Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM
Now here’s a funny thing about getting older – you start to appreciate things differently. When I was younger, discovering metal, it was all about the rawness and the aggression. Soaring vocals and epic tales just seemed like background noise to the percussion and guitar work. But somewhere along the way, something shifted.
Perhaps it’s the lifelong disability, perhaps it’s just the natural progression of maturity, but I have found myself increasingly drawn to storytelling – to music that transports you somewhere else entirely. That’s probably why Sabaton has become such a fixture in my listening habits over the years. And now here we are, with their eleventh studio album, Legends, and I have to tell you, this is exactly the kind of release that makes me feel like I’m ten years old again, discovering something truly magnificent for the first time.
Let me set the scene for you. This is the first time in Sabaton’s history that every single band member – Joakim Brodén, Pär Sundström, Chris Rörland, Thobbe Englund, and Hannes Van Dahl – has contributed to the songwriting process on a single album. That’s significant. That collaborative effort translates into something that feels fresh while maintaining the very essence of what makes Sabaton, well, Sabaton.
Legends is eleven tracks of pure historical immersion, each song dedicated to a legendary figure who fundamentally altered the course of human history. We’re talking Knights Templar, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Vlad the Impaler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Hannibal Barca, Miyamoto Musashi, Lü Bu, and Pharaoh Senusret III. Not exactly light listening material, but therein lies the beauty of this album – it demands your attention and rewards you richly for giving it.
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Opening with “Templars,” Sabaton immediately establishes the tone for what is to follow. The Knights Templar were an extraordinary military and religious order, and the band has crafted something that feels appropriately grandiose for such a subject. There is a weight to this track, a gravitas that sets expectations high for what comes next. The guitars carry that familiar Sabaton punch, but there’s something about the production on this album – courtesy of Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge Studios – that feels ever so slightly different. Sharper, perhaps. More defined. The vocals of Joakim Brodén soar in that distinctive way of his, and you’re immediately drawn into the tale of warrior monks and religious conflict. It’s a track that doesn’t waste a single second on unnecessary flourishes – it gets down to business straight away.
Then comes “Hordes of Khan,” and honestly, I found myself grinning like a fool. Genghis Khan represents the kind of historical figure that absolutely fascinates me – someone whose impact was so enormous and so multi-faceted that it is almost impossible to capture in a song. Yet Sabaton manages it. There is a martial quality to the drumming here that genuinely evokes the image of vast armies on the move. Hannes Van Dahl’s work behind the kit is particularly impressive throughout this track – there’s a driving momentum that never lets up. The guitar work from Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund is particularly interesting here because it manages to feel both melodic and absolutely relentless. That is a tricky balance to strike, but they nail it.
“A Tiger Among Dragons” shifts the focus to Lü Bu, a Chinese military general whose reputation was seemingly matched only by his complexity as a character. Now, I will be honest with you – before this album, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time thinking about Lü Bu. But this track has absolutely changed that. The production gives it an almost ethereal quality at certain points, which is quite different from what you would typically expect from a power metal band tackling a military figure. There is almost a sadness threading through it, an acknowledgment of the tragedy that often accompanies greatness. Pär Sundström’s bass work deserves particular mention here – it’s present and active, driving the rhythm forward in ways that you might not notice on first listen but absolutely feel.
“Crossing the Rubicon” brings us to Julius Caesar and the moment that essentially launched a civil war and changed the entire political landscape of Rome. It’s one of history’s most famous decisions, and Sabaton treats it with the epic scope it deserves. The choral arrangements that appear throughout this track are stunning – there’s a classical element woven through that somehow manages to feel entirely natural within the Sabaton context. This is where the collaborative songwriting really starts to shine, I think. There’s an architectural quality to how the song builds and develops that feels like multiple creative minds working in harmony. The lyrics are particularly strong here, and Joakim’s delivery carries weight and intention in every syllable.
Then we arrive at “I, Emperor,” and this is the song that has been getting all the pre-release attention for good reason. Napoleon Bonaparte is perhaps one of history’s most paradoxical figures – a military genius whose ambitions ultimately led to his downfall. The band has crafted something that captures both sides of this coin beautifully. There is a triumphalism to certain sections that gives way to something darker and more introspective. The production shimmers and gleams in places, creating almost an auditory representation of Napoleon’s rise. And when the track builds toward its climax, there is a sense of inevitable collapse threading through. It’s genuinely operatic in scope, and I mean that as the highest compliment. This is metal as theatrical storytelling at its finest.
