What do history and power metal have in common? Why, it’s the power metal band Sabaton, of course.
Starting in 1999 with their demo album “Fist for Fight,” the Swedish band from Falun began their journey. Their first album consisted of standard metal songs with no real overarching theme across the album. That changed in 2005.
Their first theme album was called “Primo Victoria.” “Primo Victoria” contains several songs about World War Two, an example being the title track, a song about the battle of D-Day. Other examples include “Stalingrad,” a song about the German attack on Stalingrad, and “Into the Fire,” which is about the napalm strikes during the Vietnam war.
As Sabaton’s success grew, they began touring with bands such as DragonForce and Hammerfall. They released more and more albums focusing on historical themes, and went through a lineup change. The longest remaining members of the group are Joakim Brodén (lead vocals and keyboards) and Pär Sundström (backup vocals and bass), both being founding members of the band since its start.
Sabaton’s two latest albums, “Heroes (2014)” and “The Last Stand (2016)” have become notable, with the former focusing on the theme of war heroes in WWII, and the latter being based off famous last stand battles across history.
The band has become more notable in America in recent years as well as across Europe and Japan. Sabaton has also been nominated and won several awards such as the Bandit Rock Awards and Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. The band, alongside their original works, have released covers of songs such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica, and more recently “Kingdom Come” by Manowar.
Sabaton has a YouTube channel where they upload vlogs and updates on the band. They also hold their annual Sabaton open air festival in their hometown of Falun.