Olympic Football at Wembley

I still can't believe I have seen an Olympic event! Yes I saw the double header football at Wembley yesterday. First match was Senegal and Uruguay which saw quite a shock with Senegal winning 2-0 with 10 men even for most of the game. The second match was GB v UAE and again it was a decent game. UAE played quite well after old man Giggs had given GB the lead with a header. UAE could have gone in front after equalising but GB stormed back with some luck and a good finish from Sturridge for a final score of 3-1. Olympic football is quite a muted atmosphere at times but still fun nevertheless. To my utter amazement I heard some man singing opera from the top tier when it was quiet! He got a big ovation as well...totally bizarre!  I am due back at Wembley on Saturday for the quarter final match in Olympic Football. Here are some photos from the day.

Forthcoming Gigs

Looks like I ain't gonna get anywhere near last year's personal record of 20 gigs that's for sure, but the second half of the year as always looks stronger than the first. Granted I've been a bit lazy in the first half and missed quite a few gigs that I would normally attend. I also missed Edguy having bought a ticket due to heavy snowfall. I just didn't the fuck fancy trekking through ice and snow just for some silly Germans! lol! So far I've been to the paltry sum of 3 gigs this year which is a pretty poor return for sure. I even missed Megadeth for fucks sake and i never ever miss them. The damn ticket was too expensive I'm sorry Dave there was a forclosure on my wallet! Maybe I'm getting too old and tired for this gigging game, it creeps up on the best of us believe me. Anyway I have bought some tickets to forthcoming gigs and also listing possibles for my attendance should I feel like it closer to the date.

Jon Oliva's Pain playing in full 'The Hall of the Mountain King': 15th Aug. This coming Sunday. Hate Sunday gigs. Hate'm. I'd like to see this maybe but i am not really fussed so I'll miss it. I saw Savatage before. Jon was huge. Only God knows how big he is now!

August 2012 -Zilch.

September 2012

Firewind & Leaves Eyes: London O2 Islington Academy 22nd - Ordered the ticket. Firewind never lets me down live. Leaves Eyes will be interesting although I don't like them. Love Liv though!

Dying Fetus & Cerebral Bore & Revocation & Job for a Cowboy: London Underworld 23rd - A possibility but not so excited. I like Dying Fetus though and I just wanna see the pits. Like Revocation a lot too. Comes the day after Firewind and 2 gigs is too much for this lightweight!

October 2012

Dragonforce & Alestorm & The Defiled & Cavorts: London Shepherd's Bush Empire 6th - Ordered the ticket. Gotta check the 'Force with the new boy. Alestorm was a riot last I saw them with Sabaton. The other two bands must be pure shite. Remind me to turn up late-ish!

Overkill & 3 Inches of Blood: London O2 Islington Academy 7th - The day after Dragonforce? Gig sounds good though. 3iob I've already seen this year and they killed it. Overkill I saw on the Ironbound tour and they tore the roof off. No ticket yet but possible however can I manage two gigs in two days!

Evile & Wolf:London Garage 28th - No ticket yet but definite possible. Evile have always kicked my ass badly every time I've seen them. Wolf is fun live too. Last time I saw them supporting Accept.


November 2012

Kamelot:
London HMV Forum 7th - No ticket but maybe I'll give them a go possibly. Last time I saw Kamelot with Khan I was bored silly. Maybe I was in a bad mood or the sound was bad or the venue was super packed but I didn't enjoy it at all.

Luca Turilli's Rhapsody: London O2 Islington Academy 12th - What the fucking fuck! I ordered the ticket like in prehistoric times. I'm not gonna miss seeing Luca for the first time ever am I!

Nightwish: London O2 Brixton Academy 5th - You know I swore blind I would never see non Tarja Nightwish but blow me down I might go to see this cause the last album was really good after hating the initial album with Annette.

Sabaton:London HMV Forum 9th - As if I can ever miss Sabaton, Ticket bought!

