Friends keep Austin metal act Iron Age flying high

Iron Age, a heavy metal band from Austin, Texas

Iron Age, a heavy metal band from Austin, Texas

KNOXVILLE — Coming from a scene and a label not typically known for heavier music, the resilient Iron Age barges on, touring in support of last year's "The Sleeping Eye" despite the recent departure of longtime guitarist Alex Hughes. The Austin, Texas-based metal outfit has been known to get by with a little help from its friends in the past, and with no full-time replacement for its second guitarist in mind, the group has employed a revolving unit of old chums to keep things moving for its live outings.

Centered around the sibling guitar and drum tandem of Wade and Jared Allison and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired imagery of vocalist Jason Tarpey, Iron Age is in little hurry to find a permanent replacement for its second guitarist. Having already begun a new batch of material for its next album, filling the group's vacant position is a low priority as it will have minimal impact on the band's writing process. Until "The Sleeping Eye," all guitar recordings were handled exclusively by Wade Allison, who intends to champion that department again in future studio sessions.

"We've had the departure of one of our guitar players, Alex Hughes, and we've just been having our friends fill in," explains bassist Ribz Mason. "Anybody that can shred and is a friend of ours has come in to cover for us. We'd love to have a solid lineup all the time, but it's not a reality when you're trying to tour."

"I'm not expecting to find anyone prior to recording," adds Allison. "It'd be nice obviously, but in the studio I really do most of the guitar stuff alone. On the last one we split it up, but in the past I've done it mostly by myself anyway, so it won't be anything too new."

Having recently signed with the TeePee label, whose most recognized artists have included Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sleep and The Warlocks, Iron Age anticipates no change in format, despite being among the heaviest acts on board. Having already begun production on its last album through Tarpey' own Cyclopean Records when TeePee's offer came along, the band opted for a separate, more extensive run of "The Sleeping Eye," and is excited for future label involvement.

"It actually worked out to be the best-case scenario," describes Allison. "We've never had a label label. We've always been able to get things out, but always through our friends' labels. We've never had to make any sacrifice with them. When we recorded 'The Sleeping Eye,' we funded it all ourselves, so the record was done before we even had a label. It was finished for a couple of months, so we put it out ourselves on Cyclopean. Right when we started pressing, TeePee said they were interested. So we did a small first pressing on our own and then TeePee took it over from there, and they've been nothing but great to work with."

Fellow heavy acts are few and far between in Iron Age's Austin home. Though renowned for its musical offerings, the city sports only a handful of prominent metal bands, but this relative scarcity provides an advantage in a town where "no one has to tour." Upon completing its current tour, Iron Age looks to play several shows during Austin's South by Southwest showcase.

"It's kind of small," says Tarpey of the Austin metal scene. "There are a few big ones, but there's not that many metal bands from Austin that tour. They mostly just play around downtown because there's so many places to play you don't even have to tour. It's the live music capitol of the world. I think even the smaller bands and smaller genres in that town - it usually helps you to push yourself further and promote yourself more."

Wednesday night Iron Age is set to take the stage at The Cider House along with tour mates Skeletonwitch. The bill also features Black Tusk and Howl. Doors open at 8 p.m., and admission is $12 in advance or $14 at the door with a $3 surcharge for show-goers under age 21.

HOLLOW BE THY NAME: Asheville's Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed joins 1220 for a show at Preservation Pub Saturday night. The show is slated for 8 p.m. and costs $5.

BLAST FROM THE RECENT PAST: The Blasticus SS Blastica performs its second local show in as many weeks at The Pilot Light Wednesday night. Also on the bill is Dinosaur Insect Manta Ray. The show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. with a $5 cover.

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