A timely entry here my friends from those Swedish power metallers Sabaton, just as the world teeters under the control of the unhinged, we know that history has not taught us anything. Perhaps the band are being over confident in our capacity as humans to live and to learn. They are here to remind us of our past and to help us find the correct path as, yet again, we fail to distinguish between right and wrong. We follow the history books as to what has gone before, we remember the sacrifice and the terror that war brings, we celebrate the realisation that we are, after all, one.
We start with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and follow the historical references to finish with the Treaty of Versailles. A voiceover lights the way through the darkness and the grime of the trenches, to reveal the reality, the tautness and the tension these situations bring with them.
There is a fire, a sense of torment and running parallel to this, a relative calmness and camaraderie in the knowledge that we have all been thrown into a conflict we didn’t create. The reality of what happened over a hundred years ago is brought to life, we re-live these moments as if we are standing shoulder to shoulder with these brave men and women.
A power ballad, ‘Soldier Of Heaven’ gives us the full-bodied, raise the roof anthem that we all delight in. There is not a guilty pleasure in sight here, a Rock opera, a symphonic opus that has been constructed out of flesh and blood.
‘The Unkillable Soldier’ is a poignant reminder of the harrowing complexities and tumult that war is all about ‘proven under fire, over trench and wire’. It is a true story about the experiences of a soldier, Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart who despite suffering numerous injuries continued to fight.
Joakim Brodén sings with a rhythmic enunciation and a fervent emphasis on the letter sounds, each word has its own identity which is showcased by this very talented and thoughtful performer. The band provide essential and substantial musicianship, we have, Pär Sundström on bass, Chris Rörland and Tommy Johansson on guitar and Hannes Van Dahl on drums. We have a tribute to Milunka Savić in ‘Lady Of The Dark’ as we honour the ‘girl in uniform’ who took her brother’s place in the war.
In ‘Christmas Truce’ we cherish our similarities and accept our differences ‘today we’re all brothers, tonight we’re all friends’ exacerbates the uncertainty but allows for love and unity to flourish. I would say it is nigh on impossible to listen to this record without it tugging at your heart, there is emotion in abundance and a feverish endeavour that screams out to you to stop and think about what you are doing. Sabaton have approached this album with a dignity and a bravado that only the soldiers of war could match. It is a theme that has been tackled before; we are now living under that direct threat and watching it unfold before us. We ‘sign the treaty, change the world’ to end this spirited journey and proclaim game, set, match, Sabaton.
Azra Pathan
Sabaton – The War To End All Wars out 4th March via Nuclear Blast.