SABER is a Los Angeles based heavy metal band, known for their uniquely sleazy take on the traditional NWOBHM sound. The band emerged organically in 2018 after lead guitarist Joel Dominguez, who was already working on some similar material with rhythm guitarist Jesus Delgado and bassist David Sanchez, received a message from singer Steven Villa about starting a new 80s-inspired band.
A series of thundering tracks followed soon after, which were refined into their 2021 debut album “Without Warning”. Produced and released with the help of Trevor William Church (HAUNT), who also filled in as the drummer, the album was overwhelmingly positively received, being named as one of Bandcamp’s best albums of the year and outranking EXODUS and IRON MAIDEN on “BraveWords” annual Top 30 list.
Sonically and aesthetically, SABER’s artistic identity is firmly rooted in the 80s. With Jesus now as their drummer and the addition of guitarist Antonio ‘Yogi’ Pettinato, the fearsome fivesome pass influences from JUDAS PRIEST and QUEENSRYCHE to RIOT, CRIMSON GLORY and IRON MAIDEN through a unique lens, creating a distinctly energetic audiovisual experience that resonates with their diverse and growing fanbase. “We are heavily inspired by all 80s music, we love the glam era as well, as many can tell, we have that certain look that is unmistakably glam but don’t let it fool you, the songs are heavier than you may expect”, says Joel Dominguez. SABER directly became a part of the NWOTHM scene with young bands, playing traditional heavy metal in a fresh way. “Some of the newer bands we love are TRAVELER, VISIGOTH, WINGS OF STEEL, EVIL INVADERS, ENFORCER, SKULL FIST and many more.”
After two years playing and touring alongside legends like NIGHT DEMON, SACRED REICH, HAUNT and SCREAMER at institutional events like Decibel’s “Metal and Beer Fest” and the sold-out “Hell’s Heroes Fest”, SABER is now preparing for their sophomore release “Lost In Flames”, to be released in late summer 2024. “The first new track I wrote that would light the spark to write the songs for “Lost In Flames” was “On The Hunt”. We were at rehearsal one day and I picked up my guitar and the first thing I played was that opening riff and all the guys were silent and said ” Is that your riff?! Keep playing!” By the end of that rehearsal that song was completed and we worked from then on”, remembers Joel Dominguez. One and half year later, the second album was written. He adds: “It was an arduous time through all that because things kept happening that would derail our attempt to write songs but we persevered through it.”
The new tracks also mark a new chapter, a logical follow-up by a band that grew together and got more experienced. “We certainly wanted to change the lyrical themes for this album. After going through life changing experiences, we decided we wanted to sing about what we were going through in life at that time. The riffs on this album are also some of the best we’ve written. “Steelbreaker” sounds nothing like we’ve done before but it is relentless from beginning to end. “Lost In Flames” tells the story of how we were spiraling on a downward trajectory but managed to pull ourselves together and rise from the ashes like a phoenix, so to speak.”
Once again SABER went back to their friend and supporter Trevor at Church Recordings, where they recorded “Lost In Flames”. The guitar player remembers: “We lived in his studio for a week tirelessly working on recording and fine-tuning certain parts to songs to make them sound the best as possible. We had Darren Trentacoste mix and master the album and it came out sounding amazing.” The result is fresh and unique, wild and… hungry! You can obviously hear that there is a band who live and breathe what they stand for. “The album is relentlessly infectious! We know our fans will love it and we hope to make a lot of new fans upon release.”
The highlights are many. For the band founder Joel it is “Shattered Dreams”. “That song has some personal lyrics that Steven wrote and is sung fantastically. His scream at the end of the song makes the hairs in the back of my neck stand straight up! The bridge riff on that song is very ear pleasing to me, especially when the harmony guitar kicks in. I think our fans will love that song just as much as I do.” One of the obvious hist on the album is the hymnic “Madam Dangerous”, a definitive single
and track for a video. “It quickly became one of our favorite songs from the album. We knew it would be a single as soon as we finished recording it. It was inspired by a certain encounter that someone in the band had with a lady he had met at a bar. She was very intense, and I thought it to be a perfect theme for one of our songs. The title came to me almost instantly, I thought it fit perfectly.”
The album title track is the epic “Lost In Flames”, basically expired by a lot of personal tragedy during the songwriting process. Joel remembers: “Jesus’ house burned down and he lost everything, including his dog Tim. We were very deeply saddened about that. We also rehearsed and wrote at his house so we had to put that on pause for a while. One night after opening for Midnight in San Diego, David had his car broken into and someone stole his bass and all his equipment. Steven’s relationship of 10+ years ended so he was in a dark place for a while, and I had a back injury that prevented me from performing live to the best of my abilities. I had to endure physical therapy for 9 months to strengthen my body back to normal. It started to feel like we were cursed but we didn’t let it derail us from what we had to accomplish.” All of this is somehow reflected in the album artwork. “Since we were all battling some demons through this time in our lives, we decided to add that to the artwork as well and “Madam Dangerous” and “Steelbreaker” are also in the artwork. Daniel Porta from The Pit Forge did an amazing job with the artwork. He’s a very talented artist and a fantastic person to work with.
Enjoy “Lost In Flames” from one of the hottest and unique new bands of the NWOTHM scene. The future of metal definitely belongs to SABER!
SABER is:
Steven Villa – Lead Vocals
Joel Dominguez – Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Jesus Delgado – Drums
David Sanchez – Bass Guitar
Antonion Pettinato – Rhythm/Lead Guitar
