Sabaton - The Last Stand

Sabaton The Last Stand cover
Sabaton
The Last Stand
Nuclear Blast Records
2016
7.5
Sabaton are back with a new album that deals with war in general. This time the band works around the idea of some famous “last stands”. They have done a research for some really fascinating “last stands” over time from all over the world and they decided to sing for those who gave their lives for basic human values like freedom, fatherland, honor and so on.
 
The first and most known example is the Battle of Thermopylae with King Leonidas, of Sparta, and his 300 Spartans, along with 700 Thespians & 400 Thebans. Another great sample is the Battle of Shiroyama, which was the last battle of the last true Samurai Saigō Takamori. Anyhow any of the 11 tracks tell a different story and the band has done a quite good research so as to write the lyrics.
 
The album was engineered, mixed and produced by Peter Tägtgren and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren. The spoken words on “Diary of an Unknown Soldier” are by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth). The production is powerful, full and heavy. Sabaton never disappoint on that part. So be ready to play this album really loud.
 
Musically the album moves in the last known paths of the band; epic metal, heavy metal and power metal with symphonic elements. I think those who have been following the band all these years know exactly what to expect. My only objection is that the album is hardly over 36 minutes (without the 3 bonuses) and that Sabaton are following a “certain songwriting formula” that sometimes makes you wonder “where have I heard that thing before?”. Other than that, I did enjoy the album and there’s no doubt that you will also relish it, especially if you fancy war-like themes & epic metal on the whole…