It is finally time to begin my in-depth analysis...
With a resounding crash of triumphant brilliance, Sabaton emerges onto the scene with some of the most immediate, incredible, and unique music to ever come out of power metal! Primo Victoria is certainly not a perfect album, and Sabaton will go on to top it many times over the course of the career, but it has all of the ingredients that put this band at the forefront of their genre.
Primo Victoria – The song opens a cappella, emphasizing the single plight of the soldier facing what lies ahead: certain hell. You can hear that hell as the entire band erupts in the first recorded sounds of Sabaton. They ring true, even dating back to the 6th of June, 1944. The triumphant, straining keyboard line echoes the leap of faith in the hearts of these soldiers. The keyboards drop out as the verse commences, chugging along just as the soldiers barrel on towards the beach. The lyrics are a revelation, a poetic charge that slowly builds until the chorus. The first soldiers on the shore are the first to fall, but this has all happened before and will happen again. Sabaton’s lyrics here speak to the irrefutable, chronic chaos of war. By the time the chorus hits, we hear the voices of nearly 150,000 soldiers chanting together as they march through hell to get to heaven, certain of their victory even though they will likely die in combat. The calling out of the exact date might feel corny or arbitrary to some listeners, but it is a very integral part of the song: this is a day to live in infamy and it must be shouted by thousands to be remembered. We get more of these revelatory lyrics in the second and third verses, where we see the battle from a larger picture and realize that both sides are facing the same horrors. The bridge, “6th of June 1944!”, locks the band in on every hit to create the intense fear of artillery fire, bringing the listener straight to the front lines to experience this terror firsthand. Primo Victoria is a poetic beauty of a song and a perfect introduction to Sabaton. 10/10
Reign of Terror - The first in a pair of songs chronicling harrowing battles in Iraq, Reign of Terror thunders it’s way into our ears like machine gun fire. Double bass and intense riffing open the track as Joakim Brodén paints a vivid picture with his soaring voice and lyrics. To the west and east is chaos and destruction, the abuse of power, and the violent shackles holding down an entire people. The chorus is incredibly catchy, with every band member accenting the lyrics in pure perfection. The breakdown during the bridge allows for a moment of reflection, with swirling guitar solos mixed with intense shredding to focus on the frustration of battle. Incredibly fast picking and hi-hat work guide the nervous bridge, with Joakim leading the assault on the insects of terror directly into their hidey-holes. The intensity here overwhelms the song a bit, as the riffing and melodic structure gets slightly tired, but it must be said that this is simply the most beautiful take on Operation Desert Storm to come from a Swedish power metal band wearing camo pants who have a baritone vocalist. 8/10
Panzer Battalion – Over ten years later, and still without peace in Iraq, Sabaton brings us this ode to the attack forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We open with a solemn Eastern-melody on the keyboard that perfectly encapsulates the additional twelve years of pain and despair endured by the Iraqi citizens. The full band charges in like the armies of four nations storming the desert sand. A truly memorable guitar solo leads us into the first verse, with just pure spitfire coming once again from Joakim. He talks of burying the enemy six feet below and you believe every syllable because of the way he drags out the word as “bee-your-ee”. That line makes a very deliberate, artistic choice, just like the Eastern-tinged riff turnarounds that represent an accurate portrayal of traditional Iraqi cultural music. The anthemic chorus hits like a sledgehammer and will stay in your head for months. The iconic guitar solos duel as blazingly as these armies did in the spring of 2003 and then we are treated to a keyboard-driven bridge section with odd, almost alien, time signatures and beat changes. It’s here you realize that the players in Sabaton are virtuosos in their own right, capable of musical feats of strength beyond the comprehension of the average player. This is none more evident than in the vocals of Brodén, whose emotive and melodic singing seems to have unlimited range and character. His delivery of “rivers of blood in our track” during the verse is stellar, but it’s his ending vocal runs on the final chorus (specifically the way he belts out “guns go live” and “like a man” with impeccable clarity) that really showcase his talent. The band ends in a drum-solo frenzy before a final hit – the last of the cannon fire from the panzer battalion. It’s another powerhouse of a song that sounds far too good to come from a debut album. 10/10
