Sabaton – Carolus Rex – Album Review

I was first exposed to Sabaton in 2010 at the Sonisphere Festival on Knebworth’s hallowed grounds. I was up early and went to see Sabaton opening the main stage. The crowd was huge and I thought I was in for something special. The rest is history, I’ve been a fan ever since. I was lucky enough to meet singer Joakim in the crowd prior to Rammstein’s headline slot. He showed his class by chatting and enjoying a beer with fans. This just made me take Sabaton a little more to heart.

Carolus Rex is Sabaton’s 7th album and arguably their best release to date. The album is named after the Swedish King, Charles XII, or when Latinised, Carolus Rex. This review could quite easily be a history lesson, but that would probably require a separate review!

On the musical front, the album flows perfectly throughout and doesn’t have you wanting to skip tracks. Carolus Rex opens with a suitably militarial intro before exploding into life in no time at all. ‘The Lion from the North’ mixes a superb blend of fast drumming, choral vocals, solos (guitar and keyboard) and a catchy lyric. The opener is followed by ‘Gott Mit Uns’, a power metal track by numbers. Next track ‘A Lifetime of War’ is a suitably epic piece, of the kind that Sabaton have mastered creating. This song will be an absolute winner in the live arena. It showcases a perfect sing along chorus awash with glorious power chords.

‘A Lifetime if War’ is a definite highlight of Carolus Rex. The same can be said for ‘The Carolean’s Prayer’ and the tremendous title track; both are mid paced affairs with all the style and bombast you expect from the Swedish battlers. ‘Killing Ground’ sees the band step up the pace a little with a very Maiden/Priest sounding effort. You could actually see Iron Maiden, more specifically Bruce Dickinson, doing this one justice. The track is punctuated with a great solo and contains a couple of succinct tempo changes to keep it sounding fresh.

This album will serve only to further Sabaton’s reputation as the leading light of battle metal on the circuit. Their live shows are immensely fun and the band are certainly enjoying the wave that they are on. I, for one, will be hoping that a British tour will not ben too far away!

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Track Listing

1. Dominium Maris Baltici (0:29)
2. The Lion From The North (4:42)
3. God Mit Uns (3:15)
4. A Lifetime Of War (5:45)
5. 1 6 4 8 (3:54)
6. The Carolean’s Prayer (6:14)
7. Carolus Rex (4:53)
8. Killing Ground (4:24)
9. Poltava (4:03)
10. Long Live The King (4:09)
11. Ruina Imperii (3:21)