This hot and heavy act from Los Angeles, CA has burst on to the scene and is causing the best kind of stir. They are fast, loud, and always ready for action. Band co-founders Steve Turbo and Joel Dominguez sat down with us for this exclusive and in-depth look at all things SABER.

Something has stirred from the dirty streets of Los Angeles, CA. Rising from the scene on the legendary corners of Sunset Boulevard, SABER has emerged defiant and energised. This metal quintet is on a hot streak following their first album and are charging full speed ahead in anticipation of their hotly anticipated sophomore offering.

Lead singer Steve Turbo is a crush of tattoos and hair, wailing with a voice gifted from the gods. Joel Dominguez shreds on the guitar like a man possessed by a demon. Not to be outdone, Antonio “Yogi” Pettinato drops mind searing riffs of his own. David Sanchez delivers bone quaking bass riffs amidst the chaos. Finally, Jesus “Hat” Decay thunders and crashes along on drums. Together, they come together as one of the hottest bands in the NWOTHM movement.

In this TheNWOTHM.com exclusive, we give our readers an in-depth look at the band. We explore the origin story of the band, their influences, and discover some amazing info about who helped them along to this point. Founding members Steve and Joel hold nothing back for our readers.

SABER is coming to your town soon. Are you ready?

TheNwothm: What is the origin story of SABER?

Steve Turbo: At the time, the band I was in was winding down (Lethal Night) and I started to think about what was next. I was eyeballing a few musicians and Joel was one of them. I hit him up and asked him if he wanted to grab a bite at Alberto’s (a legendary chain in Los Angeles).

Joel Dominguez: He wanted to buy my heart with food. He knows how to get to me. (laughs) Seriously, though we were in the same boat. I was in two bands when I talked to Steve. One was not doing anything, and the other was getting traction but had internal issues. The meeting with Steve was good timing and good food. We talked about our mutual interest in music. Immediately, we clicked on the classics like Queensrÿche and Judas Priest. Then he mentioned the band Ambush and that’s when I knew that he understood exactly what it is that I wanted to accomplish.
We starting jamming with some covers and that’s when I brought in my guys David and Jesus. After that, things came together quickly. Eventually, we added Yogi and the rest is history.

TheNwothm: How quickly did the first single come together?

JD: We had chemistry instantly. There were riffs, leads, and song ideas that came together fast. At the time, it was me, Steve, David, and Hat (who was playing guitar). We recruited Robert (Duran) of Fortress to play drums for us. We all knew him, and the jam sessions clicked easily. He could not commit fully, but we are grateful for how far along he got us. He added his own touch to those early ideas.

In the Summer of 2018, Steve met Trevor (William Church) from Haunt. We gave him the overview of our situation and he invited us up to Fresno, CA. By early 2019, we found the time and just drove up with the intention of getting things done. We had two days and worked for 15 hours each. Three songs came out of those sessions: “Strike of the Witch” (partial), “Without Warning” (partial), and “Speed Racer” (full). Maybe it was “Midnight Rider” and not “Without Warning” … I can’t remember.

ST: It was “Midnight Rider” for sure.

JD: Right. When we got done Trevor helped us shape the songs and we all liked them. We decided to put out “Speed Racer” and it turned some heads for sure. There were 2 or 3 record deals right off the bat and that was surprising. We turned them all down because we wanted to finish the album first.

We spent the next 5-6 months getting the rest of the songs just right, which carried us into early 2020. Finally, we told him we were ready and went up to record it. We just can’t say it enough, Trevor was instrumental the entire way through.

The rest, as they say, is history.

TheNwothm: Trevor is an amazing friend to everyone in the NWOTHM community. You can’t beat the pedigree of him helping to bring your debut record to life.

JD: We had a basic idea of what we wanted to do, and he took it to the next level. We owe him so much.

ST: It was especially challenging because the pandemic happened during the recording. We were eager to get things done, but there were challenges. But, without Trevor in the beginning it would not have come together the way that it did.

TheNwothm: Who came up with the name, and where did it come from?

JD: I came up with it. While on lunch break, I was talking about cool band names with a friend. We were in a drive-thru at a local burger shop and I was writing down ideas that seemed cool. Then, a truck drove by with the word “Sabre” on it. I switched those two letters and it stuck with everyone.

ST: Hat immediately came up with the outline of the logo. Then we sleazed it up old school, like the 80’s.

TheNwothm: So, let’s have some fun. Thinking about boy bands back in the day, there was always the archetype for each member. The Cool One, the Difficult One, the Weird One, the Wild One, and the Pretty One. Who is who?

JD: That’s not fair. They are all Steve Turbo! He is no cheap imitation and what you see is what you get.

ST: (laughing) It’s true.

TheNwothm: I’ve seen you play live four times so far. Every time, you guys got on stage and showed me why you are special. On top of that, your live act has evolved quickly over time and it’s impressive. In June of 2024, you came out in top form at Frozen in Time 2(see review here). It was completely different that any other show you’ve done. Well done!

JD: We have put a lot of time to level-up up our game. All the bands before and after us killed, at that fed our energy. Hearing the entire crowd chant our name was an amazing feeling! We just knew we had to leave it all on the stage.

