, thank you! Keep It Steel!! Cheers, Chris Osterman #pressagent Asher Media Relations

#IRONKINGDOM