Iron Thrones is a band that truly embodies their name in several aspects. Not to be too corny, but the band hails from our own iron-rich state of Minnesota, and (despite their relatively short time playing together) you can easily consider them to be one of several crown jewels that the currently burgeoning and heavily varied Minneapolis metal scene has to offer. This is an epic progressive death metal quartet (though, on the lookout for another guitarist) that could easily find resonance with fans of Opeth, Death, Between the Buried and Me, Converge or even maybe post-rock like Mogwai. That’s not to say that Iron Thrones really follows in any of these bands footsteps though, as they have begun to perfect their own unique focused sound. Even on this debut, Visions of Light, the band achieve a rare and organic balance of naturalistic melodies and brutal shred. The album is the embodiment of yin-and-yang, a dense atmospheric album to one man and a nuanced progressive headbanger to another. Right now, it’s doing wonders for my ears.
Clearly the band knows how to treat its fans, as well. As such, these guys have posted their entire new album, Visions of Light, online for download. The cool thing is that they’ve gone the Radiohead way of things and made it available for free, “donation” through Amazon, Itunes, etc., or as a hard copy purchase. I’ve never heard how this model has worked out for a local underground metal band (as opposed to juggernauts like RH and Rez), and there’s no word when their $500 quadruple gatefold limited pressing with an optional commentary becomes available, but I really don’t see how it could hurt. There’ll still be many opportunities to support them and purchase hard copies when you’re seeing Iron Thrones in the live setting. They’ve got these area shows lined up, including a performance in Burnsville tomorrow:
Feb 6 @ The Garage w/ Rawhyde in Burnsville, Minnesota
Feb 11 @ The Rafters @ UMD w/ Empires in Duluth, Minnesota
Feb 27 @ Electric Earth in Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 28 @ The Uptown Bar w/ Zebulon Pike in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 3 @ Station 4 w/ The Body Beneath, in St. Paul, Minnesota
May 15 @ TBA w/ The Body Beneath & Rhynoceraptor in Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 16 @ TBA w/ The Body Beneath & Rhynoceraptor in St. Cloud, Minnesota
DIG DEEPER: Download Visions of Light! – Official Site – Myspace
MIND INVERSION 