SABATON ARE NO strangers to stagecraft. They are, after all, the band that came onstage at Bloodstock 2019 in an honest-to-gods tank (now the world’s most threatening drum riser), rising to their status as an arena-headlining band through sheer dogged determination and some of the catchiest European power metal songs in the business.
With their 10th album on the horizon and a litany of rescheduled tour dates looming large (including their first ever full-scale UK arena run), the band shipped a contingent of press out to the Belgian capital of Brussels in November for an educational field trip to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History for a sneak preview of the new album.
No, Sabaton haven’t gone Star Wars prequel George Lucas on us to delve into international trade disputes in the EU – rather, they’ve doubled down on the motifs first laid out in 2019’s The Great War for a full-on concept record based around the First World War. Taking to the stage amidst cannons and heavy artillery, and with actual fighter planes suspended from the ceiling above, Sabaton never looked more in their element than when they introduced new album The War To End All Wars with a live listening session.