The Moshville Times - Album Review: Sabaton

War. The band themselves were probably a surprised as we were to find that they were releasing a “part two”, something that wasn’t planned when The Great War was being written. This isn’t a collection of leftovers from 2019’s release, but a bundle of stories that hadn’t been told on that album – some of which came to light too late for inclusion.

The strength of the singles released to date should evidence that this isn’t a throwaway release, the band being out of ideas or conflicts to write about. For better or worse, human history would make this pretty much impossible. As well as the hair-raising “Christmas Truce”, the soaring “Soldier of Heaven” and the suitably bonkers “The Unkillable Soldier” we have eight other tracks. The War To End All Wars also comes across as the closest thing to a concept album since Carolus Rex. While there’s not a direct story throughout it, and we’re used to themed albums (The Last Stand, Heroes, marginally The Art of War) it’s the opening and closing tracks that really give this impression.

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“Sarajevo” introduces the start of the conflict with the assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand, and it’s the sort of song you’d have opening up a stage musical. The closing chapter is “Versailles”, detailing the treaty which brought four years and 102 days of bloodshed to an end. This final song is, if I’m honest, a really cheesy number and with the amount of spoken word I doubt it’ll make the live show. While it’s a rousing, foot-stomping anthem it again sounds more like something from a musical than a metal show.

So those are the bookends. It’s almost a shame that the The Great War didn’t open with “Sarajevo”, for this second volume to end with “Versailles”, while the wonderful “In Flanders Field” could have been tagged on as a bonus track. Regardless, what’s the meat in the sandwich this time around?

“Stormtroopers” is a balls-to-the-wall fast-paced number which gets the adrenaline going after the lighter opening number. “Dreadnought” is as ponderous and heavy as the title suggests. Definitely not as good as previous seafaring track “Bismarck”, this is a different kind of song. I have a feeling this one will grow on me, in a way that Machine Head’s “Beneath the Silt” did.

Sticking to the new songs, “Hellfighters” is as close to a classic metal sound as I’ve ever heard from Sabaton. It’s another belter, typically catchy and will have heads banging involuntarily. After this is “Lady of the Dark”. A bit of googling turns up the fact that this one is about Milunka Savić, a Serbian woman and “the most-decorated female combatant in the recorded history of warfare”. Woah. Certainly someone who deserves an anthem! This is one of the two stories (“Soldier of Heaven” being the other) where the band hadn’t heard the story until they sat down to write the album.

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“Race to the Sea” is a slow starter, but once it gets going really drives. Again, a grower, but followed by the pounding “The Valley of Death”, about the Battle of Doiran. This is one of those songs where you can just picture the visceral video that should accompany it.

So there we have it. Another Sabaton album, their tenth studio release and their first “sequel”. Production is superb, the lyrics are as interesting as always, there’s the usual variety… Sabaton now have a sound that’s as entrenched as the soldiers they sing about. If you don’t like their older stuff, then you won’t be jumping on board with The War To End All Wars. Your loss, but each to their own. However, existing fans will definitely not be disappointed with this release and there are a bunch of tracks on here that I just can’t wait to hear live once the band finally reschedule those tour dates!

Oh, there is also a “History Edition”, but the files we were supplied were a duplicate of the regular edition so I can’t comment on that as yet…

The War To End All Wars is out on March 4th

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