There is no doubt that Sabaton have hit a formula of sound and lyrics, and their eleventh studio album shows no sign of dramatically changing that. Okay, so this is not all about different battles this time and is instead about historical figures such as Jeanne D’arc (also known as Joan of Arc), Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, Julius Caesar, the Knights Templar, and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi. The band has been incredibly stable, with Joakim Brodén (vocals) and Pär Sundström (bass) there from the beginning in 1999 while Chris Rörland (guitar) and Hannes Van Dahl (drums) have been there for more than a decade with the only change for this release being the return of Thobbe Englund (guitar) who was with the band for four years before leaving in 2016.
Power metal driven from the back with very heavy drumming, symphonic and choral overtones and Joakim’s strong baritone, one knows this is Sabaton without even looking at the cover as there really is no-one else quite like them, and while the listener always knows what they are going to sound like there is always some comfort in that. Some bands change and shift but Sabaton work hard at entrenching their sound, moving the dial so everything is even more intense, and how many bands are there who have to work on ensuring their lyrics are historically accurate? I needed some musical earwash the other day, something to blast out the cobwebs, and I knew this was on my list to review so put it on with certain expectations and I was not disappointed at all. It hits hard, is melodic, and the lyrics are always clearly enunciated and interesting, which is often not the case with some bands at all.
In simple words, if you like Sabaton then this is solid throughout and thoroughly enjoyable, and if you have yet to come across them what are you waiting for. Power metal rarely gets better than this.
Rating: 9/10