Sodom:London Underworld 18th - Classic Teutonic thrash? It's a possible.

December 2012

Nada.

Will be lucky to reach 10 gigs this year at this rate. I must be false metal!!!

2012 half year lists

So half the year is over and it's time for a run down of what's been hot on the old death deck. It's been a really solid first six months personally speaking. I have found many albums that I like and even love although I am not sure it's quite on 2011 levels but there are still six months left and you never know what surprises lay ins store for the metal fan for the rest of 2012. For the record, I am on 99 albums liked for 2012 and you might as well call it a ton cause it's sure to increase sooner or later. Expect another 100 in the next 6 months! Here is the list in alphabetical order. The albums in red are my particular faves compared to the others. Below that are my favourite 20 songs of the year so far in no particular order and with only one song per band.

3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal
Abnormality - Contaminating The Hive Mind
Accept - Stalingrad
Adrenaline Mob - Omerta
After All - Dawn of the Enforcer 
Aggression - Viocracy
Amberian Dawn - Circus Black
Angelus Apatrida - The Call 
Ascension - Far Beyond the Stars
At Vance - Facing Your Enemy 
Axel Rudi Pell - Circle of the Oath
Before The Dawn - Rise Of The Phoenix 
Black Breath - Sentenced to Life
Bludvera - Terrorform 
Bonded By Blood - The Aftermath
Brute - Sophisticated_Atrocity
Burning Point - The Ignitor 
Cannibal Corpse - Torture
Capracide - Theodicy
Charlie Shred - st
Coffin Texts - The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual
Damnation Angels - Bringer Of Light
Deadborn - Mayhem Maniac Machine 
Derelict - Perpetuation
Divulgence - Future Seed 
Dragonforce - The Power Within 
Dynazty  - Sultans Of Sin
End Of September - st
Eradicator - Madness Is My Name 
Eternal Dream -The Fall Of Salanthine
Eternal Of Sweden  - Chapter I
Exumer - Fire & Damnation 
Fear Factory - The Industrialist
Firewind - Few Against Many
Flayed Disciple - Death Hammer  
Freedom Call - Land Of The Crimson Dawn 
Gaia Epicus - Dark Secrets 
Game Over - For Humanity 
Gorod - A Perfect Absolution 
Grand Magus - The Hunt
H.E.A.T  - Address The Nation
Hardline - Danger Zone 
Hideous Divinity - Obeisance Rising
Horrizon - Time For Revenge
Ian Anderson - Thick as a brick 2
Jaded Heart- Common Destiny
Janus - Nox Aeris 
Jorn - Brind Heavy Rock to the Land
Kissin’ Dynamite - Money, Sex & Power
Kreator - Phantom Antichrist 
Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline
Lanfear - This Harmonic Consonance
Light Bringer - Genesis
Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Ascending to Infinity
Lyriel - Leverage
Mad Maze - Frames of Alienation
Morian - Ashen Empire 
Municipal Waste  - The Fatal Feast
Napalm Death - Utilitarian 
Nightmare - The Burden of God 
Offending - Age of Perversion 
Otherwise - True Love Never Dies 
Outloud - More Catastrophe [EP] 
Overkill  - The Electric Age
Oxygen - Final Warning 
Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol  
Pathfinder - Fifth Element
Pharaoh - Bury The Light
Poets Of The Fall - Temple Of Thought 
Primal Fear - Unbreakable 
Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression 
Rage - 21
Reinxeed - Welcome To The Theater 
Revel In Flesh - Deathevokation 
Rise To Fall- Defying The Gods
Running Wild - Shadowmaker 
Sabaton  - Carolus Rex
Sacred Gate - When Eternity Ends
Scarlet Anger - Dark Reign
Shinedown  - Amaryllis
Shores of Elysium - The Arbiter's Clockwork
Skull Hammer - Destroyers of the Faith 
Sonic Station - st
Soulfly - Enslaved
Stargate - Beyond Space and Time 
Suicidal Angels - Bloodbath
Sunstorm - Emotional Fire 
Tank - War Nation 
Teramaze - Anhedonia 
Testimony - Transcending Reality [EP]
The Forsaken - Beyond Redemption
The Veer Union - Divide The Blackened Sky 
Thrashist Regime - Fearful Symmetry 
Unisonic - st
West Of Hell - Spiral Empire
White Skull - Under This Flag 
Wig Wam - Wall Street
Words Of Farewell - Immersion 
Xandria  - Neverworld's End 

