The Killer Angels

After four singles and an EP, the buzz is high across the globe for this monstrous album. Using American history themes, and an obvious connection the the Michael Shaara novel The Killer Angels, Civil War is branching out into typically untrodden waters. American history is hardly ever on the radar for European bands, or even American bands to be honest because it is apparently not nearly as exciting as vikings and crusaders. That being said, the band pulled off the concept quite well. The Killer Angels definitely lives up to the hype, so fans, brace yourselves for this onslaught of true heavy metal.

The gritty and piercing vocals of Nils Patrik Johansson are the first thing that truly set out to define the album on the opening track “King of the Sun”. Those remarkable and memorable vocals meet fantastic musicianship all around from keyboard accompaniment, moving guitar and bass lines, and simple yet fitting drums. In songs like “First to Fight” and “My Own Worst Enemy” the pace picks up and the drums feature more fills and bring a true punch to the music which I think is where the band truly shines. Then there are moments on the album where the keyboard truly shines along with the bass. “I Will Rule the Universe” and “Rome Is Falling” which are catchy and unforgettable moments on the album that stick with you all day. The album’s end, “Gettysburg” is one hell of a song. It shows off amazing vocal range and ability from softer tenor lines to high and coarse power metal wails. Hymn-like choral features, unique guitar riffs with an amazing solo, and perfectly accented bass lines and drums make this one hell of a power metal track to it’s core. This depiction of pure talent is definitely not short throughout the album.

It is extremely hard to differentiate between the music produced on certain moments of the album and let’s say… Primo Victoria (but when three fifths of a band leave to form a new one, that is somewhat expected). The instrumentation and choir layers especially have a true telltale Sabaton sound. To me, it can’t get any better than the epic, off-to-battle style of metal that these guys managed to write in the past. It’s a unique blend of melody and roughness; so not only are you singing along, but you’ll also be swinging a beer. From start to finish this album is non-stop heavy metal with no filler in between. The songs have a way of getting under your skin, making it nearly impossible to turn off or skip a track. Simply put, the guys have managed to break away from their past while still influenced to a great extent in that style of music. This is absolutely a powerful debut album and any fans of heavy and power metal should be excited to hear it.

“Just as sure as Rome is falling, I’ll be rising again.” couldn’t be a more fitting line for this band. Cheers to you Civil War!

[Originally written for TheMetalReview.com & Metalholic.com]