Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Sabaton - Heroes (2014)

My first time listening to Sabaton was over a decade ago, and to this day, I'm quite impressed by how different they are to other power metal bands. Besides the powerful soloing and catchy choruses, there's also a bass-baritone vocalist and lyrical themes of historical wars, breaking the power metal rule of epic fantasy lyrics and falsetto singing. Imagine this conversation between a kid listening to this band and their conservative parent: "NO METAL!!!" "I'M LEARNING HISTORY!" "Oh OK."

Heroes is the epitome of Sabaton's heroic power metal deeds! Sabaton's historical war themes concept has been given more emotion than in their previous albums Coat of Arms and Carolus Rex, making this offering their best masterpiece.

Already starting with epic power is "Night Witches". It has the upbeat heaviness best experienced in The Art of War. The rhyming lyrics are also great. A fun start before the more mature seriousness of later tracks. "No Bullets Fly" flies by with some retro-ish vibes. This is followed by another solid track in "Smoking Snakes". Further dominating is the anthemic "Inmate 4859", so simple yet packing a punch.

Another highlight worth mentioning is the single "To Hell and Back". It starts with a flute melody before another epic heavy experience. It's more midpaced while staying strong in the chorus, lyrics, and even synthesized brass. The best part is the short yet sweet guitar solo. There's just so much power in these 3 and a half minutes! I just wish the band would make long epics, not just radio-sized songs. The closest we have to a Sabaton epic is "Rise of Evil" from Attero Dominatus. The aptly titled "The Ballad of Bull" is one of the most emotional Sabaton songs ever. Then we're back to rifftastic action in "Resist and Bite".

We then have "Soldier of 3 Armies" which is more adventurous despite the somewhat restrained formula. Some Black Sabbath-ish stylings appear in "Far From the Fame" in a heavier fashion plus the usual deep vocals. Another favorite of mine, "Hearts of Iron", closes the original album by marching into the horizon.

There are a few bonus tracks, but we'll just tackle the ones available on Spotify, starting with "7734", a D-tuned re-recording of a song from Metalizer. The next bonus track "Man of War" is an homage to Manowar, referencing many of their songs. I like it, but at times it feels like fan-service, albeit if the fan-service involves shirtless metal warriors instead of scantily clad anime girls. At least we have a strong epic Metallica cover, "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

All in all, Heroes shows that Sabaton are indeed power metal heroes. Not as much as my own heroes as DragonForce, but still. They're a great band with their own unique twists in power metal. Learn history or be history!

Favorites: "Night Witches", "Inmate 4859", "To Hell and Back", "Soldier of 3 Armies", "Hearts of Iron", "7734", "For Whom The Bell Tolls"