Top 20 songs:

3 Inches of Blood - Leather Lord
Accept - Twist of Fate
Ascension - Somewhere Back in Time
Bludvera - Terrorform
Cannibal Corpse - Rabid
Dragonforce - Cry Thunder
H.E.A.T - In and Out of Trouble
Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Dark Fate of Atlantis
Paradise Lost - Fear of Impending Hell
Poets of the Fall - Morning Tide
Pathfinder - The Day When I Turn Back Time
Sabaton - The Carolean's Prayer
Running Wild - Riding on the Tide
Primal Fear - Where Angels Die
Reinxeed - Stranger Tides
Suicidal Angels - Face of God
Soulfly - Gladiator
West of Hell - Singularity
Xandria - Valentine
Firewind - Few Against Many

Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody – Ascending to Infinity - Review

Well Luca calls this 11th Rhapsody studio album and it's all a bit confusing since the band split in two, but I guess Luca is the original member who started the band with Alex so I'll go with what he says and call it the 11th Rhapsody studio album!

So what has Luca come up with since the amicable split? Well it's pretty much a full on Rhapsody album with a little bit of his solo style mixed in but not quite as much as I was expecting. The biggest style change is of course the introduction of pretty much unknown vocalist, Alessandro Conti, from the Helloween tribute band Trick or Treat. To say the guy turns in an amazing performance would be an understatement! Yes, he has quite a strong accent but his voice and tone fit like a glove with Luca's neoclassical compositions and his voice soars and glides like an eagle intertwining neatly with the ebb and flow of the music.

The only thing I would say that is that it's quite hard to pick out his words due to his lilting semi-operatic style. Although that's pretty much true of all non-English power metal singers. Factor in that the music is highly layered with vocals and choirs piled on thick and you get more of a vocal showcase rather than concise clear lines that stay memorable like in some power metal bands.

The music in this album is perfectly executed and the ambition shown is through the roof when it comes to the grandiose melodrama that Luca usually brings us. The album is far less heavy than recent Rhapsody releases and far more complex musically with passages of music which truly leave the listener in a spin. The music is super expansive and busy around your ears and the songs are always progressive although I wouldn't call this exactly prog metal in the normal sense. If you enjoy the more memorable classical music pieces then you will find yourself making many noticeable references to classical pieces of the past. I think Luca is a bit of an old romantic as well as a song like Tormento E Passione which is a fantastic musical piece that's barely even metal but an amazing composition nevertheless featuring an amazing vocal from Conti.

The most normal Rhapsody sounding songs such as Dark Fate of Atlantis feature highly catchy light guitar riffs and swooning operatic vocals from Conti. The song Luna which is listed as a cover which has female vocals and surprisingly almost my fave song on the album. It's not metal at all and I don't even know the original but the passion in that song is just beautiful to listen to and highly melodic. The opening cut Ascending to Infinity is pretty much typical opening Rhapsody cut with more overblown production and layers than you can shake a stick at and is followed by Excalibur another completely overblown affair. Is anything not overblown in this album you ask? Er...no it it ain't epic it ain't coming in that's Luca's motto!

The early tracks are really good although sometimes the choruses could be a bit more memorable however almost the best two tracks are saved for the penultimate and the final epic tracks, namely Clash of the Titans and Of Michael the Archangel and Lucifer's Fall.

