In his early twenties, multi-instrumentalist Tucker Thomasson had already carved out a niche for himself in the over-populated metal scene with his band Thorr-Axe. Before disbandin in 2019 the band managed to gain some notoriety in the underground. With THRONE OF IRON, Thomasson now has a new project going which was founded just one year before – inspired by Manilla Road guitarist Mark Shelton and his untimely passing. We spoke to Mr. Thomasson about his new bannd and their debut album „Adventure One“.
Your band bio states that Throne Of Iron where formed when Mark Shelton of Manilla Road passed away. Can you elaborate on the circumstances that led to the formation of your band in the wake of this tragic event?
The idea for this band had been with me in, I guess a subconscious form, for about 15 years. But Mark’s untimely passing was more or less a catalyst for actually doing it and making it happen. I had helped Corwin, our other guitar player, move into a new apartment and gotten a little drunk in the process. When I got home I just decided that I was going to record some music that I wanted to hear. And then I wrote and recorded the three songs for the demo in about 4 hours.
Your first album „Adventure One“ will be released very soon. How would you describe the record?
The tagline that we’ve been using lately is „dungeon crawling heavy metal“. And the dungeon isn’t just a dungeon like in a game, it’s also just what we call the basement. The whole vibe of the record and everything else that we record is to give off the feeling that this is four people having fun in a basement, because that’s exactly what it is. The record, as well as everything else we make, has kind of a raw vibe to it that we hope to continue cultivating, but the record is admittedly a bit more polished than the other stuff that we put out. It’s the four of us paying homage to classic heavy metal while also putting it through the scope of 80s tabletop role-playing.
Tell us a little bit about the creation of your new album! How did songwriting and recordings go down?
So almost immediately after we signed with No Remorse, well before it was announced that we did so, I had taken my laptop over to Corwin’s house and that same day he and I recorded demos of three more songs that would eventually end up on the album. We tend to write extremely fast, which is a dramatic departure from how his old band was. Jacob (drums) and I have been playing music together since 2012, so he and I also tend to write together pretty quickly. Recording the album was really fun honestly. Jacob and I both took a week off of work and acted as engineers and producers for it, with Corwin and Evan coming in whenever they could around their work schedules. All of it was recorded in Jacob’s basement, which allowed us a lot of time to really hone in ont he sound we were trying to achieve on the record, and it also gave us an ample opportunity to try some ideas that I have been wanting to try for a long time on a record.
Other than Manilla Road, which bands influence your style?
I would say that Manilla Road was more of an influence in the form of being a catalyst and in the general feeling of the music and the aesthetic of the project, rather than overtly musically. Our primary influence seems to come more from Accept, WASP, and I would say early Yngwie Malmsteen records. I think that Yngwie is an extremely underrated thythm guitarist and riff writer, especially on those early records. Along with those, there’s the obvious heavy hitters like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, in Anvil, along with newer carriers of the torch like Eternal Champion and Visigoth.
You made a pretty hilarious video for „Lichspire“ which pays tribute to pen and paper RPGs such as
„Dungeons And Dragons“. How big is the influence of these games on Throne Of Iron?
Tabletop RPGs are an absolutely integral core influence on what this band does lyrically, thematically, and aesthetically. The illustrations in the first edition manuals definitely had a big influence on how I think that fantasy realms, monsters, and heroes would be portrayed in the context of something like an early 80s heavy metal record. Probably because I was listening to a lot of that music while I was also reading first edition manuals that an older cousin had left behind at my aunt’s house.
Following up on that, would you rather carry the Invulnerable Coat of Arndt or the Sword of Kas into battle?
Honestly the stats on the Sword of Kas make it extremely appealing. Plus having a sword with Matt Mercer’s voice would rule.
Do you consider Throne of Iron a „True Metal“ band? How big is your style in the U.S. metal scene?
We’ve been called true metal a few times, but I don’t think it would be right for us to refer to ourselves as it. I feel like that’s a title that only others can confer upon you. We just call ourselves „epic heavy metal“ or „dungeon crawling heavy metal“ most of the time. In the United States right now, there aren’t a ton of bands like us, and most of the ones that exist are ones that people already know about. In the underground, the big thing right now is definitely stoner doom.
Throne Of Iron is still a rather young band and yet you are signed to a label and about to release your first record – what advice would you give other young bands who are just starting out?
I have a lot of advice to give bands that are just starting out. If you are a musician and interested in hearing any of it, please follow us on Instagram for my series of videos called „Tuck Talks“. A lot of those have to do with being in a band. But the advice that I can dish out here is to
1.Define what your band is doing very early on and make sure you have your bandmates on the same page as you
2. Make sure your recordings sound good, or at least as good as the genre demands.
3. Find out what your niche is, and capitalize on it. Like really find out what sets you apart from other bands, and throw it in everyone’s faces every single chance that you get.
4. Work social media HARD. I am more than happy to give out advice on this if you want to message me and talk about it.
5. Be friendly, network, and talk to people. Talk to journalists, promoters, other bands, and record label staff AS FRIENDS and as fellow fans of music.
6. Be honest with yourselves and be willing to accept feedback. And when I say that, I mean from people who actually care about you and are trying to help, not some guy on YouTube who is just trying to hurt your feelings.
What about your touring schedule? Will we get a chance to see you in Germany in 2020?
We’re planning on doing some touring in the United States in April of this year to keep us busy after our return from Greece. As for Germany in 2020, if we get an offer we will definitely consider it. As it stands right now, 2021 might be a little more likely, but you never know!
Thank you for the interview! Please let us do a short brainstorming in the end of this interview. What comes in your mind first reading the following terms:
+1 Mace: Throw it.
Pay To Play: Sometimes worth it. Usually not.
Streaming: Convenient to find new bands to actually buy things from.
Tour bus: Maybe some day. My pickup truck will have to do for now.
Mannowar in 10 years: Maybe.
22. Februar 2020 Thomas Meyns
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