Canadian heavy metal torchbearers Iron Kingdom are charging forward with Shadows and Dust, a record steeped in mortality, uncertainty, and the emotional weight of modern life. But despite listeners finding a powerful conceptual thread running through the album, the band insists the process was far less calculated than it may seem.
In this interview, vocalist and guitarist Chris Osterman opens up about recording entirely in their own studio for the first time, the pressure that came with total creative control, experimenting with darker musical territory, and why the band still believes in the full front-to-back album experience in the age of playlists and streaming.
“Shadows and Dust” leans heavily into themes of death, impermanence, and uncertainty—how much of that came from personal experiences versus your reaction to the broader state of the world right now?
Chris Osterman (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar): For me personally, yes, the world around us is absolutely a large part of how this album came together thematically. However, there were certainly a lot of personal experiences from other band members thrown into this album as well. Life can be tough; we’ve all been there, and sometimes you just gotta find a way to let some of that out. Thankfully, we have music.
I don’t think there is a way to measure which was the real focus, because we truly do write in layers and metaphors, hiding some things beneath the surface to allow for interpretation.
You’ve said the album isn’t a strict concept record, but it still carries a strong thematic thread—how did you balance narrative cohesion with keeping each track distinct?
CO: It’s very interesting how so many reviewers and interviewers so far have felt a strong thread on this album. Believe it or not, we truly didn’t.
You know, most of the time, when we write, there is a clear feeling that hits across all the songs, but honestly, this time around, we really struggled to find that theme. It took us months to design the album cover, and to tie together the songs in any capacity was quite strange. We had to really look past the songs and think about the broader stroke of our emotions going into this album, before we had an idea of what we had really done.
This is your first album recorded entirely in your own home studio—how did that change your creative process compared to previous releases, both in terms of freedom and pressure?
CO: Oh, the pressure was on; we had recorded ‘On the Hunt’ and ‘The Blood of Creation’ before this, but just in a few different studios, and with the help of some friends who had experience doing this type of project. However, with this album, it was truly us on our own, battling the ever-ticking clock forward.
Just the other day, I was joking about how I should’ve thanked Monster energy drinks on the credits page of the album, for all the days it got me through, when I had nothing left to give. This album was truly daunting, but you know, you can feel the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it, and I think that’s how it comes across so genuinely. We truly are perfectionists, and we gave ourselves the tools. Yup… It’s about as bad as it sounds! Haha!
Honestly, though, we learned so much from this album, and I’m sure we will take some of the things we learned and improve upon them once again into the next album.
You mentioned exploring “new territory, new modes, and feelings”—can you point to a specific moment on “Shadows and Dust” where fans will hear the biggest evolution in your sound?
CO: Dark Demands is absolutely fresh territory for us, chromatic riffs and evil solos, this is a completely new world for Iron Kingdom, and honestly, it rips pretty hard!
Then you can look at a song like ‘Blood and Steel’, it’s absolutely unique In so many strange ways, believe it or not, we questioned if we should even have it on the record, but it just had such a special vibe, we needed it, and when we tracked it and it came to life, there were times I thought it was possibly the best song we ever wrote.
So ya, I do feel like we took some risks, and we went outside our comfort zone. Those songs are just a couple of examples, but for us, it felt like about half the songs were breaking some mold we had created in the past.
Iron Kingdom has always emphasized the “front-to-back album experience”—in the age of streaming and playlists, do you feel like you’re pushing against the way people consume music today?
Ya, we definitely do. You have to keep in mind that we literally are writing music that was popular 40 or 50 years ago; now, of course, we’re going against the modern approaches. I mean, hell, we sell Cassettes at our merch booth, haha, ya, we’re old school, and it’s part of the charm.
Your guitar tone has always leaned into that classic heavy/NWOBHM feel—what specific guitars, amps, or recording techniques defined your sound on “Shadows and Dust”, especially working in your own studio?
CO: I think the main thing is we don’t re-amp, we find the sound we want on day 1, and then we commit to it. We will change guitars if it helps with tone for certain parts or something, but essentially, what you hear on the record is what we were tracking in the room. So we will spend quite a lot of time getting just the right sound, before we begin, because once we do, there’s really no going back.
Be honest—does being a Canadian metal band mean at least one rehearsal gets derailed by hockey talk, or have you managed to keep ice hockey out of the practice space entirely?
CO: Hahaha, I mean, alright, yes, we have certainly talked about hockey in the jam space, I can’t deny that. However, it’s not a main discussion point that we come back to often.
I will say, though, when we were recording the debut album, there were literal riots in the streets because the Canucks lost the cup. We actually lost a couple of hours of tracking, because we had a few friends in or around some of the violence, and we were checking they were ok. If that’s not a Canadian experience, I’m not sure what is.
With Shadows and Dust, Iron Kingdom aren’t simply paying tribute to classic heavy metal traditions—they’re testing their own boundaries while staying fiercely committed to the analog spirit that shaped them. From sleepless nights in a self-built studio to embracing darker and more experimental songwriting, the band’s latest chapter feels both deeply personal and unapologetically old school.
And if Chris Osterman is right, that tension between chaos, emotion, and commitment may be exactly what gives Shadows and Dust its power.
Categories: Dig Dirkler, Interviews, Iron Kingdom, News
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