Sabaton

Baltimore Soundstage | 9/16/16

By Jay Oakley

Sweden's Sabaton is a killer show. They are currently touring with Huntress and Trivium on Trivium's headlining US tour. Frankly, the roles should be reversed because Sabaton blew Trivium the fuck off the stage.

Touring in support of their latest record, The Last Stand, Sabaton really brought the fury with their style of military based power metal. Opening with "Ghost Division" and "Sparta" the crowd got really rowdy, really quickly and it was awesome. "Swedish Pagans" brought the house down and was easily the standout song of the set. The power that it possesses is like a battle cry as you ride into war. "Lost Battalion" and "To Hell And Back" kept the charge and "Night Witches" and "Primo Victoria" brought the march to a close and the applause was really deafening.

The thing I've noticed about Sabaton is the connection they have to their fans through song and melody. Their songs are like anthems all their own. Powerful choruses that are sung by the crowd. Like I said before, every song is like a call to battle. One of the coolest things to see was their fans love and respect for them. Waiving flags, singing every word and dressing like them, ultimate respect to the grave.

The Fillmore Silver Spring | 5/14/15

Sabaton is a speed metal band from Falun, Sweden. They have released seven studio records and two live records and are touring in support of their latest release, Heroes. I have been familiar with them for years but a casual fan and never seen them live. That's a mistake. They are excellent. Heavy guitars with a strong bass backing and top notch vocals.

They packed a full set of action into a short nine song set due to their songs being somewhat long and being the direct support for Nightwish. Still, they have a feel to them that make them very likable and worth a listen. The set was highlighted by To Hell and Back, Resist and Bite and The Art of War. All very guitar driven songs that clearly feature Joakim's powerful vocals. 

After the rest of the band quit in 2012, Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström continued on with new members. It was an good move because they bring an excitement and energy to a somewhat nitch-market. They are headliners in Europe which has a much stronger scene for that sound but it's still new to the States. However, the venue was packed so it's clear that there is a place for them.