SEVEN KINGDOMS : SHREDDING NORTH AMERICA TOUR with STRIKER and LUTHARO

I really looked forward to the return of SEVEN KINGDOMS to Las Vegas on this Shredder Tour, along with STRIKER and LUTHARO, at one of my favorite venues SINWAVE. The band is just a couple weeks into this tour, and hits dates across the US and Canada on in to mid December.

First up for the night was Canadian band LUTHARO, fronted by talented female singer Krista Shipperbottom, who totally won us over with her versatility and stage presence.

The band's sound is a mix of melodic and thrash/death metal, and the early crowd seemed to love this band as much as I did. Krista knows how to play to the crowd and they really interacted and showed their support. The band released their second full length album, Chasing Euphoria, earlier this year, and we got to hear some of the new songs in their set.

Check out more on the band and music HERE.

STRIKER was direct support, and didn't disappoint. Another band from Canada, the band have made quite a mark up north, and were recipients of the 2020 JUNO award for Best Heavy Metal Album, and we got a real taste of their heavy, hair metal 80's influenced sound, that tosses in a bit of comedic banter.

Striker have been around since 2007 and have been through a few lineup changes, but with original frontman Dan Cleary, joined by guitarists Tim Brown & John Simon Fallon, bassist Pete Klassen, and Jon Webster on drums, this band starts the party and rocks hard. As they took the stage wearing neon colored outfits, wild hair and wilder guitar, it was obvious that Striker likes to have a good time onstage. The songs are melodic and catchy, the guitar work impressive, and vocalist Cleary has got incredible pipes.

The band comes from thrash roots, but has taken a more classic rock style now, but the guitar solos still show the thrash speed and prowess, while great vocal harmonies and anthem-y choruses make some memorable songs. The show was fun, the band joked and interacted with the fans, Pete Klassen jokingly started speaking Japanese to the crowd, and Cleary reminded him that they are in America not Japan. Cleary asked the crowd if anyone here has seen a UFO, and told the crowd about a real life UFO sighting over Phoenix in 1997, which was the inspiration for their early heavier hit "Phoenix Lights". The band has a new album out this year, ULTRAPOWER, check out the record and more on the band HERE.

SEVEN KINGDOMS is classic power metal band from Florida, and have quite a few releases under their belt, most recently new EP The Square, a follow up to the last full length album Zenith in 2022. The band led off the set with a 2017 song "After the Fall", and included songs from the new EP and Zenith as well. Lead singer Sabrina Valentine unfortunately was not feeling well, and apologized to the crowd for not being 100%, but gave it all she got.

The band performed with no bassist, but with two guitarists, Camden Cruz and Kevin Byrd, along with drummer Keith Byrd, and really sounded fantastic, although it was hard to watch Sabrina struggle to get through the songs. We were treated to a new song called "Wilted Pieces", and before the band played it a fan yelled, “Your Killing It” to Sabrina, who replied while laughing “I am killing me”. Lots of respect for her fighting and giving it her best and the fans really showed her support.

Despite cutting out s few songs and Sabrina being under the weather, the band really showed their power metal sound and the shredding sounds the tour touts. Seven Kingdoms is out through December, listen to more on the new EP The Square, Zenith, and tour dates HERE.

This was another in a long list of terrific shows that Pulsar Presents has been bringing to Sinwave. Check out what's coming up and more on SINWAVE in the downtown art district HERE.