Clash of the Titans features perhaps the most memorable chorus on the album after Dark Fate of Atlantis. It is a pretty short track and I guess it was influenced by the film and features quite a straightforward attack for Luca and co. It starts quite slow but come the chorus you are taken back to an "Emerald Sword" type sing-along chorus from the early Rhapsody era. The middle of the track also gets rather bombastic and even technicality with keys and guitars doing battle. Alessandro Conti also uses his more aggressive vocals to great affect before the huge choirs return during the chorus. An amazing short tune!

Finally we reach the final epic and what I call kitchen sink metal. In other words we throw everything into the musical melting pot but the kitchen sink! Luca is not one to hold back when it comes to different textures and musical passages of differing styles and this is the song when he utilises it all and holds nothing back. You get super cheesy film track narrations, sweeping arrangements, dark unholy atmospheres, epic swathes of guitars and riffs  and keys to die for. The opening riff in this song is a corker but what I love the most is the way the choirs add little embellishments to give that moody cinematic feel. Conti's vocals on this song are truly impressive with so much emotion even though you can't always understand what he's going on about! The music sometimes make you feel you are watching one of those medieval religious horror movies or something like that. Truly epic and amazing composition from Luca this one and probably the best long Rhapsody song of all.

So there we have the first album since the Rhapsody band split in two. The album is not totally song based and is more of film soundtrack affair that some people won't like but the choruses are still there and will grip you after a few plays no doubt. Luca hasn't forgotten that a power metal song still needs a chorus however grandiose and needs a focal point for the listener to latch on to. Having said that the album's ambitions are clear to see and way huge. I'm guessing Luca would love to be offered to make film music one day rather than trying to please metal fans as well. Anyway Luca delivered as expected and now it's over to Alex and Fabio. What you got guys? You've got a hell of a job on your hands that's for sure. Luca has thrown the gauntlet down and then some!

9/10

Manowar - The Lord of Steel Review

Finally the Kings of Metal have one again graced or should that be bludgeoned our ears with their latest opus on all things metal. We've been waiting a long time for this one. I've heard many people saying they were disappointed with the overblown nature of Gods of War. Well this album is for you. They were supposed to do another Odin based double disk but Joey scrapped cause he felt inspired to record something more like the old days with no major concept involved just heavy bloody metal. So did they bring the true metal and then some? Well yes they brought the true metal but it ain't always that good.

Mind you I don't think I ever really truly enjoy a Manowar album from start to end but I absolutely get captivated by some songs and so it continues with this album. Here is my song by song thoughts.

The Lord of Steel - The title track is a typical Manowar firecracker like Wheels of Steel or Warlord or something speedy. The riffs sound simple and very fast with beefy bass. Now let's say a few words about the bass production. The bass sounds unlike any previous Manowar album. At first it completely threw me cause I thought I was listening to a stoner album! The bass takes some getting used to man! It sounds like those fuzzed up sub human hearing bass sounds you hear on Electric Wizard or some such doom fuzz band. Not great to be honest. Anyway the song is ok but it doesn't do huge deal for me. A short note about Eric. He sounds great on this album. He sounds better than ever in fact. Age has not made his voice any worse compared to other big metal singers. The song is ok but not catchy enough in the rather average chorus. 6.5/10

Manowarriors - There's an anthem about the band's fans on almost every album. This is this particular album's contribution to that theme. I quite like this tune. It's silly as hell but the galloping riffs are quite catchy. A short word about the drum sound. It kicks ass! Heavy and thumping. A fun song and you will catch on to the chorus soon enough with the gang shouts. The solo in this song is ok and better than others. A short word about the lead playing. In general it sucks but I don't care. I don't listen to Manowar for guitar solos. 7/10

