I was trying to picture an Iron Age show in my mind a while ago when I realised it had been over 8 months since I had seen these Texans crush a live audience. Instantly, I had visions of Jason trying to break through an invisible wall and summoning dark forces while at it, I had visions of the legendary Iron Age tank parked outside the venue reeking of weed, beer and other legal and not so very legal drugs... Most of all though I had visions of Wade in a flannel, putting his left foot on whatever there is available (A monitor? A stray amp maybe?) and riffing it up. So I thought I'd better drop the man a line or two to see what was cooking in Camp Iron Age... Here's what he had to say.
2007 seems to have been a pretty calm year for Iron Age, though you did a bunch of tours and put out the "Burden Of Empire" EP... Did it seem calm to you? What else have you guys been up to?
The year started well, we recorded for the first time since the LP, got a reliable guitar player and went out on our best US tour. Things, however, degenerated rather quickly. Right as we started working out new material I broke my thumb and was out of commission for a couple months, went back on tour at the end of summer in a van that wouldn’t stay running. Got home and spent a few months in Houston every other week to try to get back writing with a new drummer. Finally got a couple songs recorded in November. I wouldn’t call it calm so much as spirit-crushing.
Over the last year or so you've had a few line up changes, Alex joined the band on second guitar around a year ago and Reed quit playing drums after the summer I guess so could you fill me in on who's in Iron Age right now? Rumor has it you've been playing shows with 3 guitarists as well?
Yeah, Alex showed up to his first practice playing every song flawlessly including all those songs we hadn’t played since the record came out. After Reed gayed out, my brother Jared, who played on the first demo and filled in every other time Reed gayed out, started playing drums for us again and will put up with me telling him what to do for three hours three times a week. And then a couple months ago, after parting ways with our old friend Matt Jackson, we recruited my roommate Logan on bass. And then there’s me and Jason.
Regarding that "Burden Of Empire" EP, where exactly did you record it and is the way it sounds the kind of sound you'd envisioned? Kinda like an obscure black metal demo? I seem to remember you guys recorded another song during that session called "Decrease The Peace", right? What happened to that song? Will it ever see the light of day?
We recorded that with this guy Nathan here in Austin who played keyboard in a band with my friend Pat. We just set up amps in his living room and drums in the next room and cranked out drums in two takes and did the rest over the next couple weeks. As far as I’m concerned it’s the best we’ll ever sound, I think Jason sounds crazy on it. We ate a lot of fried Chicken. We recorded an instrumental for the b-side which didn’t make it. A girl we know said it sounded like music you’d hear on the moon. We used to play it live all the time, you’ll probably hear parts of it on the new record.
How many copies of the EP were actually pressed? Do you have any idea how many different covers are in circulation for that?
We pressed 900 of them in total, a couple hundred ended up in other countries. Every time we’d go to Kinko’s to print covers (usually on the way to the show) the original image would get left in the copier and we’d have to get a new image. There are I think a thousand different covers?
"Burden Of Empire" is a lengthy song, how do you go about writing long, epic songs like that while still keeping them interesting? I've always wondered about that, especially since you guys have a lot of "long" songs...
I’m sure some people would say we don’t keep them interesting, but I can’t write short songs, anymore especially. I’ve been trying. There’s a certain level of development and a certain amount of repetition my mind needs to get through for a song to sound finished to me. They usually end up right around 5 minutes. I know "Evil Ways" could’ve been shorter, and that we could cut this here and that there. But I promise we’re not the first band that plays 5 minute long songs.
Is the song length of that track anything to go by for the new material? I'm guessing it is? Also stylistically, how would you say Iron Age has evolved since the "Constant Struggle" LP?
Yeah I guess, the new record’s looking like 8 or so songs running at 50 minutes maybe. I’d call it heavier and maybe darker and I’d say we’re expanding more on the metal that we started playing with on "Constant Struggle".
How do you look back on "Constant Struggle" now? What do you consider the album's strong points and weak points? What are some of your fav tracks on it and why?
I think "The Violator" and "Butcher’s Bill" and probably "Evil Ways" are the most defining songs on the record. "Fear Itself" I think is a cute little guy. Looking back, the whole thing is exceptionally strong in that we were a new band of about a year pulling together a lot of different ideas into something that makes sense most of the time. At the same time, Jason wrote "Brainwreck" for a different kind of band and it was the first song we ever played together and doesn’t have anything to do with a song like "Butcher’s Bill". It’s not the most cohesive record stylistically, I know, but as low as the bar was set back then I think we were really ambitious and pulled it together on some level. I haven’t listened to it in a year or two but I know I don’t really like how cleaned-up and gated and dry the recording is. And I’ve always hated that snare drum.
You have a new EP coming in a few months on Painkiller and Dead And Gone Records. What can you tell us about that record? How many songs? What are they called? I heard rumours of a crazy coversong as well?
It’s just a song from the new record called “The Way Is Narrow” with a cover of Flower Travellin’ Band’s “Satori Pt.1” on the b-side. We knew we weren’t gonna have a proper full-length recorded for a while and we’d only released one song since 2006 so we thought everyone would like to hear another one.
I've been listening to "The Way Is Narrow" from said upcoming new EP a bunch. It rules. I get the impression the song has more of anthemic trash metal feel to it compared to earlier songs... What influenced this song specifically? I mean in terms of structure, riffs and overall vibe...
Yeah like I said it has more to do with metal than hardcore I’m sure stylistically. I mean the verse to me is Randy Rhoads and the b part is like maybe a fast Crowbar and the c part is too maybe? I don’t know. And the end is like Slayer harmonies I guess? We just want to sound good.
How important is Texas to Iron Age? Do you think growin' up there as opposed to any of the cities on the east or west coast has made you a different person? How do you think it has affected the band, in terms of sound and attitude?
Man it's hot as fuck here already.
If you had to describe the essence of Iron Age in 5 words, which words would those be?
"Are they still a band?"
If you had to describe every member of Iron Age in 5 words, what would those? Don't forget to include yourself...
Alex - "Hai do u lyke grind?"
Logan - "…is drinking coffee somewhere now."
Jason - "And Craig let’em do it!"
Jared - "Does he care? Probably not."
Clif - "Blank Dogs No Age Spider."
Wade - "I’ll stop talking now, sorry."
www.myspace.com/ironagetexas
www.painkillerrecords.com
www.deadandgonerecords.com
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