Interviews: IRON RULE

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Deathcore band, IRON RULE from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The band name is kind of a funny story: We had originally started under the name "Dead Inside" and had logo art made, and an album cover, but did not claim any of the social media pages because we did not want to establish anything until we had a full EP ready to release. Well fast forward to about 6-8 months of being this band Dead Inside and we are about to release our debut and start making an impact online and literally like 2 weeks beforehand some band in Los Angeles pops up with this same name. We were all crushed and annoyed - finding a good name that isn't taken by someone already is tough these days. So we went back to the drawing board and after dozens of potentials, we finally settled on Iron Rule. I (Mike, guitar) remember not being a fan of it at first but I was tired of dealing with it so I just went along with it but the name eventually grew on me, haha. Matt (our first vocalist, who came up with the name) and Nick (bass) both liked it a lot and with Nick working in Rebar at the time he felt an attachment to it right away. "The Iron Rule" is the rule of power and force - the idea that "Might makes right" and "those with the power can take as they please" are pretty heavy ideas and imagery to think about.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We started out with the intention of playing a more straight-forward Hardcore and it just kinda worked out that we got heavier and heavier over time. This was just going to be a light-hearted project for fun and didn't know or expect it to gather much attention. We all previously came from deathcore bands and sort of actively avoided that type of sound for a while, but eventually we just kind of gave in to our roots and let the heaviness flow out. You can hear it over the progression of our 3 releases - Each one more heavy than the last with our first songs sounding almost nothing like what we are releasing now.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We did! Myself (Mike), Nick, and Curtis were all in a deathcore band called There May Be Blood back in 2012-2016ish so we already had quite a bit of chemistry together. Daniel (vocalist) was in another So Call based band called Face Your Maker and we had played a handful of shows with them locally and were familiar with all those guys. It just sort of clicked and felt fitting doing something together after being in the scene for about a decade together.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Curtis - Deftones

Daniel - The Acacia Strain

Mike - The Black Dahlia Murder

Nick - Volatile Ways

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

There's nothing grandiose about it really, it all just kind of comes out. There are days where we go to write and it's all super easy and just comes right out and then there are those days where we spend hours together with no discernable progress. I guess the mood just needs to be right and we feel some sort of solid inspiration from somewhere whether it be another band's music, a concept, or just something one of us had been composing in our head that we use as a base and start forming structure around.

6. Where was your last gig?

Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA, USA. It's a pretty legendary venue in California with lots of important bands having played there over the years. We actually have another gig there on August 5th with the legendary Knights of the Abyss and Moria! Very much looking forward to that one!

7. Where would you like to act?

San Manuel Amphitheater, The Forum in Los Angeles, and Worcester Palladium.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Vincent Bennett (Acacia Strain), Alex Koehler (ex-Chelsea Grin), Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel), Marc Zellweger (Paleface), and Andrew Hileman (I AM) were all names that came up.

9. Whom not?

We said Kanye West as a joke, but honestly, we would love to be in front of all of his millions of followers haha. Also the dude from BOTDF.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Every time just before starting our set there is a sense of anxiety and nervousness but it quickly fades away when everything gets going. We know what we are doing, we have been doing it for a lot of years so it doesn't so much play a factor anymore. It's just like anything else - do it enough and it becomes "normal" and nothing to worry about.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

I (Mike) have made a playlist on Spotify of the Top 20 bands that have inspired me the most - go check it out! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Pu9IHGsCLV0DmtXz4P1bd?si=e0ae0dea9295491f

The rest of the guys have mentioned the OG deathcore bands like Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Despised Icon, Impending Doom, and The Acacia Strain, and as more of a "concept" just bands that bring the heavy in a unique, fresh way.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

One time a fan asked to smell our drummer's sweaty shorts after a set. Gross, haha.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We appreciate each and every one of them so very much! To take the time to listen to our music and support us is very badass of them. We couldn't do this without them.

14. What do you think of our site?

Daniel at Total Deathcore turned us onto your site and we love it! To take the time to promote and represent up-and-coming artists is such a noble endeavor. We appreciate what you're doing very much.

15. Something to add?

Check out our new music video for Soul Remover on YouTube, and stream our new album Soul Death on all popular streaming services! That, and be sure to share our music with your friends! Each extra set of ears and eyes on us is so very helpful to our continued growth as a band.