ALBUM REVIEW: ​SABATON Continues Proving History Is Cool, Exciting In Its Latest LP, ‘Legends’

By: Philip Sayblack

​Late next month, Sabaton will release its brand-new album, Legends through its new label home Better Noise Music.  Set for release Oct. 17, the 11-song record is another welcome offering from the band both for the veteran power metal band’s established audiences and more casual listeners.  This is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements.  The album’s lyrical content and its companion booklet, which features said lyrics and more background round out the most important aspects of this record. Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation.  All things considered they make Legends one more welcome addition to this year’s already extremely crowded field of new hard rock and metal albums.Legends, the forthcoming latest album from Sabaton (the band’s 11th full-length studio recording), is another welcome new offering from the veteran power metal outfit that will appeal to new and established audiences alike.  The record’s appeal comes in no small part through its featured musical arrangements.  Totaling 11 in all, the symphonic power metal compositions are everything that audiences have come to know throughout the band’s now quarter century life.  The ominous choral intro to the album’s lead-in, ‘Templars,’ is proof positive of how engaging and entertaining this record is, musically speaking, even despite that familiarity.  It is an approach that the band has used in various ways so many times before in other songs throughout its catalog, but somehow it still entertains and engages, especially when joined with the symphonic and power metal instrumentation.  The use of the keyboards in the introduction to ‘Hordes of Khan’ are hardly foreign territory for the band, either.  As if that is not enough, the immediate impact in ‘I, Emperor’ conjures thoughts of other Sabaton songs, such as ‘Soldier of Heaven’ and ‘Christmas Truce.’   As the album progresses through its second half, the band changes things up somewhat, opting for a blend of that noted familiarity and something one might more expect from the likes of Trans Siberian Orchestra, stylistically speaking.  From there, the familiarity continues through to the album’s end, leaving audiences fully entertained as a result of that still so infectious content.
The musical arrangements featured in Legends are just part of what audiences will appreciate about this new album from Sabaton.  The lyrical content that accompanies the record’s musical arrangements adds even more to the album’s appeal.  That is because this is where the band has changed directions this time out.  For the most part, Sabaton has spent the better part of its life composing and performing songs about military conflicts throughout the world’s history and tied in songs about key figures in those conflicts.  Case in point are songs the band has composed about the likes of the infamous Red Baron, famed U.S. Army figure Sgt. York, and the so-called “Night Witches” of the Russian military (who fought against the Nazis during WWII).  This time out, the band opted to focus primarily on famous (and infamous) figures from the world’s history rather than incorporate any songs about military events from history.  It is interesting for the band to go this direction this time out and will certainly engage and entertain audiences.  Featured throughout the album are songs about Napoleon Bonaparte, Vlad II (a.k.a Vlad the Impaler), Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Joan of Arch, the Knights Templars, and others.  The band even pays tribute to the history of its own home nation of Sweden by closing out the album with a song about Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, who became famous not only as a political and military leader, but also a cultural leader.
The note of Adolphus’ legendary status is pointed out through background on the monarch included in the album’s companion booklet.  His musical profile is not the only one that gets its own extra attention.  Each “legend” receives extra attention in the form of a brief, concise background on what makes them such notable figures to this day.  Case in point is how Genghis Khan was more than just a mighty warrior.  As his background notes, he was also a great leader whose “empire became the largest contiguous in history, uniting East and West through the Silk Road…”  For those who may not know, the Silk Road is a legendary trading route that was crucial in economic development of nations in the eastern and western hemisphere. 
The history provided about Napoleon Bonaparte in ‘I, Emperor’ notes his downfall as a result of his ego but also points out the reformations that he brought to the legal system across Europe during his reign.  While those reforms are not discussed at length, that is OK because no doubt this will lead audiences to want to learn more.  In doing so, audiences will gain appreciation for both the good and bad that Bonaparte brought to Europe.  It is yet another example of the importance of that background that the band includes in the companion booklet.  When this and the other profiles examined here are considered alongside the rest of the legends’ profiles, the whole adds even more depth to this record, thus leading to even more appreciation for the album in whole. When the role of the profiles is considered along with that of the very fact that lyrically, the album focuses on people rather than places and dates makes for even more appreciation, as does the familiarity in the arrangements.  All things considered, Legends proves one more positive offering from a band that has itself gained legendary status in the music community.
Legends, the forthcoming 11th album from Sabaton, is a welcome new offering from the veteran power metal outfit that audiences new and established alike will appreciate.  That is due in part to the familiar approach that the band took to each of the album’s musical arrangements.  The symphonic power metal compositions that have built the band’s reputation are just as present here as in each of the band’s existing albums.  At the same time, each arrangement is its own unique work, even with that familiarity in sound and style noted.  The lyrical content that accompanies the album’s musical arrangements builds on the foundation established through that musical material.  That is because this time out the band opted to focus solely on “legendary” figures from history, some well-known, some lesser-known, some famous and some infamous.  There are no songs about military conflicts this time, unlike in so many of the band’s albums.  It is an interesting new direction for the band, especially considering all the different conflicts that the band has barely touched to date (E.g. the Vietnam and Korean Wars, the Civil War, and likely plenty of conflicts around the world through history).  Either way, this new focus is sure to engage and entertain audiences just as much as the content featured in the band’s other albums.  The brief, concise historical background provided about each figure in the album’s liner notes makes for a great starting point for research into each “legend.”  The band is to be applauded here, too.  That is because it is continued proof of Sabaton’s continued commitment to making history engaging and proving its importance.  When this element is considered alongside the album’s musical and lyrical content the whole leaves Legends one more welcome addition to this year’s already extremely crowded field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Legends is scheduled for release Oct. 17 through Better Noise Music.  More information on the album is available along with all of Sabaton’s latest news at:
Website: https://sabaton.net
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