Photo: Camden Cruz
High quality power metal of the US variety is what you will take in through veteran Florida act Seven Kingdoms. Consistently releasing a mix of singles, EPs, and full-length records, their perseverance on all fronts continually impresses followers stateside and abroad. Their newest EP The Square continues to showcase a versatility in terms of the diverse songwriting, chock full of memorable performances that can be speedy one track, then more streamlined going into pop/anthem-like avenues the next. We recently got the opportunity to speak to vocalist Sabrina Cruz about the confidence the band has through each release, her melody / lyric capturing process, deep thoughts coming out of COVID-19 and their never say die mentality, special memories through their latest videos, lots of touring experiences, exercise/ diet regiments, and why doing more legwork in Europe is important to capture a stronger foothold in all parts of the world.
Dead Rhetoric: The Square is the latest EP release for Seven Kingdoms. How do you see this set of material sitting in the catalog of the band – do you feel much more comfortable and confident with where you want to take things in terms of songwriting and performances than ever before?
Sabrina Cruz: Yes, I feel like every time that we do an album, or any time we do a song, you can hear the growth both musically and honestly vocally from me. Every song we have to offer is one more extension of growth from us. The album that precedes this is just going to be another level of maturity in every way.
Dead Rhetoric: Are you consistently developing melodies and lyrical content when inspiration strikes, or do you work best when under deadlines to achieve the best results for the band’s songwriting?
Cruz: I continually write. Sometimes I’m in the middle of doing dishes and I’ll have a thought come through and I’ll write it down. The way I write happens to be more story-based, I’ll write an elaborate thing. This may be my idea, and then Camden will come in and find good lines within the story because a song can only be so many lines. I’m sure if I wrote a really big, awesome piece we could make it like a trilogy or something. Most of the time, I’m normally jotting down lyrics or ideas on these little sticky notes, and then I have it on a notepad, and then I have it in a notebook, or in my cell phone. Because it ends up being me having to condense everything. Wherever I am, whatever I can write with, that’s how I end up writing the lyrics.
Dead Rhetoric: Does the lyrical content come easier to you than the melodies, or are you able to capture melodies as well and marry them hand in hand when the right material strikes?
Cruz: For me, normally lyrics are the thing that I can vomit out. Sometimes I will get… I like to joke around that I am cockblocked by the universe because the only thing I can do is sing. I have music in my head all the time. One of the funny things is I have to go to Jim Morris a lot, he’s like a magician when I say I have something in my head – and I don’t know how to make it music. It’s like translating beats and clicks. I’ll go to Jim to hum stuff, hit my legs, try to make noise at him. Sometimes he finds a way to turn it into something. Other times the guys have written a piece of music and I can immediately hear a melody, and immediately start singing it. The funny thing is I’ll always start with the harmony because I hear the lead in my head, but I normally sing harmony with a lot of people. With the radio, I normally don’t sing the lead, but I’ll sing the harmony with somebody. Jim laughs at me, I just naturally sing the harmony out loud (laughs).
Dead Rhetoric: You mention in some of your recent social media posts the trials and tribulations that happen throughout a band’s career – how you will be tested in good times and bad and that confidence can be destroyed, but never giving up on yourself in the pursuit of your dreams. Can you elaborate more on some of those situations and how the band has learned and persevered through them?
Cruz: Obviously one of them was COVID-19. When the world shut down that murdered so many different bands. A lot of people encountered a lot of depression. The entire music industry just disappeared overnight. The saddest thing was like nobody cared. Nobody thought about the light guy who his entire life revolved around following the tours around, and now his family is like ‘just go get a job!’. What? The entire music industry had a hard time,
One thing that I’ve run into is a lot of people have a tendency to expect you to be a version of you that they want you to be. I even have people who tell me – and it kind of bothers me in a way that may be unnecessary – but they tell me to get rid of the burger (shoes) because it’s not professional. You are trying to make me change my identity for you. I find the music industry can be beautiful and while it’s full of a lot of wonderful people, it is full of a bunch of trolls. One of the things that bothers me the most is the inability to accept people as they are – whatever is that’s them. We are so serious, and we have a tendency to ruin the magic and the experience. In a silly way, my burgers are a defiance to the seriousness. I recently referred to myself as a visual mullet – fancy on top, cheesy on the bottom.