“Maid of Steel” addresses Joan of Arc, and I have to say, when I first heard this one, I found my eyes getting a bit watery. There’s something about Joan’s story – the faith, the conviction, the tragedy of her fate – that reaches right into your chest and grabs hold. The vocal performance here is particularly strong. Joakim isn’t just singing about Joan; he’s channelling something of her story into the delivery. The guitars have an almost ethereal, soaring quality that feels appropriate for someone whose faith was so absolute. There’s a bridge section here that absolutely stopped me in my tracks – it’s vulnerable and powerful at the same time, which might sound contradictory until you hear it. The way the band has arranged this is a masterclass in dynamics. It’s heavy without being brutal, and emotional without being saccharine.
“Impaler” shifts gears, focusing on Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia. Now, Vlad has something of a reputation – the “Impaler” nickname didn’t come from nowhere – and you might expect Sabaton to lean into the darkness of his legacy. To some extent they do, but what is interesting is the nuance they bring to the subject. The track has a distinctly menacing quality without being gratuitously dark. The guitar work here is particularly sharp and cutting – there is a precision to it that mirrors the nickname of the song’s subject. The production on this track particularly impressed me; there is a murkiness to it that feels appropriate for the subject matter without crossing into parody.
“Lightning at the Gates” turns its attention to Hannibal Barca and his legendary crossing of the Alps with his war elephants. This is where Sabaton absolutely excels – taking a moment from history and translating it into something visceral and immediate. The track opens with a marching quality that gradually builds into something far more intense and overwhelming. You can almost visualize the elephants emerging from the mountain passes, the Roman soldiers’ terror, and confusion at witnessing something so foreign and so enormous. The rhythm section deserves praise here – there’s a relentless forward momentum that makes you feel like you’re caught up in the wake of Hannibal’s advance. Thobbe Englund’s guitar work has a particularly nice cutting quality that breaks through the otherwise unified wall of sound.
“The Duelist” celebrates Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai who fought over sixty duels without losing a single one. There is something beautifully elegant about this track compared to some of the more overtly martial numbers on the album. The guitar work here is particularly intricate – Joakim was very deliberately aiming for something guitar-driven and old-school Sabaton, and the result is that the technical guitar work acts as a kind of auditory representation of technical swordsmanship. When you listen to the interplay between the two guitarists, it’s like watching a duel unfold. There is a conversation happening between the instruments. The track never loses its heaviness, but it channels that heaviness into precision and grace rather than pure brute force.
“The Cycle of Songs” brings us to Pharaoh Senusret III of ancient Egypt. This is where the album really demonstrates its scope – we’ve gone from medieval knights to ancient Egyptian dynasties. The production here has a different character entirely. There is something almost ritualistic about it, which feels appropriate for the subject matter. The vocals have a different processing on them, which initially seemed a bit unusual to me but ultimately adds to the otherworldly quality of the track. The guitar work here is surprisingly restrained compared to some of the heavier tracks on the album, which actually serves the song well. There’s something almost elegiac about it, an acknowledgment of the weight of ages and the passage of time that even mighty pharaohs could not escape.
Finally, we arrive at “Till Seger,” which translates to “Until Victory” and celebrates King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. It is a fitting final track for an album, and it carries with it a sense of resolution and finality. This is power metal at its most unabashed – soaring vocals, absolutely triumphant guitar work, and a rhythm section that drives forward with absolute certainty. It feels like a victory lap, and there’s something quite moving about that. The track builds and builds, never quite reaching a climax and then retreating – instead, it sustains that sense of triumphalism right through to the end. It is a perfect way to close out an album like this.
What strikes me most about Legends is how cohesive it feels despite covering such diverse historical ground. A lesser band might have produced something that felt scattered or unfocused, jumping from one historical period to another without any sense of connection. But Sabaton has created something that feels like a unified whole – eleven chapters in a larger narrative about history, greatness, and the legacies we leave behind.
As someone who discovered metal partly through the escapism it offered – through hospital visits and childhood illness – I have always appreciated the way that metal can transport you somewhere else. Legends does that in spades. Listening to this album is like being transported backward through time. If you’re a long-time Sabaton fan, Legends is absolutely essential listening. It’s a band at the height of their powers, with something genuine to say and the musical prowess to say it effectively. If you are new to the band, this is as good an entry.
Legends Track Listing:
1. Templars
2. Hordes Of Khan
3. A Tiger Among Dragons
4. Crossing The Rubicon
5. I, Emperor
6. Maid of Steel
7. Impaler
8. Lightning at the Gates
9. The Duelist
10. The Cycle of Songs
11. Till Seger
Line-up:
Joakim Brodén – vocals
Pär Sundström – bass
Chris Rörland – guitar
Thobbe Englund – guitar
Hannes Van Dahl – drums
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