Sabaton - Carolus Rex review
| Band: | Sabaton |
| Album: | Carolus Rex |
| Style: | Power metal |
| Release date: | May 25, 2012 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
Disc I [Swedish version]
01. Dominium Maris Baltici
02. Lejonet Från Norden
03. Gott Mit Uns
04. En Livstid I Krig
05. 1648
06. Karolinens Bön
07. Carolus Rex
08. Ett Slag Färgat Rött
09. Poltava
10. Konungens Likfärd
11. Ruina Imperii
Disc II [English version]
01. Dominium Maris Baltici
02. The Lion From The North
03. Gott Mit Uns
04. A Lifetime Of War
05. 1648
06. The Carolean's Prayer
07. Carolus Rex
08. Killing Ground
09. Poltava
10. Long Live The King
11. Ruina Imperii
12. Twilight Of The Thunder God [Amon Amarth cover] [Mailorder edition bonus]
13. In The Army Now [Status Quo cover] [Mailorder edition bonus]
14. Feuer Frei [Rammstein cover] [Mailorder edition bonus]
Thundering double bass drums, demented bumblebee keyboards, Joakim's bold cries of war - it couldn't be anything other than Sabaton. Carolus Rex is the Swede's sixth album with an added twist that it is available in both Swedish and English versions. It is also the band's last album with the original line-up, having shed four members a couple of months ago.
Rewind four years to The Art Of War and Sabaton were on top form, by a long way their best album and the world was at their feet. Two years later and Coat Of Arms felt like an album churned out for the sake of releasing an album. Two more years on and Carolus Rex follows the same trend.
Some bands can get away with releasing the same album over and over, from AC/DC to Vader it works for some bands, and it works for Sabaton too. The problems arise however, when the next album along doesn't please you as much as the last and you may just as well listen to that past release. There is no reason why anyone would want to pick Carolus Rex up in favour of The Art Of War for example; they sound almost exactly the same, there are fast and slow songs on both, but that previous album is simply more memorable, more epic, and just better in general.
Carolus Rex is a decent album, it certainly has some good moments. "The Lion From The North" is a classic Sabaton stomper and "Gott Mit Uns" with a hint of folk influence will be a great addition to the band's live show. Perhaps excluding "The Carolean's Prayer" too, the rest of the album is largely uninspired and bland. A great opening couple of songs, but from the bright start to the underwhelmingly dull ending, Carolus Rex unfortunately provides very little to entice the listener back.
Sabaton still sound very much like Sabaton, and those that relish in the band's distinctive sound will no doubt find themselves enjoying Carolus Rex too, but comparing to the electricity and excitement the band brought with Primo Victoria and Attero Dominatus - perhaps it is the right time for Sabaton to introduce some new blood and new enthusiasm into the band.
--
Heavy Power metal
Sweden
Length: 45:10
Nuclear Blast
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 6 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 9 |
Rating:
9.5
9.5
|
Rating: 9.5 |
I must admit that I was disappointed when I first listened to Carolus Rex. By the time this album was released, Sabaton had been firmly established as one of my favorite bands, and from the moment I held Coat Of Arms in my hands I was eagerly awaiting the next masterpiece. Upon first listen, I was a little confused and let down. Carolus Rex sounds more like Sabaton than any previous Sabaton release. I could take literally any song from this album and tell you which older songs had been mashed up to produce it (for example, "The Lion From The North" is "Coat Of Arms" plus "40:1," "Gott Mit Uns" is basically "Union"). Fortunately, I refused to accept that Sabaton could produce anything less than pure, weapons-grade excellence, so I listened again and again until I understood it. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.6
8.6
|
Rating: 8.6 |
Since The Art Of War, Sabaton has been releasing a new studio album in a 2 year cycle. Can we expect something different from Carolus Rex? I am a fan of their works ever since The Art Of War was unleashed with a brilliant adaptation of Sun Tzu's writings. While Coat of Arms lacked spirit and seemed overly recycled, Carolus Rex is a product that seems very similar to their 4th studio effort; with much more force and vitality behind it, one can use an adjective such as catchy for this kind of effort. Same like The Art Of War, Carolus Rex is a concept album revolving around King Carolus (Gustav II Adolf) of Sweden who reigned around the 30 year war period. He is credited to be the king that helped Sweden become an important part of the international community back in the 17th century. Read more ›› |
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Comments: 31
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62012  |
Realising same album works here, yes, because band has deep lyrical enthusiasm and all is concept album. If you like history, what I do, such themes of lyrics and knowlage about some things what mainstream facebookers never will know and understand, makes it work.
---- 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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