The poster for Sabaton’s “Legendary Tour” promises a show like no other. To be fair, plenty of bands make that claim. The difference is that Sabaton absolutely mean it — and, crucially, they deliver it.
The evening begins with The Legendary Orchestra, the brainchild of Sabaton’s bassist Pär Sundström, created to bring the band’s music to life on an even grander scale. With an impressive lineup — Mia Asano on electric violin, Patty Gurdy on hurdy-gurdy and haunting flute, and the astonishing vocals and conducting of Noa Grümann — they take Sabaton’s songs and make them somehow even more epic. They are, in a word, sensational.
Their World War I section is a highlight. “Resist and Bite” works exceptionally well, and when Grümann sings, it becomes genuinely spine-tingling. Sabaton’s catalogue naturally lends itself to orchestral treatment — “Sarajevo,” “The Final Solution,” “Resist and Bite,” and especially “Sparta.” But it’s “Swedish Pagans” and “The Last Stand” that take on a truly moving, almost overwhelming life of their own. Seeing a full orchestra perform this material is something rare and remarkable.
And even that doesn’t tell half the story.
Sabaton’s entrance is like nothing else in live music — part theatre, part documentary, almost as if Lucy Worsley had produced a BBC history drama featuring Napoleon, Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan stepping straight out of the textbooks and onto the stage. Then the Knights Templar appear, hoods raised, before revealing themselves to be the band, a brilliantly dramatic flourish that sets the tone for what follows.
A cavalcade of historical figures and themes is brought to life: Genghis Khan returning for “Hordes of Khan,” Napoleon re-emerging with theatrical flair, Caesar for “Crossing the Rubicon.” “Carolus Rex” arrives with more costume changes than your average West End production, but Joakim Brodén reminds the crowd that this is still a metal show — and they want the metal to continue.
Oh, and the pyrotechnics? They’re absurdly loud. One explosion is the loudest I’ve heard in 34 years of gig-going. And it isn’t even the last — “Stormtroopers” brings another detonation, accompanied by performers in German uniforms and a terrific drum solo from Sabaton’s powerhouse drummer Chris Rörland, which ushers in the second half.
A new track, “Tiger Amongst Dragons,” feels huge, and the Legendary Orchestra’s choir return to lift the entire arena. A stunning emotional moment arrives when the venue lights up for “Soldiers of Heaven” and “Christmas Truce.”
Despite criticism over the years for not always playing older material, tonight Sabaton silence that entirely: “Primo Victoria” and “The Last Stand” are enormous, the drums rising high into the air for “Soldiers of Heaven,” and the band snake their way around the arena with smoke machines for “Attack of the Dead Men.”
From there, it’s a charge through almost 20 years: “The Art of War,” “To Hell and Back,” and “Masters of the World,” complete with confetti cannons, during which their sense of fun on stage truly shines. Sabaton are not a po-faced band. They never have been. Underneath the history, the uniforms, the fire, the spectacle — they’re here to entertain.
And entertain they do. In truth, no one else in metal is operating on this scale. Not even Iron Maiden have attempted something quite like this in years. This is arena metal mastery. This is epic. This is a show like no other — exactly as promised.
It’s a long way from the tiny club gig they once played at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton all those years ago. Back then, they were the outsiders, told they belonged in clubs.
Well, look at them now.
They’ve taken over the metal world.
