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After the regulation postponement due to the C-word, the UK leg of Sabaton’s long-awaited “The Tour To End All Tours” finally got underway with a packed-out opening night in Leeds. To be honest, perhaps “The Tour To Finally Silence The Critics” might have been more of an apt title, but that would never have fitted onto the massive sign that arcs over the stage and forms an impressive centerpiece. Four arena shows in five days, with two of them sold-out: Wembley Arena in London (for the second time in four years), and tonight in Cardiff – the first time the Swedish metallers have landed in Wales since the insanity of the co-headliner with Alestorm in 2016. Back then it was the more-intimate 1,000-capacity Tramshed. Tonight it’s the 7,000-capacity arena, and it is rammed. Lovely and rammed.
One the hardest working bands – regardless of genre – on the circuit today, Sabaton are always on tour (save for that temporary blip forced on them a while back) and 2019’s “The Great Tour” saw them testing the waters with their first-ever headlining arena show in the UK at Wembley Arena – their only UK show that year. Selling out Wembley would have given the band a boost, and perhaps proved to them that there was an appetite for a few similar regional shows. And then the world shut down. But rather than retreat to their sofas for a Netflix binge, the Swedes got their heads together and created studio album number ten: ‘The War To End All Wars’, with the end result being arguably their strongest album to date, certainly their most ambitious and varied album so far. And it is on this lengthy tour that the songs from the album come to life – and in what style.
Originally announced as having The HU as special guests, the rescheduled dates saw the Mongolian folk metal phenomenon having to step aside with Japanese kawaii metal superstars BABYMETAL taking their place. The opening act slot stayed the same though, and that job was still in the safe, gnarly hands of Mr. Lordi and the bunch of lunatics known simply as Lordi. Or if you prefer; “Eurovision Song Contest Winners Lordi”.
With Maneskin winning Eurovision in 2021, and German glam outfit Lords of The Lost set to represent their country at this year’s contest in Liverpool (along with the electro-prog tones of Voyager representing Australia), rock and metal music is much more accepted amongst the cheesy pop offerings normally associated with Eurovision. But when Finnish masters of the universe Lordi won it in 2006 with the earworm-filled joy of ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ it was perhaps the biggest-ever surprise in Eurovision history right up until last year when the UK with Sam Ryder actually won some points. And since then Lordi have been giving worldwide audiences the perfect excuse to switch off from the outside world and have some fun – remember when music was fun? And that is what Lordi set out to do with their 40-minute slot, and once the heavily costumed band have taken their places, and Mr. Lordi saunters onto the stage and shouts “Hello Cardiff” – the crowd are already with them.
There are a lot of Lordi fans in tonight and new track ‘Dead Again Jayne’ soon gets the fists pumping; especially when Mr. Lordi (who seems 7-feet tall in his costume) starts leading the “…hey, hey, hey…” chants, interspersed with “…make some fucking noise…”. The gang-backing-vocal hooks are massive, but they are nothing in comparison to the insanely infectious ‘Would You Love a Monsterman?’, ‘Devil Is a Loser’ (complete with Mr. Lordi sprouting huge bat wings), ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’ and of course ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’. Making great use of what limited space they have, Lordi are a visual (and aural) delight. Surely some headlining dates will be announced soon?
Having taken a self-imposed hiatus in 2021, BABYMETAL recently returned with a new album THE OTHER ONE and it would seem that the FOX GOD had woken from his slumber and was putting the band back together again. YUIMETAL departed the band in 2018 and with the recent announcement that MOMOMETAL is now a fully-fledged member, BABYMETAL are back to a trio, and the Kawaii metal pioneers are on a path to quickly regain the momentum that saw them playing 10 nights at the legendary Budokan in 2021.
A few things are obvious when considering BABYMETAL: they are perhaps the most marmite metal band ever created, and once you check your inhibitions at the door and let the unbridled energy, enthusiasm, and choreography of SU-METAL, MOAMETAL, and MOMOMETAL snare you in, you might just find yourself letting go and getting onboard. Tonight, it’s fair to say that the vast majority of the crowd is onboard and the noise that greets the KAMI BAND once they blast into the opening moments of ‘BABYMETAL DEATH’ is loud, but this grows to an unholy crescendo once the three main members of BABYMETAL make their entrance in a funeral-like procession, all in perfect symmetry. Once the blast beats from the masked drummer kick in, carnage ensues and as the crowd shouts out the letters that spell out B-A-B-Y-M-E-T-A-L, it’s hard not to get swept up in the moment. ‘Megitsune’ sees pits opening up towards the front of the stage and these only increase in ferocity once ‘PA PA YA!!’ kicks in.