When people start telling you that you need to start changing things about yourself, sometimes people experience the constant comparison to other people, their identity can get squashed, and people can have depression they come into. Sometimes I think we strive too much for external validation and acceptance. For me, watching what happened from COVID-19 on, watching people lose something that they care about and having to experience a lot of hardship. A lot of people had issues with drugs, alcohol, depression – to me even though it was a really terrible time, it was very inspirational for a lot of our songs. For the stubborn ones who won’t give up – this is what we want to do, no matter what happens. We tried to make the best out of this – that’s where “The Great Goat Rodeo” came from.
We try to use as much as we can, experience from life, and try to realize at the end of the day, you are your own biggest critic and also your own biggest cheerleader. You have to decide who it is you are walking with and what kind of support system you have in the end. It is easier to say than actually do. Try to accept that person in whatever capacity you are able to, one day at a time. Keep pushing that person forward to achieve something that a lot of people aren’t going to believe in you. No matter how well and successful you are, there are the nonbelievers among the believers.
Dead Rhetoric: And that is frustrating. People won’t accept that you as musicians are people behind the music that you play. You can express your personalities – why does everything have to be put in a certain category or box, delivered a specific way? People are people… and I know people are aware of you because of the affinity with burgers.
Cruz: I am trying to take some of the seriousness away. There’s a dynamic – there are people who think it’s funny, and she wants to wear burgers, whatever. And then there are people who think it’s not professional, I should get rid of it. Then I’m going to wear them more! (laughs). Because you think it’s stupid. Is it true to who I am ever since I was in the womb? It’s an ode to my mom when she was pregnant with me. She craved cheeseburgers to the point where she would cry. What is my favorite food? Cheeseburgers. (laughs).
Dead Rhetoric: The video work this time around has more of a cinematic, narrative storyline aspect that can really capture all types of people into your style (and beyond). How were the video shoots for you, and what was the thought process behind taking a different approach for the visuals?
Cruz: Camden has been doing a lot of work learning how to do photography from scratch and also learning how to do film work. He’s worked a lot with Jimmy Edward. They do music videos, but for us this time because we wanted to tell a story, we found a way to capture the creativity of the storyline. To us, we just wanted to give a different dynamic because again, people like to put you in a box and tell you that this is how you are and this is what I think of you, things like that. It was our way of showing that we have a wider range than what you are giving us. You can’t put a baby in a corner (laughs).
Dead Rhetoric: Did you enjoy those different acting sequences during these shoots, and the shots you were able to capture because Florida does offer a lot of picturesque moments with outside scenery?
Cruz: Yeah, I enjoyed acting. This time, I gave Camden the story, ideas, some of the imagery, and then I let him and Jimmy just direct me. It was like I took my creative idea, and I gave it to somebody else. There were a few things where I wanted it to be this way, but I still allowed myself to be directed. They would ask me to do something, and I would do it – I wouldn’t even think about it. My favorite thing was early in the morning for “Through These Waves”, there was the part of where I had to go into the water and come out of it. The whole album itself is about the stages of heartbreak and finding your way through grief to find yourself. “Through These Waves”, where I’m coming out of the ocean, it’s like starting over, starting from scratch. Whatever crap I was going through, the person that was going through it, it got washed away.
Sometimes I have a fear of water. A couple of weird things have happened to me in my life because of water, so I respect it. One of the things especially with the ocean is I got caught up in a riptide. You can die from those. I got rolled for about half a mile quickly. The only thing I knew to do was to just let go, and rolled with it until it let me go. I have a little bit of fear in the water, and early in the morning is when sharks like to hang out (laughs). Cool – face your fears girl! I stood out near the water, trying to hype myself to get into the water. When you have a respect and also a fear of the water you have a different level of things – there could be a shark, a giant fish, you overthink and spin your wheels. In the distance I saw two dolphins and I immediately calmed down. If the dolphins are here, I am safe – they will protect humans. Sometimes I don’t think we deserve it, but dolphins still care about us. They will troll and push away sharks. I knew I would be fine, so I went out and did it. There was all this inner turmoil for me to just get out into the water.