Born in a Grave - Mid paced, fuzzy pounder with a galloping beat that is broken by whispered vocals from Eric before his smoother voice kicks and propels the song in rather steady fashion. The chorus is rather underwhelming to say the least. It's ok but the song is too plodding. I don't mind slow paced but it needs a focal point or memorable element and this one doesn't seem to gather any steam. Not feeling it with this one but it does get better when the nagging mid tempo sort of pummels you as the song goes into it's conclusion. That fuzz bass is very very prominent in this song and annoys rather as does the boring solo. 5/10

Righteous Glory - I love Manowar ballads. To me they are one of the best Balladeers in all of metal. I can add this song to a long list of fantastic emotional Manoballads now. This song has gorgeous smooth build with slow guitar arpeggios and rough distorted chords when necessary. The song reminds of Swords in the Wind from the last album. Eric is the star of the show here though. His voice sounds beautiful and crystal clear with very cool emotional melodies in the chorus. Joey's bass is again huge sounding in this song but not as fuzzed up as on other tracks. The song builds waves of torch swaying emotion as it reaches relaxed crescendo with the chorus to fade. 8.5/10

Touch the Sky - A good one two this with a mid paced catchy stomper to follow the ballad. This song has one of the best chest beating, life affirming choruses on the whole album. During the verses things are fairly pedestrian however come the chorus you are roused into warrior mode. The solo in this song is not bad either but It's Eric pounding heart beating melodies that captivate my ears. 8/10

Black List - A dark and brooding slow pounder with thunderous drums and pounding fuzz bass providing a long intro before the vocals start. Like Bridge of Death this one is slow menacing and has a foreboding feel to it all. Eric sounds like he's gonna meet you at the gates of hell and show you round your new home with his scything lyrics about making a black list of some kind though I'm not exactly sure what he's going on about to be honest. The song is a dirge alright but the nagging chorus is quite cool actually. The soloing behind the vocals sounds very dirty and messy and personally I don't like to hear solos behind vocals as it just annoys me. The song plods to it's conclusion however it's better than the other dirge we've heard so far which was Born in A Grave. 6.5/10

Expendable - A great big hulking mid paced thumper this one loosely based around the film of the same name. I like the way it rolls along with Eric barking out aggressive lyrics with a crunchy chorus. A very simple and short tune at 3:10 and a bit throwaway maybe but it's ok and I guess if you pump this one loud you can get into it a bit memorable. Not my fave song though but the chorus does nag you into submission on repeated plays. 7/10

El Gringo - I really like this song with it's sweet mid paced gallop and Spaghetti Western feel and "Injun" sounding chants. The melody in this song is enjoyable and pretty cool from Eric and one of the more memorable ones heard on the album. The album surely needed more songs like this one. The solo is also not bad. 8/10

Annihilation - As the title would suggest this is a pretty heavy song for Manowar. The pace is again fairly slow but the riffs are crunchy and Eric's melodies are quite cool come the chorus complete with the "Annihilationnnnnn!" scream although he always controls it well and it never turns into a yelp. The solo is just  another average Manosolo that are ten a penny. The chorus is a good one and pretty enjoyable and repeats to fade. 7.5/10

Hail, Kill and Die - With that title you'd expect something special to end with and yes this is a solid and typically aggressive true metal pounder with gang chants for the chorus. This one will go down well when played live no doubt. The used the oft done "let's use all our song titles as lyrics" cliche and whilst cheesy as all hell it actually works for me. However apart from a crunching riff and a repetitive chanting chorus the song doesn't really have too much going for it. It's no way as good as the original Hail and Kill though it tried very hard to be close to it but it just fails. Having said all that it is a good way to end and makes a statement for the band and fans. 7/10

So there the album ends on a very heavy note and we are left with another regular Manowar. No big overblown concept just true pounding heavy metal from start to end.  To be honest the album is a bit disappointing. I enjoy it but I wanted more catchiness and memorable song writing. Gods of War gets a lot of flak but to me it had many great tunes which are not quite matched here though this is by no means a bad album. I think the reviews will be somewhat mixed for this one though it sounds like Manowar and they've stayed true the sound more or less. Just watch out for Joey's bass fuzz - you'll get a big what the fuck when you first hear it!

