Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The last man standing, the glory of the battlefield and the ceaseless noise that continues in the head long after the final bullet has pierced the skin or the last sound on the bugle has recognised victory or devastating loss; war is as old as humanity, it is the struggle against tyranny that keeps it fresh and the hope of freedom that stirs the blood lust.
There are a few songs that have made the issue of war one in which to contemplate, both for and against, there are a minority that have dedicated their entire available minutes on the album and brought out something incredible and decent to show which way the world often turns, from revulsion and aversion, complete pacifism, to the need for vengeance, the revolt and the nostril flaring with the scent of war. It is in this that Sabaton pull out all the stops and bring out an album that conjures up these images in the pounding and heroic salute of The Last Stand.
The Last Stand, even if you are completely against the idea of war, somehow seems to get under the psyche, the underdog against overwhelming odds, the irresistible urge to survive, all of this is arguably instinctive in us as a race and as a species and Sabaton have recognised that compulsion to see off your enemy, no matter the odds against you.
The Swedish Heavy Metal band have made no bones about their catalogue being top heavy with themes of war but in The Last Stand they bring about the idea of resistance in the face of devastating action, whether it is in the legend of King Leonidas and the Spartan 300, The Swiss Guard’s defence of the Vatican during the sacking of Rome or even the defence of Rorke’s Drift, the actions of a few men can live on for a hundred or even thousands of years.
The bone crushing anthems stir the emotions and even if you are on that condemns war, there is a feeling of objectivity taking place, that if it was not for desperate rearguard actions the world would undoubtedly be a different place today, a place where the evils of Fascism might have taken root and have been placated by the Americans had not the British given the world time and the Russians its people. Such things are for speculation but the tracks themselves are energetic, boundless and without mercy.
In songs such as Blood of Bannockburn, Rorke’s Drift, Winged Hussars and in the special moment of finding an extra treat in the cover version of Stan Ridgeway’s Camouflage, Sabaton hammer down with great force the lyrics which give testament and honour to those mentioned, and those perhaps forgotten by history, who refuse to lay down and die or give in meekly to those who wish to destroy them.
A superb album, a heavy metal dream and one of extreme fortitude, a demonstration of music will that reigns down fire.
Ian D. Hall