Dead Rhetoric: You chose to cover another 80s pop/rock classic in Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie”. Has there ever been any worries or apprehension going into yourself (or the band) making the song your own while also living up to the expectations that the original has in the hearts (and minds) of others?
Cruz: Honestly, when we did the cover, the worst thing you can do is worry about what everybody else is going to think. Before I started singing for Seven Kingdoms, I was just a karaoke fan. I went to the bars, and I was called the Water-o-holic, because I would drink water all night. Careful, she’s getting sloshed on her H2O (laughs), and I would just sing. I was just going to sing this, make it fun, and make it the best I can sing it. And I feel that I did. Jim and I worked together- you may not notice it as a listener, but as a singer when you go into it, (Richard) the original singer does very weird, intricate things with his voice, it feels like awkward timing because it’s always on the offbeat. When he comes in on a certain part, he doesn’t come in on time as you would call it. That was the part of the sanding I had to do with Jim, to get me solid on certain timings. There are specific things you have to sing exactly in a specific way because if you don’t sing it that way, people would be disappointed. I did my best to nail it and also make it my own. There is some riffing he does at the end I didn’t want to do it that way, I did it my way.
Jim helped us with the synth part. We had a hard time finding the actual plug in. We found the synth they used, and it was one of those things where Jim said, ‘why is this so hard?’ (laughs). The guys had a lot of fun with it, but the biggest challenge was on Jim and I’s side.
Dead Rhetoric: You recently had the opportunity to work with your husband on the road slinging merchandise for Unleash the Archers as he was the tour manager for the US leg of dates of the Powerwolf / Unleash the Archers tour. What’s that experience like for you – do you gain new insight and appreciation into how an act like that is making an international breakthrough and take away aspects that hopefully you can apply to Seven Kingdoms down the road?
Cruz: When we were working for Unleash the Archers, we treated things as if it was our band. We did have the opportunity to open for Powerwolf when they came through here in 2023. We got to witness things from the other side of the table, literally. Being able to know what the audience was going to be like, what the experience was going to be like. One thing I like about it is the music industry, a lot of people think that it always has to be about competition. I really enjoyed the idea of being able to help our friends succeed. That’s the kind of energy I took away from that mostly. It’s not always about being on the stage in that moment – sometimes it’s all the moments behind the scenes that makes those things function well. The thoroughness that you can bring literally to the table.
At the merch table, Camden has a very structured way that he does things. Knowing that there is this amount of people, it can be insanity. To be by yourself and also have this support system in place helps. The goal is, as you grow, to figure out both those problems from being on the stage and being behind the scenes. Witness what it feels like to be the merch person behind a table dealing with that amount of people at the table buying stuff and also random stuff helping people. When a company gets too big, and they get all upstairs and have these great imaginings to implement them, without actually walking in the shoes of the employees… do you know what I mean? That’s the most important part that we took away from it. You have to see all the perspectives so you can create your own well-greased machine.
Dead Rhetoric: Through social media I remember seeing the transformation of your bandmates when it comes to exercising, fitness, and better eating habits. How difficult of a process is this to maintain while out on the road – are there specific rituals and regimented things you put into place in that regard to stay in tip top shape, both mentally as well as physically?
Cruz: Being on tour is probably the hardest as far as maintaining healthy eating habits and also exercise regiments. Your sleep cycle is jacked up, because that’s jacked up what you can get for food that’s available at certain times – you have to be very mindful of what you are putting in your mouth. I find that when we are performing, that’s doing cardio all the time so that’s helpful. It mostly comes down to what you are putting in your mouth on tour. In the United States it’s actually the hardest – especially the smaller of a tour that you are doing, you literally get fast food. And at certain hours, the healthiest thing you can get is Subway – if they are even open. At that point, if a venue honors your (tour) rider, it’s up to you to make sure you put smart snacks on that rider.
Also, when you are thinking about them giving you a buyout, it’s normally not 100% enough to cover your whole meal – and you only get one. A lot of times part of the weight loss is helpful, because you basically get a snack and one meal a day with the amount of money you get. One of the things you have to think about is what is around me, what’s the healthiest thing I can eat? If I have to eat junk food, choosing when I’m going to eat it. Sometimes 3 o’clock in the morning it’s a McDonald’s drive-thru because that’s the only place open, it is what it is.
