Sailor Hunter – Sagateatern: A New Female-Fronted Era in Melodic Death Metal

Melodic death metal band Sailor Hunter has recently rebooted into a female-fronted act with clean lead vocals.

Supporting Liv Sin at Sagateatern in Borås, the Gothenburg quartet showcased a raw live sound that highlighted tight riffs, driving rhythms, and a striking vocal contrast between Dimitra Panariti’s clean vocals and Filip Jovanov’s growls, leaving the crowd eager for more.

Photos and Words by Jonas Gustafsson

Emerging from Sweden’s fertile metal soil, Sailor Hunter (often stylised SHR) are a Göteborg/Gothenburg-based metal band whose sound is rooted in the Gothenburg melodic death metal tradition.

Formed in 2018 by guitarist Al Rinald, the project quickly evolved into a full band with drummer Kutte Gashi and bassist Filip Jovanov, blending melodic death metal with hints of symphonic orchestration, groove metal and Mediterranean influences.

Sailor Hunter on stage at Sagateatern in Borås, November 2025.

Fresh Voice, New Direction

The band has previously worked with male lead singers with harsh vocals. A new chapter began in October 2025, when Greek vocalist Dimitra Panariti joined the band after leaving Meden Agan and relocating to Sweden. Her arrival expanded Sailor Hunter’s melodic range through clean vocals and added a strong new dynamic to their sound.

The single “Thrones”, released later the same month, marked the band’s first release with Panariti on vocals and highlighted a more melodic and symphonic side of their songwriting, while Jovanov continues to handle the growled vocals.

Dimitra Panariti in full swing, bringing a lot of energy – and spectacular hair – to the performance. Killer boots, too!

Sagateatern Live – A Bare-Bones Take on Sailor Hunter’s Sound

Sailor Hunter took to the stage in the small bar and foyer area of Sagateatern in Borås as support to Liv Sin, with Anbaric opening the evening.

While parts of Sailor Hunter’s recorded material feature symphonic elements, with layered orchestration and piano adding depth to the arrangements, their live sound in the intimate setting was noticeably more bare-bones. The band obviously had to scale back the production for a simpler, more direct approach suitable for the small bar stage setting.

With the symphonic textures largely absent, the focus shifted to tight riffs, driving rhythms and concentrated energy, bringing the band’s more modern, rhythm-driven side to the forefront. Breakdown-leaning sections and a strong rhythmic focus, paired with Panariti’s expressive stage presence, brought a contemporary edge to parts of the set beyond traditional melodeath.

Al Rinald, the band’s founder and chief guitar chugger.

Striking Vocal Contrast

Vocally, the contrast between Panariti’s clean lead vocals and Jovanov’s growls worked exceptionally well.

A small but telling moment in the crowd underlined how well the band connected that night. One audience member sporting a Future Palace T-shirt headbanged enthusiastically throughout the set, often perfectly in sync with Panariti’s movements on stage.

It was an unplanned snapshot that reflected both the band’s live impact and how their more rhythm-driven, modern edge can resonate with listeners coming from a metalcore background. Rather than competing, the two complemented each other and added depth and variation to the songs. Given that Jovanov already provides the harsh vocals, the decision to bring in a lead singer who offers a clear melodic counterpoint feels deliberate and well judged, and Panariti fits that role convincingly.

Bassist Filip Jovanov keeps the band’s brutal roots intact, his growled vocals contrasting with new singer Dimitra Panariti.

Overwhelming Crowd Response

The audience, largely made up of Liv Sin fans, responded warmly throughout the set. Energy built steadily from opener “Ashes” through to “Unbound”, and when the band thanked the crowd and prepared to leave the stage, loud calls for more music filled the venue.

Visibly caught off guard by the enthusiastic reaction, Sailor Hunter performed “Thrones” once more in a spontaneous encore. The reprise served as a strong and fitting conclusion to the set.

Setlist

See the complete setlist from Sailor Hunter’s live show at Sagateatern below.

1. Ashes
2. Thrones
3. Flowers of Autumn
4. Icon
5. Demons Play
6. Echoes of Hate
7. Unbound

Encore

8. Thrones (reprise)

The band's cheerful drummer, Kutte Gashi, behind the kit.

Final Thoughts

There is something particularly exciting about newer bands that are still in a formative stage stylistically. Sailor Hunter clearly fall into that category, and their performance at Sagateatern suggested a band in the midst of finding its definitive voice. And with their new vocalist, the band seems to be finding its stride and moving in a very promising direction.

With a strengthened line-up, a confident live presence and a willingness to balance melody with raw power, Sailor Hunter are well worth keeping an eye on as they continue to evolve.

This show was shot with

Camera Bodies

• Sony a7 III_{Midrange shots}
• Sony a7R II_{Wideangle, telephoto shots}

Camera Lenses

• Viltrox 20mm f2.8_{Wideangle Prime}
• Tamron 28-75mm f2.8_{Midrange Zoom}
• Tamron 70-180mm f2.8_{Telephoto Zoom}

Check out our gear page to learn more.

Concert Photo Gallery

More From the Artist

Thrones – Music Video

Band Links

Official Website

Listen on Spotify

Special Thanks

A big thank you to Sailor Hunter for a strong performance, and to headliners Liv Sin for arranging photo access to the event. Thanks also to Klubb Hades and Sagateatern for hosting the show.

Photos of Liv Sin are already live, and opening act Anbaric will be reviewed soon. Follow our social media channels so you don’t miss any of our upcoming galleries and gig coverage!