Coat of Arms

Sabaton’s star is rising fast. Only four years ago, I saw them as the opening act for Therion. The venue wasn’t full yet but the Swedes gaves their very best. Only two years later they were the first act on Graspop Metal Meeting’s main stage (Graspop is Belgium’s biggest heavy metal festival, with as many as 130,000 visitors during three days). They played at noon, a time when the regular festivalgoer is still sleeping or fighting his hangover. But that day, things were different. Nearly ten thousand metalheads gathered at the main stage and formed the “biggest crowd the band has ever played for”. What is it that makes Sabaton so popular? Their music is rather simple, but very catchy. They produce a harder type of powermetal, and the voice of Joakim Bróden is a little harsh but understandable. And we may not forget that the live performances never disappoint, with every band member full of energy and enthousiasm.

But no performances without music, right, so let’s take a look at that. Coat of Arms is a continuation of the sound of The Art of War. There is no real concept on this album, except maybe that all songs, except for the last one, are about World War II. Fans had the opportunity to send in ideas about events or battles in the past, and the WWII ones turned out to be the most interesting. The lyrics span the entire globe: the rebels in Warsaw (Poland, Uprising) over the Battle of Bastogne (Belgium, Screaming Eagles) to Midway in the Pacific Ocean (Midway). Not every song is about all-out warfare. There is the civil movement in Warsaw, the hidden actions of the saboteurs in Scandinavia, the Holocaust and even a song that looks at the men behind the guns of the Wehrmacht. Enough diversity in lyrics, but how is the music?

The music is pure Sabaton: not so much different from the immediate predecessor, and that’s good. All other three war themed Sabaton albums have a certain diversity in songs on them, and Coat of Arms is even more diverse while containing some completely new things. The opening of the album is a keyboard intro that quickly evolves into a buildup, complete with catchy riffs, to the real song. The chorus is catchy as hell, and clearly inspired by the epic movie 300 (“Blood of king Leonidas”). A great indicator of what else is to come, and a terrific opener for an album.

Every song on this album has its own sound. Midway has a very clear drum rhythm, constant throughout the entire song. This makes that the verses and the harder chorus match perfectly. Joakim’s vocals are deformed in the verses, which is something completely new. The song is one of their shortest. Screaming Eagles is beyond doubt the fastest and hardest song the band ever made: serious headbang material. The Final Solution is dominated by keyboards: they somehow add a touch of emotion to the song to emphasize the very delicate matter the band deals with. Wehrmacht is a lower paced but very solid song, with a bone chilling chorus: several voices shout the chorus, as if it were a song of an army on the march. The Latin verses at the climax of the song are sung by several voices, but Joakim joins them, adding even more power. The instruments sound like a thousand booted feet pounding on the ground. This is an incredible song, and I hope to see this one live.

The other songs are more or less “familiar” in sound, but don’t bore. Except maybe Metal Ripper. The follow-up to Metal Machine and Metal Crüe disappoints a little. The lyrics are taken from various well-known songs (a fun idea), but the music itself lacks in power, or catchiness.

Expect no exceptional technical feats on this album. Coat of Arms is a simple, but very good album. Sabaton proves that less complicated music still can be good, or even be better. The energy the band put in this album can be felt when listening to this one at full volume. Recommended for power and heavy metal fans!