Sabaton is on their way on becoming a recycle band and it is going to be difficult to negate this for everyone who knows the band from the beginning of their career. I can not say I did not expect this scenario, but I could not predict they would sound so much like previous versions of themselves. In other words, recycling is conspicuous even If you are a casual listener. The Last Stand is just the final conviction.
Although every album has war stories, Sabaton has become too literal in their consistency. It’s one thing to be loyal to your motif, but it is a completely other thing to sound boring. When they teased how The Last Stand is the logical prolongation of the Heroes, they were fucking right. Practically, I could write about Heroes and just paste the text to The Last Stand.
Sabaton plays with power metal, rather than heavy metal, celebrating anthemic, triumphal and epic melodies that constitute melodramatic atmosphere. The loudness and grandiouse production amplify the experience. There are also some natural folk elements, which would be fine If there were no hackneyed guitar riffs and solos. The drums are also not inventive, while the choir singing and synths perpetuate the ersatz. Although Joakim’s vocal have the usual sparkle, ambition, power and authoritative nerve, I often had the impression that it is not as honest as before. It’s like the band is choking itself to death.
Even conceptual idea did not help the material gain on complexity and intrigue. The extraordinary idea about reflecting on multiple counter-attack battles ended up not being executed in a glorious manner. Sparta comprises drama abound, with aggressive rhythm and complex structure. It fits perfectly with the uncompromising battle that occurred 480 b.c. This might be the only song worthy of your attention.
If Sabaton continues to recycle the same story over and over again, they will end up in my recycle bin.
