Sabaton
Heroes on Tour

So, I reviewed one children’s metal band in Sharky Sharky who makes humorous music that is not meant to be taken seriously just recently and now it is time for another one of those bands that cannot be taken seriously, Sabaton. Sharky Sharky deals with things under the sea and such things, a positive album while this is a bit more sarcastic or ironic with themes around war and things. They are a bit like small boys playing war; most of us outgrow this while others don’t. But really, tanks on stage, gay outfits and such things, can you really take Sabaton seriously?

Well, in the last five years they have released more live albums and videos than they have released actual albums – that is one thing that I think gives cause for alarm. I think live albums and compilations should be reserved for special occasions and released very sparsely, not every other year because how much do you evolve in three years? Well, asking how much Sabaton evolves in any number of years is of course just a rhetorical question, their music is the same now as it was when they started out. War themed schlager music, music that people in their fifties dance to while slightly intoxicated at dance venues. Besides the bloody and silly lyrics their music is as inoffensive as music can be, it is made to slightly appeal to everyone and alienate as few as possible, a commercial project trying to reach as wide an audience as possible – kind of like a blockbuster movie, no content just a flashy facade.

This is of course video material, I recommend seeing it on DVD because in HD it might hurt your eyes. But it is preferable to see them like this rather than live as you can turn it off. The video recording is okay, neither good nor bad I would say. One funny thing I noticed when watching the video from Wacken was the guy that looked exactly like the vocalist who held a sign saying Gay Division, I wasn’t aware that Sabaton needed a gay division, I thought they were all extremely gay as it was. I have always admired their will to display their sexual orientation so clearly when performing for fans that I believe are generally quite homophobic. But without diverting too much from the album at hand I have to say that neither the music, nor the video quality is particularly impressive – it seems, as I stated earlier in the review, made to be as broadly accepted as possible, especially to children and their parents. I think it is quite boring and that the album Heroes was a lot better as it was at least acceptable and not as ridiculous as this.

I know that I do write about music voluntarily and I have only myself to blame for spending hours dealing with utter nonsense and then feeling that I have wasted a substantial portion of my life, but I still would like the chance to go back in time to undo the decision that led me to playing through this crap. I could have been watching the themes for Duck Tales and Scooby Doo over and over again as that would have been a more rewarding use of my time. But then again, that would have made it impossible to review this DVD-release that is one of the more pointless ones I have reviewed in 2016.

In the end I think that fans of Sabaton will enjoy this as it is as dull and childish as everything Sabaton does and this is neither better nor worse than anything else they have done but the answer is no. I prefer Sharky Sharky’s recent album over this one as that is a much better choice when it comes to silly childish hardrock and that album makes me happy while this one just make me cringe. The same is true when it comes to the lyrics. To be honest I think Sabaton can be described as tragic, ridiculous and completely uninteresting and I doubt I will add any of their titles to my record collection any time soon – this title is certainly one I will flush down the toilet now that I am done with it.

HHHHHHH