Sabaton, The last stand

This summer was pretty disappointing in terms of new records and good shows, so I took a break because there was nothing I was interested in writing about. But it seems like autumn is starting in a promising way and just looking at the upcoming releases makes me twitch with joy. First stop – Sabaton.

I can’t help but love Sabaton. They’re so goofy and lovable and full of excitement! Even though the music is somewhat repetitive and there’s not much innovation or surprise, the feeling that they put tons of heart into everything and they’re truly passionate about what they are doing makes me believe in their music along with them. 

The Last Stand is no different, with every song hitting a historical theme (and most of them describing famous battles), with power and vigour and even the right amount of cheese, this is Sabaton in all its glory. It is indeed a lighter and brighter album than the others (musically, at least, war is never bright) and maybe this is where it loses me a bit. I’ve always appreciated the more serious and dramatic touch in Sabaton, so I can’t say I’m fully happy with the joyous guitar solo in Rorke’s drift or the all too cheesy title track. Don’t even get me started on Blood of Bannockburn which is one giant Scottish party, even if the lyrics reference winning freedom by blood. I get it, it’s about a Scottish battle, but it seems like they took out the “battle” part and kept only the “Scottish”.  Thankfully, for every corny moment there’s a matching powerful and motivating one, like Diary of an unknown soldier, which is so inspiring and engaging it makes me wonder if soldiers listen to Sabaton before going to battle. Hill 3234 is also a pretty kick-ass track and a special mention goes to Shiroyama and Winged hussars, which are the kind of songs that get stuck in your head for days and I imagine will be a real treat during the live shows. Shiroyama especially is very vivid and does a pretty good job of transposing me into its world, to the point I can even picture the movie that goes along with it. 

I was saying in the beginning that Sabaton are a very passionate and engaging band. While the more cynical could accuse them of finding a thematic niche and milking it until it’s dry, I still believe they are truly genuine. In fact, it’s exactly this attitude that sets them apart from other bands and makes me partisan to them, since the music is, let’s admit it, not that groundbreaking. And while seeing them live is always a joyous and captivating experience, listening to those songs without the support of the electricity and intensity of a concert has less impact and draws my attention to the simplicity. Their music is constructed to parallel the theme, austere and military, a march to battle, with all the rawness it entails. They created a story around them and of course the music fits right in. 

And this is exactly where the problem kicks in for me – the music is just another part of the whole, instead of being the centre of it with the lyrics and imagery as mere accessories. Without the loudness and largeness of the live settings to augment it, it doesn’t quite click and it falls a bit short. Am I theorising too much about a music that is probably meant for anything other than theorising? Probably, but it’s something that doesn’t let me connect fully to this album and for the most part, to the band in general. No matter, Sabaton are still pretty awesome provided they are listened to in the right setting.