Flight of the Valkyries 7, Metro Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, June 27, 2015

7 years ago Joe Prostredny Live Reports

Summer is here!… and it was time for another round of awesome female fronted metal! Flight of the Valkyries, Baltimore’s premier female fronted metal fest was back for another round with Flight of the Valkyries 7: Summer Scorcher! Although, on the day of the event, there was an unofficial, last minute name change: Flood of the Valkyries: Monsoon Madness! Unfortunately, on that day, Baltimore was plagued by severe thunderstorms, torrential rain, and flooded streets. This did impact attendance somewhat, but most metal fans are hard core enough that they won’t let a little thing like flooding keep them from their music… so attendance was still decent!

There were four bands on the roster that night, the first of which was Palaceburn, a five piece hard rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the only band of the night that I had never seen live before. They released an EP called “The Awakening” in 2013 and apparently have a second album on the way this year. They are fronted by the talented Meredith Bell. At one point in the set, Meredith semi apologized to the audience because they were not truly a “metal band” playing at a metal fest… but from my perspective… heavy music… great guitars… powerful vocals… screams… head banging…. It seemed pretty damn metal to me!! They played a heavy ten song set and I was impressed with the band musically and vocally. Definitely a great kick off to the night!

Next up was Sekengard, a 6 piece folk metal band from right here in Baltimore, Maryland. I fell in love with their unique brand of rowdy party metal at their FoTV debut at Flight of the Valkyries 6 back in January and I was looking forward to seeing them live again! Their primary vocalist is the band’s violinist, Sarah Stepanik, with addition vocals and growls provided Dan Paytas (mandolin, guitar) and John Robey (guitars). The band’s set was interrupted multiple times by Dan who told the audience really bad (yet somehow still funny) jokes. This is obviously a staple of the band’s show as regular fans in the audience know to yell out in unison “God Damn It Dan!” after each joke. Audience members are also offered the opportunity to kick Dan in the ass for a one dollar donation. The band makes it completely impossible for the audience not to have a great time, inspiring everyone to yell, scream, mosh, and consume massive quantities of alcohol! They played what I think was a 9 song set including one song so new Sarah had to read the lyrics off of a tattered note taped to her mic stand. Like last time, they put on a really fun show! If you missed them at FoTV 7, you can catch the at the Maryland Folk Fest on August 22nd. And check out their new EP; it’s awesome!

The third band of the night was a five piece metal band from New York City called Flames of Fury. They are fronted by Angelica Valkyrie (Vargas) who takes the stage in warrior style complete with daggers strapped to her hips and frequent signature high kicks. They are a rising star in the metal scene and have shared the stage with Doro Pesch, Sister Sin, Amaranthe, and many other great bands! I was first introduced to their take no prisoners brand of metal at Flight of the Valkyries 5 back in 2011 and have been looking forward to the chance to see them again. The band hit the stage like they were charging into battle and gave us 13 songs of face melting metal. Angelica is a charismatic front woman who knows how connect with her audience and keep the energy alive. At one point in the set, obviously dissatisfied with the degree of moshing going on, she jumped down into the audience to show everyone just how it’s done. Flames of Fury are a very guitar heavy band, which I love, and Jason Perez and Paul Duthil frequently took center stage for their six string ax attack. Flames of Fury also just release a new EP which you all need to check out. It was a great set, and worth the 3 year wait, but, hopefully, I won’t have to wait another 3 years until the next time!

The final band of the night was Brave, a six piece progressive rock/metal band from the greater Washington DC area. Brave have been a fixture in the Greater DC music scene for at least 15 years and have released multiple critically acclaimed albums. I first saw them with Flames of Fury at Flight of the Valkyries 5 and was also looking forward to seeing them again. Fronted by the talented Michelle Loose-Schrotz, Brave plays a very melodic brand of rock with melodies provided by guitars, keys, and a violin. Because she is frequently playing the keyboard, Michelle is less animated than the other vocalists that performed that night… but what she lacks in animation, she more than makes up for with her stunning vocals. She did keep things lively, though, and even invited Dan from Sekengard back up on the stage to tell yet one more bad joke. She also took the opportunity to kick him in the ass as he departed the stage! Brave played a great ten song set before the evening came to a close!

It was another great night of music brought together by promoter Bobbie Dickerson of Black Rose Metal Heart Promotions! Thank You Bobbie!! Did someone say Flight of the Valkyries 8?… I’m there!