Seven Kingdoms Live at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, CA 05/17/2017

Seven Kingdoms are an American power metal band that hails from Deland, Florida. The name of the band is derived from the source material for the Game of Thrones series and a good share of the lyrical inspiration is from A Song of Ice and Fire as well.

Originally founded in 2007, it wasn't until a major lineup change prior to recording their sophomore self-titled album in 2009 that they really claimed their kingdom. I discovered them while checking out tour support for the amazing Blind Guardian in 2010 and have been a fan of Seven Kingdoms ever since.

Their new album, "Decennium" was just released and they are touring to promote it as main supporting act for Evergrey on their current trek around North America.

Expanding from the inspiration from George R. R. Martin's realms, they delve into some H.P. Lovecraft based material on this release, which works equally well for crafting power metal anthems it turns out.

Seven Kingdoms showcase guitar laden tales of epic proportions with lyrical content of equal magnitude. The powerful vocal delivery is handled by Sabrina Valentine, whose beauty and stature belie the strength of her voice.

Surrounding her are a group of talented gentlemen consisting of band founder, Camden Cruz accompanied by Kevin Byrd on blazing guitars, Aaron Sluss on bass guitar, and Keith Byrd on drums.

Their set list covered material from all four of their full length albums as well as their EP from last year. One of the stand out songs for me was "Kingslayer" which is based on Jaime Lannister and his epic betrayal of the Mad King that garnered him that moniker for life. Seven Kingdoms definitely did justice to the legacy of the character and his tale.

I also really enjoyed "The Bloody Meadow" from their debut album. Sabrina said that this song came from way before she joined the band and that she loved the song and loved to sing it. I greatly prefer her version of it and was glad when they re-recorded it with her vocals for last year's EP.

They focused quite heavily on the new album due to limited time as a supporting act, but we did get to hear "Into The Darkness" from their self-titled album at least. They did a few other songs that I was not entirely sure about but I believe "Flame of Olympus" from "The Fire Is Mine" album was one of them.

My favorite song of the night was the finale for the evening. They did "In The Walls" from their latest offering and it is a great song that delves into the mind-bending otherworlds of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos: "Can't you hear them? Alive in the night. These bastards, they will not let me sleep. I am no monster!"

After the performance, I had the privilege of talking with Sabrina at the merchandise booth and she is as personable and nice in person as she is impressive and powerful on stage.

We talked about their show here in Los Angeles seven years ago and how great I think the new album is. She was really appreciative of all of the fans and the opportunity to play here again.

They really are an amazing band and I highly recommend checking out their latest album as well as their entire back catalog, especially if you are a Game of Thrones fan. I also suggest getting out to see them live if possible, as they put on an immensely entertaining and energetic show.




				Seven Kingdoms Live at The Viper Room West Hollywood, CA May 17th, 2017 Review and photos by Travis Baumann Seven Kingdoms are an American power metal band that hails from Deland, Florida. The name of the band is derived from the source material for the Game of Thrones series and a good share of the lyrical inspiration is from A Song of Ice and Fire as well. Originally founded in 2007, it wasn't until a major lineup change prior to recording their sophomore self-titled album in 2009 that they really claimed their kingdom. I discovered them while checking out tour support for the amazing Blind Guardian in 2010 and have been a fan of Seven Kingdoms ever since. Their new album, "Decennium" was just released and they are touring to promote it as main supporting act for Evergrey on their current trek around North America. Expanding from the inspiration from George R. R. Martin's realms, they delve into some H.P. Lovecraft based material on this release, which works equally well for crafting power metal anthems it turns out. Seven Kingdoms showcase guitar laden tales of epic proportions with lyrical content of equal magnitude. The powerful vocal delivery is handled by Sabrina Valentine, whose beauty and stature belie the strength of her voice. Surrounding her are a group of talented gentlemen consisting of band founder, Camden Cruz accompanied by Kevin Byrd on blazing guitars, Aaron Sluss on bass guitar, and Keith Byrd on drums. Their set list covered material from all four of their full length albums as well as their EP from last year. One of the stand out songs for me was "Kingslayer" which is based on Jaime Lannister and his epic betrayal of the Mad King that garnered him that moniker for life. Seven Kingdoms definitely did justice to the legacy of the character and his tale. I also really enjoyed "The Bloody Meadow" from their debut album. Sabrina said that this song came from way before she joined the band and that she loved the song and loved to sing it. I greatly prefer her version of it and was glad when they re-recorded it with her vocals for last year's EP. They focused quite heavily on the new album due to limited time as a supporting act, but we did get to hear "Into The Darkness" from their self-titled album at least. They did a few other songs that I was not entirely sure about but I believe "Flame of Olympus" from "The Fire Is Mine" album was one of them. My favorite song of the night was the finale for the evening. They did "In The Walls" from their latest offering and it is a great song that delves into the mind-bending otherworlds of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos: "Can't you hear them? Alive in the night. These bastards, they will not let me sleep. I am no monster!" After the performance, I had the privilege of talking with Sabrina at the merchandise booth and she is as personable and nice in person as she is impressive and powerful on stage. We talked about their show here in Los Angeles seven years ago and how great I think the new album is. She was really appreciative of all of the fans and the opportunity to play here again. They really are an amazing band and I highly recommend checking out their latest album as well as their entire back catalog, especially if you are a Game of Thrones fan. I also suggest getting out to see them live if possible, as they put on an immensely entertaining and energetic show.








































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