Interview with Megan M of Iron Kingdom
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
My family has always been musical and I originally started playing piano because my grandma was a professional multi-instrumentalist. It was just part of life! Honestly, I have no idea what trouble I would have gotten myself into if I hadn’t found music in my past time. Sometimes I wonder what everyone else does who doesn’t play music in their spare time and I think they must have a lot of free time! I couldn’t imagine my life any different, and without the ability to express myself, I imagine I might be a little loopier than I already am! haha
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
When I am not playing music, I am usually doing other activities like dancing, listening to music, running, or weight lifting. It gives me time to think and absorb and solidify my thoughts, which helps me clear my mind and allows space for creativity. Creativity is very much about being in the present.
How long has your band been around?
Iron Kingdom is officially 11 years old! Chris (vocals & guitar) and Leighton (bass) have known each other since high school!
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
Iron Kingdom is based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Iron Kingdom was formed on the idea that the guys noticed no one in the Vancouver scene at the time they started the band was playing Traditional Heavy Metal. They began the vision of the band to bring back the 80’s style of Metal with soaring vocals and shredding leads we all love to listen to.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
It was on a whim that the guys basically went through a dictionary to find a cool combo of words and after rejecting a million ideas, they came up with Iron Kingdom.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
One of my most memorable shows was playing the warm-up show for Hell Over Hammaburg in Hamburg, Germany in March 2020. It was part of a short tour before the beginning of the Pandemic. The crowd was awesome and we hardly slept, but it was soooo fun! I love Germany!
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
My Favourite venue that I have played is the stage in Hamburg at the venue called “Bambi Galore” where we played the warm-up show for Hell Over Hammaburg or the stage at Armstrong Metal Fest. Both stages were HUGE and I loved it. In the future, I would love to play on some bigger festival stages in Europe! That would be the dream!
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Hammerfall, Helloween and Saxon!!!
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
The advice I would give someone who is just getting into playing in a band would be to keep practicing and get out onto the stage and play with as many musicians as you can because it’ll help you improve so much!
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
The advice I would give to myself is the same as I would give to someone else who is starting out, keep at it, get out into the world, and learn from as many people and as many styles as you can. Also, investing in good equipment is vital and will save you a lot of money in the future. Haha
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
To be honest, I can’t pick. I put the same amount of effort and energy into all of them. I think this latest record “The Blood Of Creation” has a couple that hit me deeper because I wrote them when I was in a tougher spot in life. I’m glad that they can finally be “put to rest” on an album instead of floating around in my head.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
A few of my favourite songs to play are ‘Paragon’ and ‘Drifting Through Time’. The songs we get requested often are “White Wolf” or “Voodoo Queen”.
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
For the creative process, usually, we write a few riffs, or in the odd case come up with a whole bunch of riffs for the same song and we compose the songs together and order the riffs together. Sometimes we’ll have the lyrics already for a song idea and write riffs to fit the topic at hand.
For me, watching awesome live performances or experiencing emotional life events tends to push me into my creative realm. I really love to hear killer records that my fellow Metal musician friends write and bands I admire as well.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
We have a few songs that might be more a message like “be your own hero” or “it would suck to live forever because everyone you know would eventually die and you’d be miserable” but overall, we write about historical events and cool fantasy stories. Haha
Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
With our band, it is very much a democracy. I don’t think any of us are so hard-headed that we can get past things or can’t all agree to disagree. We rarely get into disagreements but have more so constructive conversations. We usually find a middle ground and if it's 3 verses 1, YOU LOSE! Haha
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Our latest record is called “The Blood of Creation” and it will be out on Nov 4th, 2022. We couldn’t be more stoked! This one is going to be an epic and heavy one. Can’t wait to hear what our fans think!
You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook or see updates at www.iron-kingdom.com
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Band's Online Store Iron-kingdom.com/shop | Iron-kingdom.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music
Music Video -Queen of The Crystal Throne -
Stream - In The Grip of Nightmares -