Podge burst into my office. The grin on his face saying he knew what was up, and I was about to find out very shortly what it was that was up. He carried an air of confidence about him. The confidence of getting your friend a gift you know they’re just going to love. With that grin plastered on his face, he lobbed a USB stick at me.
“Sup bru, check this out.” He said as he casually pulled up a chair to sit beside me. As I reached under my desk to plug the drive in, Podge grabbed the mouse. “You’re not going to believe what I just scored.” He opened WinAMP and fired up an MP3 from the flash drive.
For the next 5 minutes and 16 seconds, we sat in front of my dual 17-inch screens, all out attention focused on the terrible grey speakers I had managed to re-purpose from the back store room. You know the kind – everyone had them in the 90’s. Big, grey, boxy with a treble and bass dial sitting next to an overly bright green LED. While they weren’t the best at conveying anything resembling sound, I could tell straight away that Podge had indeed found something magical. After the song ended, he leaned back, his grin ever wider. “How cool is that bru!” he exclaimed. Awestruck I could only mumble about wanting to hear it on my PC at home. Or with headphones. Or with anything better than 10-year-old computer speakers.
That was in 2009, and that was my introduction to Sabaton. Podge had just played me Panzerkampf and I was immediately taken aback. I did like Power Metal, enjoying some Maiden or HammerFall occasionally, but Sabaton was a different kind of Power Metal. With Sabaton, you could feel the power in the metal. Of course, it also helps that they sing about the World Wars, great battles and real life heros. It also helped that both Podge and I were slightly enamored with World War II.
For a while Sabaton was always on, and we were discussing the stories their songs told. But as with all things, change crept up on us. I continued to get into heavier and heavier music, and Podge listened to the radio mostly. We are still great friends, catching up over Discord and games and WhatsApp when time permits. But I’ll never forget the super casual introduction to Sabaton he gave me.
Over time, my music collection continued to grow, and Sabaton fell out of rotation. A song of theirs would come on, and I wouldn’t skip it, but I wouldn’t activity choose to listen to another one. This happened until they completely fell out of my collection. Moving a collection from physical to digital, and then from streaming service to streaming service (RIP Groove), you tend to lose a few things. Or not add them. “I don’t listen to this anymore” you think to yourself and you put the CD aside.
Two Saturday’s ago, my friend Liam came over for the afternoon. We were doing a music swap afternoon – going through our collections and throwing up a song on YouTube to see if the other liked it. And then with the power of Apple Music, adding it to the collection or the Listen Later playlist. This went on for a good few hours and I think we managed to grow our respective collections quite considerably. But the last song Liam played for me was Bismark – the new single from Sabaton. Right then I remembered all over again why I love this band.
Over the next two weeks, I went through their discography. Rediscovering songs I thought I’d lost or never hear again. And while working one day, I put on their latest album – The Great War. Before the album was finished, I knew this was going on repeat. I knew this would be played while I made dinner. I knew this album would be starred in the Sonos app.
The Great War is the nineth studio album from these Swedish monsters of rock. Yet, everything about this album is simply great. It’s expertly produced, and you know from the very first song. Each song tells an amazing story from World War I, and is bursting with energy. And as for the music itself, well I’m tempted to say that you may have heard Power Metal. But you have never heard anything as powerful as this.
As with Sabaton, this is a concept album – all about World War I. Each song tells a story – the story of a hero, a battle, the war… Listening to Sabaton should be mandatory for all history classes! It’s well worth listening to the album, and then digging to the history of each song. There are some amazing stories that you never hear about. And if you have heard about the story, the song adds a completely different dimension to it.
The album opens with The Future of Warfare and is about the first-time tanks were ever used in war. It also mentions how over the four years of World War I, the technology field completely changed warfare. So straight away you know what type of album you’re in for. Lyrically amazing, historically accurate, awesomely powerful.
Standing in the line of fire
The Future of Warfare
Thirty-two will lead the way
Coming over trench and wire
Going through the endless grey
82nd All the Way is another amazing story, married to an amazing song. Alvin York was a conscientious objector to the war, but when he was called up he went to war. When the war was over, Sargent York emerged as one of the most decorated soldiers ever. In a battle he was under fire from a machine gun nest, and commanding his men to take cover, advanced up the hill. In between shots, he yelled at the Germans to surrender so he wouldn’t have to kill them.
By the end of the fight, he had taken 25 lives and captured 132 others. The 82nd referenced is the Division he was assigned to. After the war he was offered to sell his story as a movie but turned it down saying he did not want to profit from death and destruction. Here is the wiki page for more about this amazing man.
The song that got me listening to this album again and again has to be The Attack of The Dead Men. The story is another one that seems too amazing to be true, and yet it is. Isn’t learning fun?!
During the Battle of Osowiec Fortress in 1915, German Field Marshal Paul Von Hindenburg ordered the bombardment of the fortress with an artillery barrage of chlorine gas to eradicate the 900 Russian defenders. After the bombardment 7,000 German soldiers advanced upon the fortress expecting little to no resistance when 100 disfigured Russians, coughing up blood and pieces of their own lungs, surprised the Germans with a counter-charge. The zombie-like Russians opened fire and attacked the Germans with affixed bayonets causing mass panic and forced the Germans to flee back into their own traps inflicting more casualties. The remaining Russian defenders who survived the gas attacks seized the opportunity to raze the fortress and withdraw while the Germans hesitated.
“The Attack of the Dead Men” spawned German legends about unkillable Russian soldiers rising from the dead to fight.
Osowiec then and again
The Attack of the Dead Men
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the led once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
Reading the back story to each song humbles me. In a time when the world seemed to be ending, men rose up to fight against it. When the world needed them, men gave their lives. Some may have objected but served none the less, knowing it was their duty to protect. Throughout human history, there is always conflict, there are always horors. But as that quote goes; “When there is tradgedy, look to the helpers. Look at the people running towards the danger.”
Where is this greatness I’ve been told?
Great War
This is the lies that we been sold
Is this a worthy sacrifice?
Great war
And I cannot take more
Great tour
I keep on marching on
I play the great score
There will be no encore
Great War
The war to end all wars
This album, while celebrating the heros, and great deeds of The Great War, is also very realistic about the horrors of war. And true horror is seeing what man is capable of doing against his fellow man. And yet, for all the evil that men do, we are also capable of such heroic deeds. This is worth remembering. This is worth holding onto.
The last song on the album is In Flanders Fields, written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. McCrae was a poet, a physician and soldier of Canada. He wrote the poem the day after performing the burial service of his close friend, Alexis Helmer. Helmer was killed during the Second Battle of Ypres in Flanders, Belgium. What a fitting end to an album about The Great War.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
