Sabaton - Heroes - review
Sabaton - Heroes - review
Tracklist
Disc I01. Night Witches
02. No Bullets Fly
03. Smoking Snakes
04. Inmate 4859
05. To Hell And Back
06. The Ballad Of Bull
07. Resist And Bite
08. Soldier Of 3 Armies
09. Far From The Fame
10. Hearts Of Iron
11. 7734 [digibook bonus]
12. Man Of War [digibook bonus]
13. For Whom The Bell Tolls [Metallica cover] [earbook edition bonus]
14. En Hjältes Väg [Raubtier cover] [earbook edition bonus]
15. Out Of Control [Battle Beast cover] [earbook edition bonus]
Disc II [2015 limited-edition deluxe bonus]
01. Night Witches
02. To Hell And Back
03. Smoking Snakes
04. Far From The Fame
05. Resist And Bite
06. Soldier Of 3 Armies
07. Carolus Rex
08. Gott Mit Uns
09. Karolinens Bön
10. 1648
11. En Livstid I Krig
12. Twilight Of The Thunder Gods [Amon Amarth cover]
Disc III [2015 limited-edition deluxe bonus]
01. Ghost Division
02. 40:1
03. White Death
04. Attero Dominatus
05. 7734
06. Price Of A Mile
07. Talvisota (The Winter War)
08. Swedish Pagans
09. Art Of War
10. Primo Victoria
11. Metal Crüe
A review by
ScreamingSteelUS May 02, 2014
Chris Rörland, Thobbe Englund, and Hannes Van Dahl have done an excellent job of preserving the sound of albums past, stepping into the shoes of their predecessors with the ease of a well-oiled metal machine. Sabaton 2.0 largely remains faithful to the old ways, but new musicians necessitate at least some change; rather than play copycats, they imbue Heroes with a slightly darker atmosphere and some amped-up heaviness. The solos are a tad flashier than those of Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, but just as catchy and memorable, and the drums drive like never before, with grooves deeper than ex-MI6 agent Dusko Popov's cover.
While "Far From The Fame" and "The Ballad Of Bull" are definitely unusual sorts of songs for Sabaton, the folkish riff on "To Hell And Back" and grimness of "Inmate 4859" also indicate that the band is trying out a few new ideas.
When the track list for Heroes was initially released, every fan with an internet connection scrambled to find out which of their national heroes would be immortalized in a Sabaton song. This, for me, is the best part about Sabaton - sharing in the unparalleled sense of pride that fans feel when seeing their countries' favorite sons memorialized. How can you fail when wrapping up history lessons in such glorious choruses? Celebrating such peerless men and women such as Lauri Törni, Karel Janou?ek, and Witold Pilecki, Heroes testifies not only to honor and bravery but to Sabaton's unflagging strength.
"Night Witches" boldly opens the album with a roaring, frenetic "Ghost Division"-style anthem, "Hearts Of Iron" closes with a sorrowful but proud march. In between: glory! "Resist And Bite" stands tall as the piéce de résistance, with "Night Witches" and "Far From The Fame" also competing for the top spot. Of course, it's a Sabaton album; there are no bad songs. There aren't even any songs that are just "good." I got this album this morning and I've already listened to it six times in a row.
Heroes might not have as much blatant experimentation with song structure as 2008's The Art Of War, but the two are certainly comparable. It's the same Sabaton with a few new tricks; something that, like their previous releases, likely won't convert any non-believers (or sound all that different), but that fans will appreciate. Heroes succeeds as mightily as the people whom it so faithfully chronicles.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 02.05.2014 by
Written on 02.05.2014 by
I enjoy music. Comments
Comments:
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Posts: 6716 Written by svartberger on 03.05.2014 at 00:24 Absolutely guilty as charged.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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Posts: 1086
It is clear that this review is written by a fan. The rating does not reflect in the tone of the review though, which was more like 'it ain't great, it ain't bad either, but it won't give haters a run for their money'. This is the impression this review gave me. I just hope that the album will be good, I mean I liked Carolus Rex and I still play it today too but I don't think I have such high expectations.
