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Since they evolved into global Metal superstars, Swedish history-nuts Sabaton have joined the ranks of such household names as AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead in having a signature sound. Within a few moments, the listener knows that it’s Sabaton. The bombast, the deep brogue of Joakim Brodén’s vocals; the choir; the breakneck drums; the swashbuckling cut and thrust of the dual guitars; above all, the passion.
But that signature sound can often lead to naysayers and accusations of all albums sounding the same. What was it Angus Young reportedly said about all AC/DC albums sounding the same? “I’m sick to death of people saying we’ve made 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we’ve made 12 albums that sound exactly the same”. Like AC/DC, Sabaton have found a formula that works for them and have stuck with it. It’s the defining strength of the band from Falun, Sweden. One of the most consistent Metal bands in recent times.
Moving on from the previous brace of studio albums that deal solely with WWI, 2019’s ‘The Great War’, and 2022’s follow-up ‘The War to End All Wars’, Sabaton have returned to the themology featured on 2014’s ‘Heroes’, and each song tells the story of one particular historical legendary figure rather than focussing on one period in time. One intriguing facet about ‘Legends’ is that it’s not as instant as both of its predecessors. Made up of 11 individual stand-alone tracks, rather than the beginning, middle, and end of ‘The War to End All Wars’, it takes a few listens to fully appreciate ‘Legends’. It’s easy to dip in and out of the album without losing one’s place. Most importantly, though, it’s great fun.
The modern-day scourge of excessive singles released before the money shot of the album itself means that several of these tracks will be familiar to the vast majority of Sabaton fans. The opening salvo of ‘Templars’ followed by ‘Hordes Of Khan’ are just 2 of the singles already released. No worries, though, as once the huuuuge choral intro of ‘Templars’ and Hannes Van Dahl’s exemplary drumming kicks in, all is forgiven. This is an album best enjoyed without earphones, as the production is massive and deserves to fill the room. The choral arrangements are jaw-dropping, and it’s great fun picking out the exact spots where pyro will erupt once the song is performed live. The keys-tinged ‘Hordes Of Khan’ is, as the title suggests, faster, and the male-choir midsong, just before the first guitar solo, has to have been birthed in Wales. It’s Sabaton, man, so yeah, it’s larger than life.
‘A Tiger Among Dragons’ is the first non-single track, and the tribal, heavy-hits from Van Dahl steal the show. It’s punchy from start to finish. Thanks to the powerful choral intro, ‘I, Emperor’ bears a resemblance to ‘The Great War’ in certain ways. The bouncing tempo is a great addition, though, and when it combines with the choir throughout, it is hard to resist. Fantastic guitar melodies from Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund (ditto ‘Lightning at the Gates’), while Pär Sundström does what he does best and controls the pace with his thick bass lines (he also owns ‘Impaler’). ‘Maid of Steel’ is the first example of the band flooring it, and it sounds like Hannes Van Dahl is having a blast; his kick-drum work is pure chef’s kiss.
The closing stages of the album bring the Maiden-esque gallop of ‘The Duelist’, ‘The Cycle of Songs’, which is one of those moments that improves with each listen, and the closing track ‘Till Seger’ (‘To Victory’ in English) has the band back on ‘Carolus Rex’ territory and even if you don’t speak Swedish, it’s hard not to be swept up in the up and at them attitude displayed. Having an overflowing stein of beer would be a help to get into the mood, but either way, it’s a patriotic, rousing end to an album that constantly thrills.
Gloriously trend-free and devoid of any hype, Sabaton are selling out the largest of arenas in Europe, the old-fashioned way: hard work, building a rabid, loyal fanbase, and in doing so, creating word of mouth. Having a live show that is truly spectacular always helps. And that’s the fun part of hearing a new Sabaton album for the first time: how will they bring these songs to life? Find out for yourself on one of the following dates:
Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén will participate in a Q&A hosted by bestselling historian, TV Presenter, and award-winning journalist Dan Jones. The two will have an in-depth chat about the stories behind the album. Fans will also have the opportunity to ask their questions before Joakim signs copies of the new album. This exclusive event will have very limited spaces.
‘Legends’ is available October 17th via Better Noise Music. Pre-order info, HERE.
Review – Dave
Photo Credit: Ben Alexis
