About two years ago, Sabaton released their incredible album Heroes and now they’re back with album number eight, The Last Stand – and once again it’s another fantastic offering from them. Sabaton is a very consistent band and it’s always a pleasure to see what they’ve cooked up with each new album.
The Last Stand is an engaging and addictive piece that you’ll keep wanting to return to for one more listen – this isn’t something you can listen to once and then forget about, because it does leave a lasting impression on you. The album is just jam-packed with memorable songs that worm their way into your head, courtesy of the powerful vocals and catchy solos as well as the strong instrumentation backing it all up.
There’s plenty of massive-sounding songs and one of the highlights is The Last Battalion, and it’s no surprise why this song was chosen as one of the tracks to be revealed prior to The Last Stand‘s release because it’s a spine-tinglingly good song that just grabs you as soon as the striking a cappella vocals start before it progresses into a fuller-sounding track with a chorus you’re going to want to sing along to!
However, the highlight of the album has to be Shiroyama. A fast-paced ‘classic’ Sabaton number with big-sounding keys and a high octane chorus, I can already see this track going down an absolute storm live. It sounds like it’s been tailor-made to be performed in front of an audience with plenty of moments to sing and clap along, so hopefully it’ll be a staple in the set of their upcoming tour!
All in all, another fine effort from the Swedish power metallers – once again they’ve created an album to be proud of.
9/10
