Review By Monty Sewell for MPM
On the 10th August 2021, a morse code teaser was posted by the worlds most notorious great war reciting band.
Sabaton, in their 23rd reigning year as one of Swedens best selling metal bands of all time, didn’t have to wait long for their dedicated fan base to crack the code and release the title of their due to be forthcoming album: ‘The War to End All Wars’.
Released on Nuclear Blast Records, the platinum selling fist thumpers were conspicuous in the album being a follow up to their 2019 ‘The Great War’.
With more than enough heart wrenching material to draw from those four years of mass devastation, there was no doubt in Sabaton’s ability to match the prowess of ‘The War to End All Wars’ predecessor.
Complimenting their 2010 acclaimed ‘The Art of War’, Sabaton introduces ‘The War to End All Wars’ with a voiceover, dramatically narrating the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a poorly judged move that sparked the events of World War 1.
The track – titled Sarajevo – functions as an overture, with an all-encompassing chorus repeating in-between spoken words and time lapsing sections that pull on their own separate heart strings.
One man, one machine; ‘Stormtroopers’ and ‘Dreadnought’ follow. The former giving arms to German manoeuvre warfare which saw thousands of specially deployed soldiers attempting to break the impasse trench warfare by crossing no-man’s land.
The latter to the colossal battleships which ruled the seas with artillery might. Instrumentally, each number matches their subject well, both playing into the differing physicalities with tempo and give. Whilst Sabaton don’t explore anything new here, it’s a formula they designed well and continue to exercise with favourable results.
Released as a single, ‘The Unkillable Soldier’ hosts a valiant riff above some hard galloping drum work by Hannes Van Dahl.
No stranger to grandeur, Sabaton perfectly capture the unfailing bravery presented by Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart. Vocalist Joakim Bordens ogresses through the anthemic chorus with brooding intent.
Another single released from the album is ‘Soldier of Heaven’. If you want to see some magnificently shot alpine scenes then head straight to this music video where the guys wield their melodic machinery on a high altitude plain with tremendous effect.
‘Hellfighters’ ‘ axe wielding heroes Chris Rörland, Tommy Johansson and Pär Sundström return to the lineup with their usual triple threat, force felt string action which gurns its way through this non-stop, heavy metal dive.
The albums standout solo features in ‘Race To The Sea’ which – though feels short lived – provides a gallant middle ground.
Sabaton have long been proprietors of creating material that feels slightly short lived but in that delicious way which constantly creates room for more and more boundless output.
Lady of The Dark’ and ‘The Valley of Death’ for instance draw upon historical happenings which might escape the history books but when chronicled against a backdrop of Sabatons signature symphonic metal drive, it draws great interest to say the least.
The band stated that the next track, ‘Christmas Truce’ was their ‘highest priority when we decided to write songs about World War One’.
Critically acclaimed on its release last year, it is a deleteriously emotive song which provokes deep thought as Bordens growls over the intro with a silencing clarity. Sabaton delivers a compelling crescendo with a well deserved salute to their writing.
To end as they began, the final number, ‘Versailles’, is a spoken word epilogue recounting the signing of the treaty which would presumably end all world hostility. The instrumental initially places itself in a brighter, major key light before darkening again to that menacing prelude we were graced with at the start.
With the current world climate at risk of becoming Sabatons next subject matter, ‘The War to End All Wars’ feels an awfully relevant release.
Though to remember past mistakes may prevent them in the future and who better to educate us then the titans of Swedish heavy metal. The album will be thought of as one of their greats and the second coming of a brilliant conceptual double bill.
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