New track ‘METAL KINGDOM’ takes things down a notch or two, and allows SU-METAL’s crystal-clear vocals the chance to shine. The intensity grows again with ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ and it is a delight to witness the sheer joy on the faces of the many, many BABYMETAL fans who are going for it. Admittedly, not for everyone, but BABYMETAL are here on merit and cannot be considered a gimmick band anymore, and if they are good enough for the Metal God himself Rob Halford then that is all that should count, but if you need more proof, then strap on ‘Road of Resistance’ for size and stand back as all hell is unleashed.
After a highly successful run of North American shows, along with 50 shows in 50 different Swedish cities, Sabaton are purring like a finely tuned Rolls Royce engine and are putting the disappointments that the worldwide lockdown brought firmly behind them. Strangely, Sabaton being forced off the road was a bit of a blessing because it meant that they were able to write and record their latest opus ‘The War to End All Wars’ and plot how they could bring to life the heartfelt tales of the horrors and heroism of World War I. 2019’s “The Great Tour” was special. A real spectacle. But rather than rest on their laurels, Sabaton have ramped it up even more and the end result is their grandest production to date and one where no expense is spared.
When reviewing a show like this there is always the moral quandary of how in-depth to go and with the UK leg being the first shows of the tour, the question of spoilers rears its ugly head. But then again, there cannot be a Sabaton fan anywhere in the world who hasn’t checked the setlist out online or looked at multiple YouTube videos. Or drooled over the many stunning pics shared on the band’s socials. So much to enjoy over the 90-minute set; the traditional set-opener ‘Ghost Division’ – the tank drum riser with the majestical Hannes Van Dahl perched up high still thrills no matter how many times you see and hear it – has the band attacking the raised lip of the stage as soon as the explosions die down. Guitarists Chris Rörland and Tommy Johansson cross from side to side, pulling out every guitar hero pose known to man, bassist (and band manager) Pär Sundström is matching them stride for stride and then there is the coolest fella in the house; vocalist Joakim Brodén. With his trademark mohawk, squared beard, and armoured vest, Brodén is like a man possessed as he covers each inch of the stage multiple times over on the opening song. Tailor-made for audience participation; it’s hard to see anything knocking ‘Ghost Division’ from the opening slot.
What follows over the next 90 minutes or so is a masterclass performance in how to pace a setlist, and how to deliver that WOW factor at every turn. From the gorgeous singing guitar riffs during the solos on ‘Bismarck’ (which comes complete with some rather excellent rowing from the audience), to the joyous, uplifting choruses on ‘The Last Stand’ (which seem so at home in the “Land of Song”, as do Brodén’s gruff baritone vocals), the early stages of the show are breathtaking. And then the band pulls the rug out from under the feet of the audience by dropping a breakneck version of ‘Into The Fire’ and necks everywhere are given a decent workout to the speedy track lifted from debut album ‘Primo Victoria’. Pits are breaking out everywhere and after a seven-year wait, this audience is up for it. People fall down and as are the rules of the pit; look after each other, and bodies are soon pulled back up.
On a night jam-packed with many standout moments it is difficult to single out one in particular; the stunning Swedish version of ‘Carolus Rex’ is genuinely hair-raising, as is the mostly instrumental ‘Sarajevo’, ditto the flamethrowers of ‘Stormtroopers’ and the Queen-like clapping from the audience during ‘Soldier of Heaven’, but the heartfelt cover of Motörhead’s poetic ‘1916’ is honestly lump-in-the-throat time. The simple act of having a performer dressed in WWI garb with a solitary drum and standing to attention as he beats out a mournful drum beat is stunning, as is watching complete strangers linking arms and swaying in time to Lemmy’s words – you take on Lemmy and Motörhead at your peril, but Sabaton knocked it out of the park. Among all the pyro and explosions, special effects, and actors onstage, this and the tearful rendition of ‘Christmas Truce’ that had snow falling, indoors, in April, were pretty hard to beat.
Special mention must go to Pär Sundström who has spent the entire evening with a permanent smile on his face. When he talks to the audience before asking them to light up the arena with their cellphones on ‘Christmas Truce’, you know it comes from the heart. And like his speech at Wacken Open Air in 2019, it comes with a wry look of “I told you” aimed at every Sabaton detractor in existence. Sabaton headlined Wacken in 2019, playing on TWO stages at the same time. They have already headlined Bloodstock Festival. The next part in the Sabaton jigsaw is surely to headline Download Festival. Make no mistakes, this is a Download mainstage headlining production and performance. Sure, the fans of legacy bands will no doubt grumble at that, but there are only so many times Slipknot, Metallica, or Iron Maiden can headline a festival before it gets named after them. Bands such as Shinedown, Ghost, Architects, Parkway Drive, and Sabaton are the next generation of Download headliners.
All images – Rob Wilkins of Celtography