Overall rating - 7/10

Latest fave albums

Some of my favourite albums of the last few weeks are:

Ascension - Far Beyond the Stars - Scottish Dragonforce fanciers.
At Vance – Facing Your Enemy - classic power metal with great vocals.
Before The Dawn - Rise Of The Phoenix - top class melodic death.
Black Breath - Sentenced to Life - Evil old school death with rumbling riffs.
Coffin Texts - The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual - Morbid Angel worship.
Dark Tranquillity - Zero Distance EP - Enjoyable stop gap release.
Deadborn - Mayhem Maniac Machine - fast and technical death.
End Of September - st - gorgeous melodic euro goth.
Eradicator - Madness Is My Name - decent melodic thrash.
Firewind - Few Against Many - very heavy and powerful from Gussy and co.
Flayed Disciple - Death Hammer - brutal heavy thrash.
Grand Magus - The Hunt - more hard rock but still fun as hell.
Horrizon - Time For Revenge - melodic viking death with rough vox.
Kreator - Phantom Antichrist - Amazing vicious thrash.
Nightmare - The Burden of God - Melodic and powerful metal with heavy vox.
Otherwise - True Love Never Dies - Quality modern melodic rock.
Pathfinder - Fifth Element - Stratospheric symphonic power metal.
Rise To Fall- Defying The Gods - Quality melodic death ala In Flames.
Running Wild - Shadowmaker - Getting bad press but a fun release from the mighty Rolf.
Sabaton  - Carolus Rex - As amazing as always!
Sacred Gate - When Eternity Ends - Iron maiden copy not bad.
Scarlet Anger - Dark Reign - Heavy and melodic thrash beating.
Shores of Elysium - The Arbiter's Clockwork - Slightly technical melodic death.
Stargate - Beyond Space and Time - Prog power from Italy
Wig Wam - Wall Street - Fun stadium sized melodic rock.

Sabaton - Carolus Rex

So the mighty Sabaton are back again with Carolus Rex, an ambitious and possibly conceptual album about the rise and fall of the Swedish empire. Of course the band is fixated with all things military but this time they've decided to base their latest offering on their homeland's epic history.

To be honest I am not really too fussed what the songs are about as long as they are true Sabaton songs and stick to their tried and tested formula. The first thing I noticed about this release is the fantastic production from Peter Tagtgren. He made the band sound huge once again so props on that count. Secondly the thing I noticed most about the general mood of the album was that it was not really a joyous or happy in feel and in fact rather moody and emotional. Sure the riffs are bouncy on occasion but the general pace is fairly slow and allows the songs to make more of an emotional impact on the listener.

Having said all that after the epic slow intro (which actually reminds me of the theme music of Pirates of the Caribbean), the album starts off with the fastest song on the album, The Lion From The North. The pace is fast and riffs crisp until we reach the chorus which is sung with choirs backing Joakim in latin, Gustavus! Haroldus! etc etc... sounds epic and stratosphere bursting. The mid section choir build up is also typical Sabaton and has been heard in many previous songs. Perhaps not the most amazing Sabaton opener but after repeated plays I am liking it a fair deal but the best on this album is yet to come believe me.

Track 2 Gott Mit Uns was an instant classic as I heard it with it's sweet mid paced, glorious verse leading into an amazing chant along chorus. This song is just superb and made to be sung out loud at their gigs and they'd be mad to not play this live on their next tour. The feeling this song gives you as you listen is one of pure power and joy. The riffs are so melodic with a slight Celtic feel at times but it's that chorus that will get you in the end.

