Swedish metallers SABATON have released the official music video for their new single, "Soldier Of Heaven". The track is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "The War To End All Wars", that will be released on March 4 via Nuclear Blast Records. Written and recorded during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the concept album of 11 brand-new songs once again dives deep into the atrocities, miracles, and events tied to the early 20th century's World War I. The tenth album of the Falun-based five-piece will be available in an impressive variety of exclusive formats, including CD, vinyl, and cassette, with most available in limited editions.
Between the several battlegrounds of WWI, there was no scene as hostile as the feared alpine front that involved a series of battles at the border between Austria, Hungary and Italy. High above in the alps, men would fight in the most extreme conditions to protect the borders. Today, these fights are infamously known as the so-called "White War", where many soldiers froze to death or were buried by dangerous avalanches. Their dead bodies remain under the snow until today. "Soldier Of Heaven" gives that overlooked chapter of WWI a voice, a tune and an impressive music video featuring both breathtaking special effects and the fatal beauty of this battlefield.
SABATON bassist PÀr Sundström states about the song: "We already released the Christmas Truce and here comes another song which shows the diversity of the new album. In the early listening sessions of the new album this one was noted among most people as a top song and we know that this will be a powerful sing-a-long anthem on future concerts. So study the lyrics, get your ass to a show and make sure you kill corona in the process!"
"The War To End All Wars" track listing:
01. Sarajevo
02. Stormtroopers
03. Dreadnought
04. The Unkillable Soldier
05. Soldier Of Heaven
06. Hellfighters
07. Race To The Sea
08. Lady Of The Dark
09. The Valley Of Death
10. Christmas Truce
11. Versailles
In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén said about the musical direction of the band's new material: "It's very much a SABATON album in that way. We've been an evolutionary band always and not a revolutionary band. There's always surprises on a SABATON album but we're never gonna flip the coin and do something totally different on every song on a new album. There's gonna be surprises on every album.
"It's always subjective," he continued. "I think it's pathetic when an artist goes, 'It's the best album we've ever made,' and they keep promoting the same tired line. I say it's up to the listener to decide that, but I know for a fact that everybody in the band, without even sitting in the same room together, because I sort of shipped out the pre-mixes to everyone, and everybody â this is the only time in our history this has happened â everybody came back with, 'Fuck. That sounds great.' Everybody is super happy with the production. We were always happy before, but it was, like, 'Maybe this, maybe that.' Now it was more like, 'Okay, yeah, I have some suggestions and ideas, but wow.' We're really happy with the sound."
SABATON is considered to be one the most important bands to emerge from the Swedish modern metal scene, having been honored with five Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards (including "Best Live Band" three different years) and nominated several times for the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, the Grammis. In 2016, SABATON's "The Last Stand" album debuted at No. 1 in three different European countries and cracked the Top 3 in four others. Joakim Brodén (vocals), PÀr Sundström (bass), Chris Rörland (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Tommy Johansson (guitar) curate a festival of their own, Sabaton Open Air, that started back in 2008, as well as their own forward-thinking Sabaton Cruise which has been held since 2009.
