Seven Kingdoms

Seven Kingdoms, a heavy metal outfit based in Florida, has built a loyal following and earned strong standing in the power metal world through its aggressive, thrash-tinged melodic approach. The group drew its name from the conflict-ridden domain in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and its albums and EPs—among them the assured Decennium (2017), Zenith (2022), and The Square (2024)—echo many of the saga’s core motifs of struggle, power, grief, and acceptance.

Camden Cruz on guitar and Bryan Edwards on vocals formed Seven Kingdoms in 2007 in DeLand after parting ways with This Solemn Vow. Guitarist Kevin Byrd and drummer Keith Byrd, who are brothers, came aboard alongside keyboardist John Zambrotto and bassist Cory Stene, rounding out the original roster. The band’s debut full-length, Brothers of the Night, surfaced that same year and drew its storyline deeply from the mythology of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Subsequent lineup shifts saw Zambrotto, Stene, and Edwards depart, while vocalist Sabrina Valentine and bassist Miles Neff—later succeeded by Aaron Sluss—stepped in. The group signed with Nightmare Records before issuing its self-titled second album in 2009, which highlighted Valentine’s commanding voice and the musicians’ growing technical command. Appearances at major festivals and a North American support run with Blind Guardian further cemented the band’s standing, a trajectory that strengthened in 2013 when Seven Kingdoms joined Amaranthe and Stratovarius for a European trek behind the third album, The Fire Is Mine. An EP titled In the Walls preceded the tenth-anniversary release Decennium in 2017. Two years later came the second EP, Empty Eyes, followed by the full-length Zenith, a forceful collection of melodic power metal tracks, in 2022. The Square EP, containing four new songs and a robust rendition of Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie,” arrived in 2024.