A Lifetime of War I thought was boring the first couple of times I heard it. It's actually a very sad song and I'm guessing won't be played live cause it will lower the mood somewhat. The keyboard is king in this song. The tempo of the song is close to songs like The Price of a Mile or The Final Solution. Speaking of that song I dearly love it and I wanted to love ALoW as much but I don't quite, not yet anyway. Although it is still an amazingly emotional song with chanting choirs helping Joakim with the chorus throughout.

1648 is up next and one of my fave songs on the album. It reminds me of material from The Art of War cause it's a bit more upbeat. It sounds a little like bit of 40:1 mixed with Attero Dominatus the song. Maybe they are ripping themselves off a bit but I don't really care really when the result is so amazing sweet on the ears.

The Calolean's Prayer sounds like The Art of War the song in all but name. However the song is completely amazing. It is my favourite song on the album. It is a slow military pumping beat with Joakim once again calling the Carlolean's to glorious, victorious battle. The keyboard is just magnificent in this song and sends chills up my spine however the chorus makes me want to take up arms and march alongside! The lyrics are awesome in this tune as well..."See the white in their eyes Carolean's are marching on!..." The song builds and builds to an almighty climax with Latin choirs piled on thick and a gorgeous solo and a return to that haunting call to arms chorus. A monument in the Sabaton song catalogue make no mistake.

Next is the title track which I've worn out since it was released as a promo song before the album's release and yet it is still a hugely epic and emotional slow build of a song. The riffs in this song are crushing when you pump them out loud and make you feeling like King Carolus himself! The self empowering chorus turns you from a pauper to a prince in a matter of seconds as it beckons you to bellow along. The song is of similar pace to the preceding song but it never bores you even for a second. This song must be played live and will go down a storm of that there is little doubt.

Of course the pace had to pick up  after two slow songs and what a brilliant way to pick it up with the awesome tune Killing Ground with it's sweet galloping guitars and Joakim's heartfelt powerful vocals. The chorus is one that will stay engraved on your brain after the first listen as you feel the power pulsing through your veins. The song is about Swedes killing the Saxons and ripping them a new one so to speak! An amazing song that I love to death and it's not even my fave on the album!

Poltava is a fastish paced tune again with a bouncy riff reminiscent of Ghost Division although not as heavy. The chorus rears it's big gorgeous head soon enough with chants of Poltava! and counterpoint lyrics making it catchy as a bad rash. Great stuff again and would be perfect live. This song is about a battle between the Russians and the Swedes although it's painful loss for the Swedes as they suffered countless casualties at that particular battle.The subject matter maybe a bit depressing but the song is truly memorable.

Long Live The King is again a slow and sad song with lyrics dealing with King Carolus's last days and finally his demise and death. The song is based around those famous Sabaton slow pumping riffs and rumbling bass lines whilst Joakim delivers the vocals with emotional depth and power. The chorus is epic and full of feeling as is the whole song. The solo in this tune is very beautiful too with an understated yet anthemic feel. I like the song but don't love it as yet but they may come with time. I guess because Carolus Rex the song and the Carolean's Prayer are so amazing that I am slightly down on this one but it's still and amazing slow song and a fitting end although the last track completes the story in truth.

Ruina Imperii is that final song proper although it feels more like an outro even though there are lyrics. The feel is mystical with Joakim using deep vocals with Latin and Swedish lyrics mixed although I'm not quite certain. The song is an interesting and moody end although I would have liked a more conventional or even epic 10 minute song to end with but that's me being greedy!

The bonus version of the album ends with a cover of Status Quo's In The Army which is heavified in the Sabaton way. I don't mind the song and it's cool but it doesn't do anything for me really. I guess it's probably a bit of a theme song from Joakim and Co and they've probably always wanted to cover it so I'm not gonna complain too much when the album before it rules so much.

Is this the best Sabaton album ever? I don't know about that yet. I think The Art of War is maybe still a tiny bit better but it is as good if not better than Coat of Arms with ease. I can't wait to hear how some of these songs will transfer over into the live arena of course and hopefully that will happen later on in the year. Until then I will be playing the crap out of this disk!