This time, we are probably going to have protein shakes with us. Which is a good meal replacement, and it’s normally about the same amount of calories of a meal if you are watching and counting your calories. Because the worst thing to do – on tour, you are always going to be dirty, that’s just how it is. You have to get used to taking what I call ‘whore baths’ which is cleaning yourself up with the sink, having baby wipes. The worst thing to be is tired, hungry, and dirty. When you are not cleaning yourself, you get ill. If you are not maintaining a healthy diet, you get ill. All those different things.
A lot of people don’t think about the foreign countries where you are consuming raw water from areas. If you are used to for example… I am used to Florida water. If I go to Canada, even though the water source may be better in Canada, there are different germs and things in it. Sometimes your body is like, ‘woah – what did you just give me?’. Even being careful down to water sources. If you are going to travel to all these different places in different times, I would stress picking a brand of water and trying to stay with it because everything you eat from everywhere destroys your stomach.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you say have been key moves or moments you’ve made in the career of Seven Kingdoms that have helped you make more of a stronger, bigger footprint in the scene – both in North America as well as Europe and other international markets?
Cruz: 100% the Unleash the Archers / Aether Realm tour. Beside the Blind Guardian tour in 2010, which actually gave us the push to even existing in the thoughts and minds of people. That was number one. Unleash the Archers, because of the moment. The Evergrey tour was a good tour, but the moment of UTA being on tour was imperative for us. It was right after COVID-19, it was the first tour that came out, people were so thirsty and hungry to experience being together in a group like that again and just enjoying good music and having fun.
Recently I would say the Powerwolf tour. It was almost the same timeframe as the Blind Guardian tour. We played with Blind Guardian at the time that they were the biggest power metal band in the genre, and now we’ve played with Powerwolf who are one of the biggest power metal bands in the genre right now. And then Wind Rose. I really enjoy the Wind Rose guys. The phenomenon with them is cool, but I really enjoy them as people. It’s not just about how big the tour is and how much it draws, it’s the people that you tour with that make it a big deal. You can have a big draw, and it can be business – or no matter what it is, you can have a really fun time.
Mad with Power and ProgPower, those festivals were magical. Those were huge moments. Mad With Power was amazing, I’ve never seen that many people wearing Seven Kingdoms t-shirts, I was like what is happening? It was a good thing. It took me half way through the set to realize there were people wearing Burger Crowns the whole time. (laughs). The sign phenomenon that is our Discord community – we are big fans of wrestling, and we had people write funny interpretations of “Love Dagger”. Those have been my favorite moments, including being over in Europe with Wind Rose recently, us breaking ground again. We went with Stratovarius and Amaranthe to Europe in 2013, but then we had all kinds of crap happen to us, so we fell off the map there in Europe. People who liked us kept tabs on us, but others forgot about us. We have reintroduced ourselves into European culture once again.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for Seven Kingdoms over the next twelve to eighteen months? Do you have long-term plans or goals set for what you would like to achieve and where you would like to be?
Cruz: The goal is to always grow and be active. We realize that Europe is the place where we need to be active and grow the most. Because just like the fashion industry, if it becomes big in Europe, it’ll become a thing in the United States. You can try your best to become big in the United States, but if it doesn’t happen in Europe also, there’s no translation. It can stifle your growth. You have to go to Europe, you have to apply for those tours, and hopefully you get the tours that are financially worth your time. Europe is a different animal -the way that shows work, the way that merchandise sells over there. In the United States – people buy merchandise. One thing that Camden knows is the tipping culture is big here. If your job is merchandise, people are buying and sometimes people are tipping if they don’t buy merch. Over in Europe, tipping isn’t a part of the culture as much. That is a weird thing, and some people find it rude to ask at all. If they like you, they buy merch and support you.
Sometimes over there, people buying a ticket sometimes is a big deal. You want to be in a position where not only are you on a tour that gives you a broader audience to perform in front of, eventually we have to break into the festival market. That is one thing we’ve never been able to get into because we never had good label support. Crowdfunding has been the reason why we still exist. Because we didn’t have any label support or anybody of a specific stature speaking on our behalf, we couldn’t get over there. That’s the wall we have to break. Europe is the dog that we have to tackle.