Swedish act Sabaton are back with their seventh album of war themed power metal, titled Heroes. After some major line-up changes in 2012, the band seems pretty settled now with original member Joakim Broden (Vocals, Keyboards) joined by Chris Rorland ( Guitars, Backing Vocals), Thobbe Englund (Guitars, Backing Vocals),
Par Sundstrom (Bass, Backing Vocals), and Hannes Van Dahl (Drums). The formula has also remained pretty consistent, as the band have once again created a melodic, anthem centered collection of power metal songs steeped in lyrical themes of historical wars, battles, and, well, heroes.
Most metal fans I talk to either love these guys or loathe them, and to be honest, I've never fully warmed up to their brand of swagger fueled power metal, but there's no denying the immediacy & accessibility of tracks such as "Night Witches", "Smoking Snakes", "Inmate", and "From Far the Fame", each one containing compelling, sing-along choruses that compel you to grab your pint of ale, raise it to the heavens, and join in on the fun. Musically, there are riffs galore and plenty of symphonic keyboards, as on the engaging "No Bullets Fly" and the Celtic flavored "To Hell and Back", and while Broden's over the top delivery might not be for everyone's tastes, you have to admit his vocal style does fit this brand of metal. And it doesn't get more 'epic' sounding than "Hearts of Iron", a real majestic song that closes out the album in style.
Much like 2012's Carolus Rex, this is a pretty damn good album, and despite my reservations (which are more towards this style of power metal than Sabaton themselves) I can only highly recommend Heroes. Sabaton might not be a band I reach to often, but any genre fan will need to have this in their collection.
Track Listing
1. Night Witches
2. No Bullets Fly
3. Smoking Snakes
4. Inmate 4859
5. To Hell and Back
6. The Ballad of Bull
7. Resist and Bite
8. Soldier of Three Armies
9. From Far the Fame
10. Hearts of Iron
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