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Posts: 6716 Written by TheMAGAmvm on 03.05.2014 at 01:07 I think the album is really fantastic, so that rating definitely reflects how I feel. What I meant in that last paragraph was not so much an ambivalent judgment as the recognition that it's similar enough to their past albums that people who disliked Carolus Rex and Coat Of Arms probably won't have their minds changed by this, but if you did like those albums then you'll like this as well. Other than that, I thought the review was pretty overwhelmingly positive. And, of course, clearly written by a fan.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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Posts: 164
I'm not big on Sabaton but I am glad to see a lot of high quality Power Metal albums this year. Last decade has been really dry for me for the most part, but this year it is doing quite well.
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Posts: 2589 Written by svartberger on 03.05.2014 at 00:24 I would argue there are TONS of albums with no bad songs, even though most have 1 or 2 filler songs that are just average. I imagine people will start flocking to this to say "9.6 for a power metal album WTF" because power metal isn't what the cool kids like these days, but I enjoyed reading the review SS, good job. This album sounds right up my alley too.
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Posts: 164 Written by Mattybu on 03.05.2014 at 05:38 Hell, I'd rate the new Gamma Ray, Noble Beast, maybe even Sinbreed and Iron Savior pretty close to this score 
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Posts: 6716 Written by Mattybu on 03.05.2014 at 05:38 I think "___ for a ___ album WTF" is how people generally react to my reviews, but I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like the album, too.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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Posts: 936 Written by LascaillesShroud on 03.05.2014 at 05:39 Pfff. Noble Beast's is among the best releases I've heard in years. Those guys deserve more recognition.
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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Posts: 164 Written by R Lewis on 03.05.2014 at 12:07 Definitely, that album is great - I hope they get through on here at Metal Storm soon. That album is all about riffriffriffriffing
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Posts: 936 Written by LascaillesShroud on 03.05.2014 at 17:22 I think R'Vannith has a review for them in his to-do.
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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Posts: 75 Written by Mattybu on 03.05.2014 at 05:38 what if i tell you i enjoy power metal aswell including sabaton, alestorm, blind guardian and other acts and i never said anything about a power metal album couldn't reach a 10 score i just think you don't expect a review to be tendentious as this one, what is the point of reading a review that will only grow your expectations and eventualy makes you disapointed with the final result? He as every the right to be a fan of the band but at least he must show some kind of balance when he reviews
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Posts: 2589 Written by svartberger on 03.05.2014 at 18:20 The second part of my comment was not directed at you, only the first part was. So the whole "never said anything about this and that" deal, duh. Also, as far as what you just said, it makes no sense for someone who likes an album and enjoys an album to lower their score of it to make it more agreeable. The point of a review is to offer an opinion, not dilute it to an estimated average of where you think the opinions of others will level out to. If he didn't find anything seriously wrong with the album, there is no reason for the review to include negative criticism for the sake of having negative criticism.
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Posts: 6675 Written by Mattybu on 03.05.2014 at 05:38 Written by Mattybu on 04.05.2014 at 03:03 I was going to weigh into this debate/argument, but you've said everything I wanted to say in these two posts, and there's nothing I can add to them.  If this site allowed you to vote up people's posts, you'd definitely get two thumbs up from me. Awesome comments.  For some reason, I've never really listened to Sabaton, aside from the odd song here and there, but I think now might be the time for me to give them a go.
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Posts: 59
The album is deffinetly really good and for me personally, Carolus Rex was their best work.This one could be lined up as their 2nd best, because I doubt they can top Carolus in a way. Its just what I think.
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Posts: 936
Just heard the album for the tenth time or sth like that and I think that's impossible to give 9.6 to a band that's been releasing the same album over and over again for ten years (I know, I know, "The Ballad Of Bull" is something new, but, come on!). This doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable, since it's nice to hear again from them and since with this album I'll be reinforcing my workout playlist. An abundant 8.
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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Posts: 1086
Ok, listened to it, and I have to say I am impressed. I don't necessarily consider this album better than Carolus Rex, but I do think it stands on par. The first part is just goddamn fantastic. A thorough 9.
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Too damn high a score, this is why I stay out of the review portion of sites.
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I think Thorbjörn Eglund other words are better early works when he was in Kalix, specially Winterlong. I didnt see anytjing special in song writing here, I would say Sabaton v0.3 whit next album is way better
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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