The Sabaton tank has been steamrolling through new territories these past few years, gaining a sizeable audience in North America and they continue to keep the momentum soldiering through with their new album The Last Stand. Sabaton has settled into a nice groove and delivers exactly what you would expect: stories about war surrounded by marching rhythms, upbeat guitar chords, glowing keyboards, and the furious roar of the charismatic Joakim Broden. To put it simply: if you love Sabaton then you will surely love this and if you don’t, then you still won’t.

Sabaton doesn’t mess around with this album sitting at just below 37 minutes with only one track over 4 minutes! The proud Swedes have really taken the phrase “keep it simple, stupid” to heart. There are no ballads, tracks don’t last longer than they should, and the riffs and the rambunctious keys are kept simple but catchy.  The first single “The Lost Battalion” is Sabaton in a nut shell: a chanting chorus onpoint for the live setting, Broden weaving a tale of a warn out army, and an uplifting solo. The title track is pure perfection; the opening guitar part just radiates the feeling of wanting to carry the flag into battle and hands down is one of the top tracks in the Sabaton catalogue. 

The Last Stand is overall a more upbeat album than 2014’s Heroes, but doesn’t beat the masterpiece of Carolus Rex. Sabaton are now eight albums into their career and have clearly found a formula that works for them that sometimes I think it’s time for them to loosen up a little and try something different, but on the other hand I love them for just the way they are. So while I want to chastise them for firing the same cannons, The Last Stand is an example why it’s hard to complain for sticking to a plan that works so well.