The time is upon us for another slab of battle storytelling formed from poignant moments of wartime in the history of our existence, told under the ever graceful and power laden guise of the Swedish aural warlords, Sabaton.
‘The War To End All Wars’ has certainly brought its ‘A’ game when it comes to commanding choruses, complex and intricate fretwork, formidable and dominant beating of the skins and encompassing it all in the signature, powerful and dedicated, vocal effort from the lungs of Joakim Broden.
Once carved open, the album exhibits future anthems, all delivered with dominance and accuracy. The subject matter for the latest opus is that of the ‘Great’ war, aka the First World War. Each track constructing itself around a different aspect of the bloody conflict. The album draws in accounts telling of different countries and their characters involved in the battle, ranging from the specialist soldiers of imperial Germany on ‘Stormtroopers’, to the American Harlem Hellfighters on a track simply known as ‘Hellfighters’. There is also a nod to the many battleships on ‘Dreadnought’ and the infamous moment of peace on the frontline, the ‘Christmas Truce’, which is documented towards the end of the album.
Each track is encapsulated with mesmerising guitar solos, anthemic vocals and seismic drumbeats. Choruses are catchy and influential; solos are used strategically to punctuate tracks with impact and authority while key changes are frequently heard which only add to the effect and the passion for the track on which they proudly sit.
The album is narrated at calculated moments in order to help build on the emotion and expression shown throughout the album, all the spoken words are delivered with belief and sentiment, although I personally feel that the narration is perhaps a little too fluid and copious at times. The album is a direct follow on from ‘The Great War’, chronologically and in the fact that they have each chartered infamous moments from the atrocity that is now sealed within the history books.
‘The War To End All Wars‘ certainly seems to have beefed up and learnt from all of its siblings which have been nurtured before it. Take all of your favourite fragments from previous offerings, inject a healthy dose of steroids and this is your end product. Whilst the album has no standouts per se, nothing to rival ‘Ghost Division’, ‘The Price Of A Mile’, ‘Gott Mit Uns’ or ‘Carolus Rex’ on individual merit, the package as a whole could step ahead of any of the back catalogue in future standings.
Sabaton have not changed up the recipe which is now tried and tested and seen them go from pretty much openers on the Bloodstock main stage to headlining metal festivals and arenas across the globe, and why change something that is monumentally successful and lucrative, there is no need, no need whatsoever. The production on the album is as grand and anthemic as the intention with which it is delivered, each track is dispensed with stadium filling ability and the structure of each track is multifaceted and multifarious, lifting you with an ostentatious and flamboyant structure.
‘The War To End All Wars’ is a vehicle on which you can either board and gain an insight into the history books and the terrible atrocities which our forefathers, relatives and fellow beings that stood before us had to endure, or you can simply jump on board and enjoy the ride for what it is, a bombastic, grand, and magnificent addition to the metal worlds discography.
(8/10 Phil Pountney)
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