The battle is primed and ready for arenas
Anyone who has seen Sabaton on one of their frequent visits to the UK in the last decade or so knows the drill. Joakim Brodén and whatever troops he’s gathered together for the assault (staggeringly the line-up here is the same as the 2014 release “Heroes”) come out to “The Final Countdown”. Now, everyone knows that Europe rule (this is fact by the way, MV will not enter into any form of debate about this point) so it’s is jolly decent that Sabaton should conclude things here with “The Last Battle” and fill it up with parping keyboards and a level of bombast not seen since Joey Tempest rocked the night in the mid-1980s.
But then, everyone who saw Sabaton on their springtime sortie to these shores knows that the band are on the verge of making it as big as their musical intentions. Adoring fans, sold out venues and a show as slick as you like they – and their battlebus parked outside – were on the top of their game.
Viewed in that context “The Last Stand” is nothing more and nothing less than a lap of honour followed by a tikka tape parade.
Everything about every single song from “Sparta” onwards sees them hone what you already knew they could do and polish it up with an arena rock sheen. “Last Dying Breath” is particularly mighty, “Blood Of Bannockburn” (which makes Bagpipes sound palatable for goodness’ sake) is better still, and “The Lost Battalion” finds a drum riff somewhere between “Lay Your Hands On Me” and “Rock Of Ages” and crushes everything in its path.
“The Last Stand” is absolutely comfortable in its skin – moreover it is totally proud and unapologetic about it’s aims. “Rorke’s Drift” and “Hill 3234” are both galloping heads down metal things, whereas the title track is unabashed power metal – with a capital P.
And if the suspicion abounds that this is Sabaton at their least experimental got a while – not that they have ever gone Dubstep on us you understand – “The Last Stand” finds them at their most thumping. Seemingly everything on it is designed to be played in a big venue and/or big field to a big crowd.
A record that simply doesn’t think the phrase “less is more” applies. “Shiroyama” and “Winged Hussars” absolutely soar, and even the spoken word piece “Diary Of An Unknown Soldier” is brilliantly overblown.
The one thing it is, though, is short. Nothing here outstays any welcomes, Sabaton are too savvy for that. They are also at the peak of their powers here. They’ve never made a bad record, but with “The Last Stand” they might have made the best of their career.
All you can do is surrender – the war is over.
Rating 9/10
