I, like many metalheads, am a huge fan of Sabaton in all its historical glory, so it was incredibly hard to come up with this list. You might notice that I haven’t included anything from Attero Dominatus (or Metalizer, but, for fuck’s sake, let’s leave that in the past where it belongs). I really tried to work one or two in, but then I found myself including more songs from more albums and the entire list became more of a discography than a top ten.
So, after much deliberation with myself, I present my top ten favourite Sabaton songs, in no particular order.
Ghost Division – The Art Of War
I’ll begin the album with the same song that Sabaton often begins shows with. ‘Ghost Division’ is a definite crowdpleaser and packs a whole lot of firepower that never fails to blow my shit up, whether I’m seeing it live or sitting on my couch.
Primo Victoria – Primo Victoria
If there’s a Sabaton song that even non-fans will recognize, it’s ‘Primo Victoria’. This D-Day destroyer’s tempo is more mild than many of their other tracks, but it’s no less explosive.
Night Witches – Heroes
I can’t for the life of me figure out why so many people hated Heroes. A few of the songs were clearly unoriginal even by Sabaton’s standards, but there was no shortage of fantastic songs. Among those, however, ‘Night Witches’ is easily the best track on the album. It’s fast, furious, and the intro never fails to make my ears bleed because I forgot to reduce my headphone volume.
Rorke’s Drift – The Last Stand
From their latest album, ‘Rorke’s Drift’ is one of the most unique Sabaton songs. In many of their songs, it’s easy to pick sections and easily trace the references back to earlier material, but that’s far from the case in this one, making it far more original.
The Art Of War – The Art Of War
Despite what I said about originality just a second ago, my love for this song is partially because of the lack thereof it has produced. If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, Sabaton isn’t great in the variety department. They (like Powerwolf, DragonForce) have a schtick and a few main licks and it sure-as-shit works.
Cheesy synth lines have been tweaked straight from ‘The Art Of War’ and put into later releases, such as ‘Sparta’, ‘Uprising’, and ‘Ruina Imperii’.
A Lifetime Of War – Carolus Rex
This track’s emotion is felt like the blast from a tank. It’s one of Sabaton’s few good slow songs as well as one of the best. It’s immensely well done.
Blood of Bannockburn – The Last Stand
Defeating ‘Rorke’s Drift’, ‘Blood of Bannockburn is easily the most unique Sabaton song. It’s also their only song ever that’s in a major key. Complete with bagpipes, energetic riffs, and an organ solo, this song takes a place in even the top three.
Aces In Exile – Coat Of Arms
Another true classic, ‘Aces In Exile’ is one of the first Sabaton songs I’d ever heard. It’s bouncy chorus and soaring bridge send it flying high above the competition.
Also, this fan video is fucking awesome.
Far From The Fame – Heroes
The drum grooves (especially the one in the intro) in this track stick out from the rest of Sabaton’s relatively straightforward beats. That combined with its exceptionally epic, chanting chorus earns ‘Far From The Fame’ a place here.
Twilight Of The Thundergods – Carolus Rex
Even though this one is basically an exact rehash rather than a cover of Amon Amarth’s, I still deem it more than worthy to be in the top ten. The mixing and vocals are cleaner than the original, and that’s really the only notable difference, but it’s still one of Sabaton’s best.
Bonus!
Hulkoff – Ibor & Aio (Feat. Joakim Brodén)
If you still haven’t heard Hulkoff’s debut album, Kven, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it because it’s incredible. It has the same gloriously rough and rugged feel that we so love in Sabaton. This is the only track to feature Brodén’s vocals (and also one of the best tracks, obviously), but the rest of the album is likely to become a favourite for anyone who likes Sabaton even half as much as I do.
