LIMERICK group Iron Mountain will celebrate the release of their debut album with a gig in Dolan’s on Saturday February 14. The instrumental band, based around a core sound of guitars, drums, flute and uileann pipe, makes music that defies categorisation – taking elements of Post-Rock, Irish Folk Music and Kraut-Rock to form the Iron Mountain sound that is all their own.
by Eric FitzGerald
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The project has been four years in the making, according to drummer Ray Murphy.
Iron Mountain have been jamming sporadically with the likes of Matt Bashford (uileann pipes), being regularly out of town for other shows for months at a time.
“The recording of the album in Bishop’s Palace with Owen Lewis was down to the availability of the space. It was very busy there. Owen was moving over to the US. Everyone knew how good he was in the studio, so everyone wanted to record. You had a clamour of bands wanting to get in there.”
The feedback to ‘Unum’ has been positive and the band’s future ambitions will see them pursue a publishing deal and soundtrack inclusion. In the meantime filmmaker Shane Serrano has made a video for Iron Mountain’s track ‘Enthralldom’.
The Iron Mountain sound has been the result of the group’s single minded pursuit of a contemporary sound that avoided the generic and the obvious that a combination of rock and trad music might create.
“We wanted it to be as subtle and contemporary as possible and not wear any tags on our sleeves and avoid the whole trad rock fusion thing. We wanted to be a bit more subtle about things. It’s a challenge to be more conscious of what we are playing and why we are playing it and how to filter out sounds that sound like something else.”
A Limerick record in every sense, ‘Unum’ was recorded by Owen Lewis at The Bishop’s Palace, mixed by Sean Harrold at StudioH and given its final aural sheen at WAV Mastering by Richard Dowling. ‘Unum’ is available on CD, Download, Vinyl from HMV, Wingnut Records and on the band’s website.
With guests Slow Riot, Zombie Picnic, Lou McMahon and DJ Tom Prendergast, Iron Mountain play Dolan’s this Saturday February 14.
