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artist: Ironflame
title: Kingdom Torn Asunder
year: 2024
genre: Heavy Metal
type: Album
label: High Roller Records
language: English
rel. date: 2024-07-26
source: WEB/MP3
quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Joint Stereo
runtime: 00:39:16
size: 90.0 MiB / 8 tracks
rip date: 2026-08-14
source url: https://open.qobuz.com/album/d9zsftstyxqma
tracklist:
01. Blood and Honor 4:48
02. Soul Survivors 4:46
03. Majesty of Steel 4:35
04. Mistress of Desire 4:45
05. Standing Tall 5:25
06. Sword of a Thousand Truths 5:33
07. Riding the Dragons 4:39
08. Shadow of the Reaper 4:46
release notes:
Since the eighties, Cleveland has always been a hotspot for great heavy
metal music. Ohio-based Andrew D'Caga continues this tradition in true
style. Over the past years, the multi-instrumentalist has been active in
more than half a dozen bands, among them Brimstone Coven and Icarus
Witch. His main priority, however, is his own project Ironflame, for
which he writes the music, lyrics, handles all the instruments and sings.
Originally formed in 2016, Ironflame have released four full-length
records to great critical acclaim and fantastic fan reactions. 2017's
"Lightning Strikes The Crown" was followed by "Tales Of Splendor And
Sorrow" (2018), "Blood Red Victory" (2020) and their High Roller debut
"Where Madness Dwells" (2022). "2022 and 2023 were productive years for
the band," explains Andrew D'Caga. "High Roller released "Where Madness
Dwells" on CD format in July 2022. Later that month we headed to Germany
where we had the honor of playing Headbangers Open Air festival alongside
some fantastic metal acts. To make the most of the trip we drove down to
Switzerland and played a gig in Aarburg with our good friends Comaniac.
We returned to Europe in September 2023 to play another great German
festival, Storm Crusher. It was the festival's ten-year anniversary and
we decided to write a song entitled 'Storm Crusher' in honor of the
event. The song was debuted live on stage where we were joined by Markus
Becker from Atlantean Kodex and Todd Michael Hall from Riot V on guest
vocals. It was truly an incredible experience. We wrapped up the weekend
with another Swiss date and returned home. We finished up the show season
by performing at the LA Gates of Metal festival in California. We also
delivered the masters for the new Ironflame album to High Roller,
entitled "Kingdom Torn Asunder"."
""Where Madness Dwells" was very well received, by both press and fans
alike," continues the vocalist. "I was a little apprehensive that the
more traditional heavy metal approach of the album might challenge a few
of our fans, but thankfully my concerns were quickly dashed. "Where
Madness Dwells" is definitely the darkest, most serious piece of music in
the Ironflame catalog. I was feeling a certain way when I composed the
album during the pandemic, and I had hoped that others in the world would
relate to those same feelings on an emotional level. They did."
Which brings us to the new album, of which Andrew says: "If I had to
describe the album to anyone who is already familiar with Ironflame and
is a fan of our music, I would say you will not be disappointed. To my
ears, "Kingdom Torn Asunder" is a classic Ironflame album. All of the
elements that make an Ironflame album are present: twin guitar harmonies,
memorable hooks, catchy choruses and good album flow. The writing formula
has not changed for us, neither has the recording formula. I handled all
of the vocals, guitars, bass and drums as usual. Everything except for
guitar solos, which were once again done by Quinn Lukas and Jesse Scott."
So musically speaking, is "Kingdom Torn Asunder" a direct continuation of
"Where Madness Dwells"? "This album actually kind of sounds like a step
backwards for us, because it technically is," comments the
multi-instrumentalist. "You see, this album was actually written and
recorded before "Where Madness Dwells". I recorded the songs for this
album not long after our first European tour at the end of 2019. It was
scheduled to be the fourth album. My best friend/business partner died
suddenly in early 2020, followed by the pandemic. I wrote the songs for
"Where Madness Dwells" as a result and felt that it was important to
release that first."
In my ears, "Kingdom Torn Asunder" sounds a lot like classic European
power metal in the vein of prime-time Kiske-era Helloween and also Hammer
Fall. Andrew nods: "I can absolutely agree with you when it comes to the
faster songs on the album, like 'Blood And Honor' or 'Standing Tall'. I
was a huge fan of Kiske and Helloween since I was a kid in the late
eighties, "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" was a very powerful album to me.
Hammer Fall was not what I would call a direct influence but I do respect
and appreciate all they have done to carry the torch for heavy metal for
so many years." Here and there traces of classic, Dio-period Rainbow are
also to be found on "Kingdom Torn Asunder". Have Rainbow ever been an
inspiration for Ironflame at all? "Oh yes, definitely," beams Andrew
D'Caga. "Ironflame does a handful of select cover songs when we play
live, and one of them is 'Man On The Silver Mountain'. It's one of our
favorites to play live. I love all eras of Rainbow but I must say that
the Dio era is absolutely my favorite." "Kingdom Torn Asunder" is full of
great tunes, one of the most positive-sounding and uplifting numbers is
called "Majesty Of Steel": "Well, thanks for saying that. I am glad you
dig that song. It's one of my favorites on the album as well, maybe our
most upbeat ever for us? The title may make the listener think it is
about a sword or something. It is actually about driving really fast in
an old classic car, a different kind of steel." The crunching, rather
slow "Sword Of A Thousand Truths", however, is one of the most epic
moments of the record, fantastic rhythm section and wonderful melodies
there, sort of a mix of Rainbow, Warlord and "Into Glory Ride" era
Manowar. "I wanted to do another song that had the feel and the stomp of
'Fallen Glory', a song from the first album," explains Andrew. "I had the
working title for a long time, inspired by an episode of "South Park"
that was about the online game "World Of Warcraft". I chose to write
about an ancient sword cursed by an evil force, imbued with the power to
capture the soul of every person it killed."
"Riding The Dragons", on the other hand, is much more straight forward,
speedy heavy metal, as the singer/bassist/drummer/guitarist confirms:
"Indeed, 'Riding The Dragons' is a pure traditional heavy metal anthem,
another song that would feel right at home on our debut album. It's
everything that you either love about heavy metal or may consider
'cheesy'. I never really understood the term 'cheesy', because it tends
to imply something isn't good. But doesn't everyone really love cheese!?
I sure do. I think cheese is delicious." The guitar sound on the album is
crystal clear, very transparent and upfront in the mix, which makes
"Kingdom Torn Asunder" a joy listen to (especially under headphones): "I
personally love the guitar tone on this album. I recorded each rhythm
guitar through two different amps and mixed the two tones together to
create one large tone. I used the same Fender Strat that I have used for
every album so far. The amps I used were a Mesa Boogie Rectifier and a
Blackstar. As much as I love the tone, I tend to experiment the most with
guitar tones from album to album and will most likely go a different
route with each one."
Featuring cover art by the incredible American artist Mike Hoffman,
Kingdom Torn Asunder is eight tracks of pure IRONFLAME and all the
majesty that comes with it. Infectious guitar harmonies, epic vocals and
a solidly aggressive rhythm section are once again a recipe for
triumphant songs with choruses you'll be humming for days.