Wolfpack – Rushing water and the sonar system beeps of a submarine set the mood for this next track, and what a track it is! Wolfpack manages to improve on the previous three songs and push Sabaton to new heights of songwriting brilliance. The lyrics this time describe a battle of sonic waves and underwater artillery as the Kriegsmarine battle the rival subs Gleaves, Ingham, and Bury (pronounced identically to the term “bury” in the previous song – another subtle artistic choice that only the keenest of fans will discover). The lyrics, music, and melodies are so strong and so evocative that these submarines almost take on individual personalites. You’ll be rooting for your favorite character throughout the entire track as Joakim shouts out numbers, war plans, and specific battle descriptors. Yet, there is still a hidden emotional message in Wolfpack, like when the title group appears, for instance, you can just slightly hear the shouts of “no, no, no!” to emphasize the personal struggles of the sailors and soldiers onboard these underwater weapons of war. The pre-chorus uses sliding power chords and tom-tom drums specifically to build tension as the chorus erupts. The wailing bluesy guitar solo speaks of the human heart, the hope for survival, and the submarine warfare that exists inside of us all. It culminates in a syncopated vocal assault that describes the climax of the battle with another odd time signature that defies all musical expectations. Joakim’s final emotive vocalizations feel almost improvised, ripped from the pure bubbles of terror churning up from the ocean’s depths. 10/10
Counterstrike – Drums pummel their way into this barnburner, beating down the doors and leading the way for Eastern riffs that scream of Israeli bravery. The guitars are firing on all cylinders here. Counterstrike is easily the most energetic track on the album and what better subject matter than the near-Biblical Six Day War of 1967? Everything is pumping along here and spelling out an accurate depiction of a brief war that saw three nations fall to the power of those protecting the Holy Land. The high velocity solos, especially the buzz saw keyboard (a patch that demonstrates the razor-quick efficiency of Israel’s army), are wonderful and the pounding, syncopated bridge is nice. The vocal effect during the final verse feels a bit out of place, probably the only moment on the album that sounds inauthentic to the topics being discussed or slightly overwrought. Another brilliant depiction of warfare, but it lacks some staying power. 7/10
Stalingrad – The riffs keep coming in this tune, although the band feels a bit off-kilter. The tonalities here seem more fitting to a different subject matter and the vocal melodies are occasionally forced or non-existent. Lyrically, it’s another masterpiece, however. Never have the horrors of combat been summed up better than in the line, “When your time comes you will know that it’s time.” Joakim compares the armies and fighting to music, generals are conductors, violins are guns, the battle itself is “the devil’s symphony.” It’s a truly poetic distinction and a unique lyrical parallel that stands out amongst the best metaphors or allusions in history. I do love the riffing at 2:15, especially once the double bass and ride cymbal kick in. The subsequent chugging section and solos are astounding. A subtle keyboard begins the duel with an unobtrusive, silky patch before the guitar fights back. These solos conjure images of the “Rat War” taking place between the Germans and Russians in the story. We break it down towards the end with a brief volume swell solo that momentarily hints at the ruin that will cripple the city for years to come. There are great things on display in Stalingrad, but this is one of the weaker moments on an album full of immediate classics. 6/10
Into the Fire – Beautiful acoustic guitar and keyboard swells open this song and it’s a marvelous change of pace. That calm is shattered, of course, by quick pedal riffs and double bass as the song truly begins. The lyrics here tell the tale of deadly napalm as it burns men alive, but they also draw provocative associations between soldiers and beasts, war and adrenaline, and the fire that burns inside a soldier as he prepares to burn other soldiers. It’s hard-hitting stuff, but the song falls a bit flat due to the “stock” sound of the music. Though Joakim and Sundström’s lyrics are as emotionally challenging and vital as ever, the tune simply lands in the average pile. There is a nice harmonized guitar section that would remind any Vietnam veteran of the slimmest of hope they carried in their minds while trying to outrun napalm strikes, but otherwise this song does not do much for me. 5/10
Purple Heart – Speaking of veterans, this next song urges us to remembrance with a solemn keyboard intro. The keyboards dominate the main riff once the band enters, as well, acting as a surrogate for the courageous lost souls discussed herein. The Purple Heart is a medal given to United States soldiers who have died or been injured in battle and this wistful, respectful song captures the spirit of those heroes. Angelic choirs mesh with the heavy stomp of the drums and churning guitar riffs while Joakim plays the preacher presiding over the family of the fallen. His final whispered verse is a treasure of subtlety. The second half of the song simply explodes like a sudden memory of wars gone by, an energetic reverie of the horrors experienced by these men and women of valor. It’s an engaging track that, like those dead and injured soldiers, will sadly be forgotten as attentions set on the livelier first half of the album. 7/10
Metal Machine – If there’s one true misstep on Primo Victoria, this is it. I feel that the fun, silly nature of this reference-laden song drags down the poetry that comes before it. Although I get a kick out of some of the references from bands and songs that I love, this isn’t what I came here to experience. Sabaton are at their best delivering heartbreaking, staggering works of war-themed emotions, not when throwing out lines devoted to St. Anger and oral sex. 1/10
Album Rating – 7.1/10