1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
IRON FISTIAL Hails and Salutes from Singapore..the Lion City of scorching blazing heat but now it is WET season here! The band is doing great, we are busily caught up with our daily commitments and work!
AKUMALIZE, the 6th Official Album from The Ironfist was recorded not long after the release of NECRO VENGEANCE 2024 (Bestial Burst (FIN) / Werewolf Records (FIN) ). After which me and Psycho Fai worked on our side project executing Black Sabbath possessed Occult Rock under the moniker of ALHUZZRED. After we released the LP vinyl version of the album we continued our focus back on AKUMALIZE's promotions etc. Currently a 7th album by The Ironfist has just been completed and may be released this same year in late 2025 perhaps! More to be announced!
2.Earlier this year you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff that you have released in the past?
NECRO VENGEANCE was a revisited, revamped and reinvented version of what The Ironfist was! We added more chaos and destruction to the music and approach, drawing in old school death metal influences of Possessed, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Mayhem, Mercyful Fate and even Black Fuckin Sabbath! It was more than an album in fact, as NECRO VENGEANCE represents rekindled friendship, alliance (not to mention as the name goes, pure vengeance towards a certain scum) between me and Psycho Fai, after our long epic feud saga that resulted in the deaths of many unresolved and unfinished riffs lyrics and songs.Which was a sad waste actually! Nevertheless we salvaged what we could and re-arsenal The Ironfist!
3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release?
It is, was and will be a well known fact that our music flies dangerously close to great pals of Sabbat, Metalucifer and tons of great Japanese bands whom which we are influenced by (LOUDNESS TOO!)! AKUMALIZE was in fact an idea that was sparked decades ago. At first intending to be a concept album, it abominated into topics that interest us both- Japanese music and art for Psycho Fai, Japanese culture, folklore and dark anime for myself! This album starts of with the possession of Akuma or Demon (Akumalize) unleashed from his hellbound chains as he guides listeners to experience both the light and darkness of Japan's infamous topics like ronin samurais (The Lost Samurai), kamikaze dogfights (As The Divine Winds Descend), while venturing into the morbid suicide forest (Aokigahara Morbid Palace) in which listeners will have to renounce all ego (Self Annihilation To Immortality) in order to escape divine punishment (Necro -Shinbatsu). Only then can they embrace and understand GUROI or grotesque enlightenment (Towards A Guroi Enlightenment) while facing their inner demons ( Zotto Suru- The Apocalypse of Devil In Man) (influenced by Devil Man's AMON!) and lastly sacrifice their desires to the sabbat cult of heavy metal hell! (Sabbaticaluciferized)
4.Some of your older lyrics on earlier releases covered occultism and blasphemy themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
As my moniker goes- Alhuzzred, a misspelt version of Abdul Alhazred the author of the Necronomicon, we delved (and are obsessed) with topics that concern Lovecraftian tales, spells and abominations! Great Ones, Great Old Ones, Outers, Elders! IAK! Ever since, with every release we ensured a title track with the word "Necro" in it, as our undying loyalty to the Necronomicon!
• Chaos Crawls To Me- The Necro Vengeance (from Necro Vengeance album 2024)
• Necro Erotic Revenge (single and also from ABIGAIL / THE IRONFIST split cass 2024)
• Necro-Shinbatsu (from Akumalize album 2025)
...AND MORE TO COME!
5.The band was broken up for 9 years, what was the cause of the split and the decision to reform?
Due to the hectic working life and living here in Singapore, the band subtly broke up and went our separate ways. Our last show together was perhaps in 2010.
The decision to reform was unintended and we were mysteriously summoned telepathically by an unknown force that automatically started us writing songs and meeting together to produce unholy releases arggghhhh! NO fixed reason is required! TOTAL DEATH!
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork hell was originally created by M. Rexy a great artist who went insane right after finishing the masterpiece!(just kidding)He dwelled too deep into my desired vision of the art and that was perhaps the final art he ever did for me. Now his whereabouts are unknown! The art was originally from two different sources in which i re-edited it to become one. The red female Oni-demoness was inspired by the Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki and also a tribute to Orchid Lee (who was on our original TYRANNIKAL ADVERSARIES cover) but now in a necro undead version after being rebirthed from the womb of hell! She arises amidst the millions of BDSM demons all around her..The spawning of a hellish dominatrix! Unleashing demonic black thrashing fury to the world! BANZAI!
7.On the new album you work as a duo, but have worked solo and also with a full band on previous releases, do you prefer to work with less musicians?
Less is always More. The Ironfist works with what we call- Necro Zen - achieving greatest blackness and fury within the most minimal time and without WEAK doubt or hesitation! With pure focus and great coordination! Due to our busy schedule we do not spend time rehearsing, socializing, or even revising haha! Neither are we interested to be performing Live at the moment or in the near future as the current Darkthrone approach is adopted here as well. With all due respect to other great bands, we, however , believe that our albums are representative art that speak louder than any pretentious attempts to jump into the whirlwinds of glamorization that we may get caught in, lest we perform Live.
Do not misquote for we speak for ourselves ONLY and not for others! TOTAL ANNIHILATION! Actually we just can't afford the time anymore haha..
8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Each and every single show was memorable to us and the best! Whether we played in front of hundreds or a handful, whether it be on a big stage or in a rehearsal room or basement we never fail to destroy the stage everytime without fail! To experience it is to be present! FISTIAL NECRO EUPHORIA AT ITS PEAK!
9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
No shows, no tours, just plans to spread the AKUMALIZATION as far as we can and let listeners soak in it and expand their wildest imaginations!
10.The new album was released on 'Huzzcult Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Huzzcult Records exists primarily to release projects and albums that I am involved in and nothing else! With the exception of one release, the rest are exclusive releases in super limited quantities especially catered to the physical worshipping collectors! I am far from ambitious with the label and it is totally independent and underground! Akumalize, is only the 5th official release by Huzzcult Records! Hahaha!
11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and thrash metal?
Even since in the early days, The Ironfist gained great worldwide support and we are truly humbly grateful for all the coverage, intvws, reviews, collaboration that we experienced! Surprisingly there are tons of great maniacs out there who are into the unconventional style of metal that we unleash! We have had quite a number of invitations to tour overseas but alas time constraints, lack of funds and the endless change in lineups were our major setbacks then and even now!
12.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that you are a part of?
Psycho Fai is constantly releasing new opuses under his solo project TOK YATHRAA (black n roll hell) Expect a new album out soon..as always! . As for myself, aside from ALHUZZRED, i will continue to sink deep once again and continue my one man ambient drone called DENGOENG!
Other musical projects that u have come across involving myself are mostly dormant or disbanded!
13.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
At this stage and age, after being involved in tons of releases, projects, performances in the past, we tend to not plan too far ahead and we live for the moment! However for the next album expect a different necro taste (as every Ironfist album differs from the other) as we fuse our old and new vibes with a fresh new composition style and production!
14.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?
Everything and anything- heavy fast or slow it doesn't matter! But what never leaves our playlist are the masters of BLACK fuckin SABBATH! ALWAYS!
15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanx a mil for this great intvw and greater questions! I truly appreciate it and am honoured! Not to mention the great honest review!
Readers out there do checkout AKUMALIZE on our bandcamp at the link below and always support OCCULT BLACK METAL ZINE! Checkout the other intvws and reviews as well!
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