Pic by Camden Cruz
Going back to 2007, Florida power metal quartet Seven Kingdoms have released five full-lengths through an assortment of labels. For their latest five-song EP, The Square, they’ve found a home with Reigning Phoenix Music, which has put out recent releases from Opeth, Kerry King, Deicide and many others. On The Square, the husband and wife-fronted outfit—Sabrina Cruz (vocals), Camden Cruz (guitars), Kevin Byrd (guitars), Keith Byrd (drums)—traverse through a melody-meets-virtuosity landscape filled with everything from full-tilt rippers (title track) to mid-tempo trad metal epics (“Wilted Pieces”). Sabrina Cruz has a legit set of powerful pipes and pitch-perfect soaring range, while hubby Camden shreds when appropriate, never overshadowing the song. The cover of Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie” may not be the best showcase for their talents, however.
The EP was recorded and mixed by Jim Morris at Morrisound Recording and mastered by BJ Ramone at Morrisound. It’s set for release on CD and vinyl (both formats signed by members of the band) and digitally on November 8 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Place your preorder here. The band is set to embark on a US tour on November 9 in Corpus Christi, TX (see dates below).
This is what Camden Cruz had to say about the new EP:
“We are stoked to premiere our new EP, The Square, right here on Decibel! The Square gives you a snapshot of what y’all can expect from our next full-length album, due via Reigning Phoenix Music sometime late next year. We tried to paint with a wide brush, so the EP offers four distinct original songs and one cover track, which was fan picked from the crowdfunding campaign! Each song represents a mood/tone that will be brought fully in the next record and gives an idea of what sounds to expect . . . and we’re sure there will be some added surprises! We will elaborate on these and bring a new fresh take on American power metal next fall/winter! We recorded this EP with Jim Morris who wrote with us. It was mixed and mastered at Morrisound Recording in Tampa by Jim Morris and then BJ Ramone did the mastering. It’s got a really nice polished, clean and punchy sound and we’re stoked the way it came out! We hope you love it!”
US tour dates (with Striker and Lutharo)
11/9 – Boozers Rock Bar – Corpus Christi, TX
11/10 – Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
11/11 – Haltom Theater – Haltom, TX
11/12 – 89th Street – Oklahoma City, OK
11/13 – Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
11/14 – Vultures – Colorado Springs, CO
11/16 – Last Exit Live – Phoenix, AZ
11/17 – Sinwave – Las Vegas, NV
11/18 – Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
11/19 – Knucklehead – Los Angeles, CA
11/20 – DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
11/21 – Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR
11/22 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
11/23 – Jacknife – Kelowna, BC
11/25 – Dicken’s – Calgary, AB #
11/26 – The Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB #
11/27 – The Black Cat – Saskatoon, SK #
11/28 – Sidestage – Winnipeg, MB #
11/30 – Reggies – Chicago, IL
12/1 – Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
12/3 – Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
12/4 – Metro – Baltimore, MD
12/5 – Hangar 1819 – Greensboro, NC
12/6 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
12/7 – The Orpheum – Tampa, FL
12/8 – Conduit – Orlando, FL
# = Osyron joins