ST: Frozen in Time 2 was special to us for a lot reasons. Thanks for noticing the work we’ve put in. It means a lot.

TheNwothm: Who are the bands who influenced you?

JD: The first band that turned my head was AC/DC. When I saw Angus Young play the solo for “Let There Be Rock” and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then I saw Jimmy Page and fell in love with Led Zeppelin. Of course, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, and Def Leppard embody the sound that I love.

ST: Originally, I wanted to be a guitar player. The first bands that got me heavily involved were Judas Priest and Mötley Crüe. My mom had those in heavy rotation, she had big hair and everything. She spent a lot of time on the Sunset Strip and was friends with Armored Saint. Seeing Rob Halford in the leather, chains, and spikes just consumed me. From there it was bands like Megadeth, Overkill, and Exodus. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a singer. As soon as I heard Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche, I knew exactly how I wanted to sound. I started mimicking him and it took on a life of its own from there.

TheNwothm: Steve, you have a gift given directly from the Metal Gods themselves in your voice. Do you recall a moment in your time when you Realised you have something special?

ST: My first cover was “Ripper” by Judas Priest, and I was able to hit the high notes almost perfectly. People kept telling me it sounded amazing and that I should keep practicing. It took off from there.

TheNwothm: Let’s just be clear, that’s not a beginner starting point. Literally no one walks in off the street and nails “Ripper”. This is almost super-human.

ST: I did a lot of that before I learned anything professionally. It took me a while to figure out how to do things with my voice. I’m thankful for my gift and am doing everything I can to get better.

TheNwothm: Joel, what was your “Ripper” moment?

JD: I don’t think I have any magical ability.

TheNwothm: Um… yes you do! There must have been a moment where something happened, and it surprised you.

JD: Hat reminds me of a time when I was at his house, and we were jamming with whatever came to mind. We agreed to try “The Conjuring” by Megadeth and I just dropped the Dave Mustaine solo from memory. He was blown away that I just pulled it out of thin air.

To me, it hasn’t been a single moment. It’s been a gruelling number of years where I have constantly worked to get better. I still do that today. It’s like top athletes investing 10,000 hours in to reach the upper echelons. That’s how I feel, and I haven’t put in all those hours yet. When people compliment me, I appreciate it, but I take it with a grain of salt. I have more work to do. That will happen until the day I die.

TheNwothm: In an exciting new development, you’ve signed a new record deal with RPM ROAR. Congrats! This is fantastic news that includes announcing your second album which is forthcoming. Can you give any details?

JD: It’s called “Lost in Flames”, and it is 8 all new tracks. We are working with our management and label to come up with an exact date of release for the album. Soon, we will be making a lot of announcements!

What are you most proud of with “Lost in Flames”?

ST: On this record, I feel like we’ve grown as a band. I’m very confident in the sound and that I’ve grown as a singer. There’s a lot more heart in these songs from my perspective.

JD: I’m proud of the songwriting on this one. We arranged a few of the songs so Steve could hit the high notes at the end, and they still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s so good. Everyone brought their A-game for this one and it shows. We’re blowing up and burning down the sophomore slump.

TheNwothm: What are your plans for the future?

JD: Hopefully, we will be announcing a tour soon. We want to play in front of as many people as possible. It’s just a matter of getting the details worked out. 

TheNwothm: Thinking about how you have matured as a band on stage, do you have a pre or post show ritual that you can share with us?

ST: Before we play, we like to get in a huddle and get a pep good talk in. We just need that reminder to go out and kick some ass!  It’s important to remember that we need to have fun while we are doing it. The opportunity to play on stage for our fans is a privilege and we need to remember that. We all have day-jobs and this is a special treat.

JD: To add to the pre-show ritual, I always tell Steve that he’s looking ultra sexy. That puts a smile on everyone’s face and breaks the tension. Then it’s all cool and we go out and kill it.

ST: We just need to look at ourselves in the mirror and say, “Do you want to fuck me?” (laughs) You just have to feel that sexy. It’s a thing.

JD: There is one thing we do during the show. We will get next to each other and moan in someone’s ear. It’s a funny moment and it keeps the feeling a bit lighter.

ST: Yes, he does that. (laughs)

TheNwothm:What is the most interesting thing in your record collection?

JD: I have “Fame” by Lady Gaga on vinyl. Also, “ABBA Gold” by Abba.

ST: Anything by the band Muse. Also, Rob Zombie.

TheNwothm: Final question. What other band from the NWOTHM movement do you want people to know more about, other than you? We all know Haunt, so that’s a given.

JD: We’re going to be here for a couple of hours. Can we do Top 3?

I’ll say Midnight Vice (USA), Monuments (UK) and Steel Wing (Sweden).

ST: Mine are: Hidden (Spain), Striker (Canada), and Midnight Vice (USA).

TheNwothm: Just want to say thanks to both of you for taking the time to sit with me and answer all these questions. Until next time!

JD: Thank you.

ST: Thanks!

SABER is unstoppable. They will thrash, shred, and scream all the way to the top. There is a deep pool of talent and drive shifting into overdrive, the industry and audiences are taking notice. At the heart of this band are a group of humble and hard-working people, which is their own secret sauce. Next time you are at one of their shows, be sure to engage them. They are approachable and welcoming to their fans.

The future is very bright for SABER!