Sabaton - Coat of Arms

Release Date: June 29th, 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Coat Of Arms
2.  Midway
3.  Uprising
4.  Screaming Eagles
5.  The Final Solution
6.  Aces In Exile
7.  Saboteurs
8.  Wehrmacht
9.  White Death
10.  Metal Ripper

Total playing time: 39:53

June 23, 2010

Reviewer: The Stream

Sabaton, the Swedish war-themed power metal leaders, have recently released their debut with Nuclear Blast records, Coat of Arms, their fifth full-length release. After extensive touring to support their 2008 release, The Art of War, these Swedes must have hit the history books hard- they were able to write and record a full album, 90% of which focuses on various aspects of WWII, in under 18 months. Sabaton has become more and more of a household name on the power metal scene lately. Their growing popularity as well as the success of The Art of War left many eagerly anticipating their debut release on NB.

Coat of Arms is an extremely well-researched album, as is expected from Sabaton. Songs focus on both the European and Pacific conflicts, from the perspectives of ground troops, airbourne divisions, and of course the navy. In addition to the variety of war-themed songs that fans have come to expect from Sabaton is something new: tracks that are not directly related to military history. "Uprising" tells the tale of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising which occurred in Poland in 1939. The uprising was 100% civilian driven. "The Final Solution" is a metal ballad about the concentration camps and the attempted genocide that occurred in Germany while "Saboteurs" is written about the brave Norweigans who took it upon themselves to disable the German nuclear operation at Telemark.

This new topical dimension definitely adds depth to the album. Sabaton's previous release The Art of War was different from their past releases in that it was a concept album: tracks were prefaced with Sun Tzu quotations that had direct relevance to the events on which the tracks were based. The introduction of lyrical content that isn't directly related to war as well as the lack of a concept take a little away from Coat of Arms's cohesiveness. The album opens up with the title track, "Coat of Arms," which is about the Battle of Greece, one of the battles in WWII that is frequently overlooked. The tale of the battle of Thermopylae, which occurred long before WWII, is somehow interwoven into the song. This was ambitious songwriting and although none of the other tracks on Coat of Arms are about 2 completely isolated incidents, the majority are well thought-out.

Sabaton has continued their tradition of writing a metal tribute track at the end of the album. The last track on the album, "Metal Ripper," is full of snippets from a variety of metal classics, and is equally if not more fun to listen to than its predecessors, "Metal Crue" and "Metal Machine"

It's a shame that so few metal bands write about historical events. The lyrical content isn't the only reason Sabaton has so many fans, though. Musically, Coat of Arms is a well-executed power metal album. Carefully produced, this album really showcases Joacim Brodén's voice, which sounds more refined than it has on past releases. Similarities can immediately be drawn to the work of Nightwish once the listener hears the galloping triplet riffs, prominent synthesizers, and gruff vocal style.

Coat of Arms features fast tracks like "Midway" and "Screaming Eagles" as well as slow tracks like "The Final Solution," all of which feature Daniel Mullback's skilled drumming. The guitar solos on the album aren't terribly impressive, as one has come to expect from Sabaton. A few arpeggios here, a little sweep picking there, maybe some dual guitar harmonies, and that's the solo break.

The track that stood out the most to me was "Aces in Exile," a truly epic tribute to the Allied fighter pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain. It's an expertly orchestrated, intensely patriotic piece of power metal that is definitely worth listening to. It's also the only metal song that I have ever heard that has the word "Czechoslovakia" in the lyrics. That makes it even more awesome.

Coat of Arms contains all of the elements that make a great power metal album. Although Sabaton has evolved both lyrically and musically and the tracks on this album are all well done, Coat of Arms simply lacks the cohesiveness that you'll find on The Art of War. Feel free to disagree, though- concept albums aren't for everyone. The bottom line is that Coat of Arms will decisively defeat the enemies of metal in true military fashion.

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