Sabaton are a Power Metal outfit from Sweden with a focus & inspiration on true war stories from the two world wars and other conflicts. Hero's is there 7th album since there inception in 99. I decided to give this a spin after a recommendation from a commenter here on the blog. What i found was a decent record, but it is unable to turn me onto Power Metal, which i have already struggled to click with.
This album was a refreshing break from the magic and fantasy themes so commonly explored in Power Metal. War & patriotism is a bit of a touchy subject for me, however i found the lyrical content to be focused on the tales of soldiers who gave there life's for a cause, and this for me was enjoyable, however on "The Ballad Of Bull" i found myself a bit bemused. "Sometimes war is killing, sometimes its saving lives, its the judgment of fate, its nothing that man can dictate" No, just no. War is killing, war is made by man.
For me, the music behind the theme was pretty decent, but nothing special, there were not many moments that "blew me away" or stuck in my mind, and the leads/solos are pretty forgettable. The highlights for me were the rhythm guitar which was always solid, and the vocals! Joakim Brodén has a really distinctive voice, and i enjoyed the way his Swedish accent would leave its mark on some words, yet not others. It added a nice flavor to his mark on this record. Overall, pretty enjoyable but Power Metal still doesn't quite do it for me.
Favorite Tracks: Resist And Bite, To Hell And Back
Rating: 4/10