Sabaton

Definitely a little too poppy, but I think that's mostly a production issue. Why are the guitars so quiet and why is the keyboard so loud?
 
Honestly, Sabaton have always been poppy. Most of the time however, I'd still have said they were more metal than pop. I think it tilted with this album.
 
How could Sabaton not be poppy to someone who thinks Infant Annihilation sound good?
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Hmm... So far I'm not sure what to think. Sparta was pure "Sabaton by numbers", exhausted even, IMHO, Last Dying Breath is great, Bannockburn is... controversial (though repeated listens are surely beneficial), Diary is not even a song... let's see about The Lost Battalion.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Camouflage is actually one of the more unique songs on the album, wish it had been included on the actual album. The chorus lyrics are certainly dreadful, though.
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Oh indeed, I'm looking forward to this one. I'd forgotten all about that song, but it has to be the most ready candidate for a Sabaton cover there is.
 
Has anyone heard Afraid to Shoot Strangers yet? It looks like it's only in one of the special edition CD packages.
 
First impressions:

I'm liking it so far. It does sound a bit more electronic here and there, and there is something about the production that's pop/dance style, but not really the music itself. A hint of glossy 80s rock, perhaps? There's not a lot that's instantly catchy, that's what marks it out as different to previous albums.

Loved the first two tracks for the drama, and I definitely wasn't expecting Rorke's Drift to be a fast one. There's nothing terrible on the album (I could never get by with Ballad of Bull), it's generally solid Sabaton fare. Bannockburn is better in context of the full album, although I can't get away with that cheeriness, even if it's fitting with the Scottish pipe music effect.

Winged Hussars is in a similar vein to Carolus Rex, which isn't a bad thing at all since that's my favourite Sabaton album, with a touch of Art of War in the chorus. Probably my favourite track after first listen. The Last Battle is the most catchy track to me. Camouflage is a classic Sabatonised cover, although I'd fully expected something slower and closer to the rhythm of the original, which is surprisingly Sabatonny in its own right. It's got whoa-ohs in it, so a possible live song. Not sure about the Priest cover. Not bad but not sufficiently different, really.
 
I also do not have Afraid to Shoot Strangers.

My thoughts are similar to Brigs. The standout track - and guaranteed live staple - is Winged Hussars. I also quite liked Rorke's Drift, Shiroyama, The Last Stand, and The Final Battle. But the entire album is structured around the first time you hear that chorus. "And the Winged Hussars arrive!" It's peak Sabaton on an album that tries very hard to hit peak Sabaton.

3.5/5
 
LooseCannon said:
It's peak Sabaton on an album that tries very hard to hit peak Sabaton.
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I think that perfectly defines the album. After only two listens, I truly enjoy the whole thing, but I believe it will far somewhere near Coat of Arms on my favorites list. It tries very hard to pull every single Sabaton trick out of the book and put it into the songs, but none of the songs jump out as being immediately amazing. There's not a single song I dislike, however, so that means my opinion of the album can always go up.
 
Sabaton's new guitarist is Tommy Johannson. Apparently, he was asked to join the band in 2012, but declined then.

I'll definitely miss Thobbe, since he's the only non-Bulgarian musician speaking Bulgarian during gigs. :(
 
That was...odd. Why the melody change in the verse? It sounds too regimented. I didn't know it was possible to make Iron Maiden melodies sound more regimented...I thought it would get better when the band kicked in, but honestly it just sounds like a demo.

Sabaton don't belong covering anything that isn't Judas Priest or Amon Amarth.
 
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