An Evening with Seven Kingdoms

Seven Kingdoms has come a long way since their first album Brothers of the Night. Since then, their sound has moved in a whole new direction and their lineup is stronger than ever. Their latest self-titled album, Seven Kingdoms, is a testament to their amazing talent and creativity. The current line-up consists of Sabrina Valentine on vocals, Camden Cruz and Kevin Byrd on guitar, Aaron Sluss on bass, and Keith Byrd on drums. I caught up with Seven Kingdoms on their Uniting the Powers of Metal tour at The Local concert venue in Marietta, Georgia on August 19, 2011

Kevin: Thanks for the time guys, I really appreciate it!

SK: No problem man, we appreciate you interviewing us.

Kevin: Looking at your Uniting the Powers of Metal tour schedule, you guys have been quite busy. Are you guys doing a different show in a different city every night?

SK: Pretty much! We were in New York on Tuesday then drove out to do a show at Jaxx in Springfield, Virginia. From there we headed out to a show at Volume 11 in Raleigh. After that, we made it here to Atlanta to see you guys at The Local.

Kevin: Four shows, in four cities, in four days! You guys must be exhausted!

SK: We do get tired, but we always seem to manage.

Kevin: How was your time in Canada?

SK: The Toronto show was insane. The fans really showed out for us and gave us a warm welcome. Our merchandise sales that night were great. We made enough to pay for a lot of our current tour!

Kevin: I first saw you guys back in December where you supported Blind Guardian. How was that?

SK: It was awesome! We love playing at the Masquerade because the fans are always wild. Playing with Blind Guardian was truly great. They are one of our favorite bands, so we were very excited for the opportunity to share a stage with them.

Kevin: Are you planning to play with them again?

SK: Blind Guardian is staying busy with their tours over in Europe. I doubt they will be back in the U.S. anytime soon.

Kevin: Any big plans for the future?

SK: We are really trying hard to get on another national tour like the one we did with Blind Guardian. We hope that the tour can help us promote the new album we are working on.

Kevin: Who else would you like to tour with?

SK: We would love to do a tour with Edguy. It would be great if we were ever able to play at Wakken in Germany.

Kevin: I was looking on your website a few weeks back and noticed the video you posted at Morrisound Studio. The caption said that is was the intro to your next album. How is that coming along?

SK: Well right now we are focused on this tour. But we are working on it in stages.

Kevin: Has the band set a date for completion?

SK: Not yet, we are working on it, but it is all up in the air.

Kevin: What are the biggest influences in your work?

SK: A lot of our inspiration comes from novels by George R. R. Martin. He is the author of the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

Kevin: I haven’t read any of his work. With the new album underway, are there any thoughts on a music video?

SK: We’ve talked about it. We would love to do one. But we are still discussing options.

Kevin: If you were to do one, would you do it of your latest album?

SK: No, it would likely be from our new album.

Kevin: Describe you song writing process.

SK: It’s a group effort. We throw out a lot of ideas and try and manipulate them into something that sounds good. I guess you could say it is a trial and error thing most of the time.

Kevin: When playing concerts, do you still get excited from going on stage?

SK: Absolutely! We love playing live shows!

Kevin: Sabrina came into the band in 2009, how did that happen?

SK: Bryan had so much going on wasn’t able to put much time into the band and decided to leave. After that, we decided to get serious about the band. We met Sabrina posting fliers for our shows. We heard her sing some karaoke and were blown away! We took her on a crash course through the metal scene because she hadn’t heard much about it. After that, everything just fell into place.

Kevin: What’s next for the band?

SK: We have two more shows in Florida to end the tour. After that, we plan to get serious about working our next album.

Kevin: Well I can’t wait to hear it. Thank you guys for your time, and I look forward to your show tonight!

SK: No problem, enjoy the show!

To learn more about Seven Kingdoms or to find out more about their upcoming tours and events, please take a moment and visit their website.


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