Sabaton – Stories From The Western Front (Nuclear Blast)
The final part of Sabaton’s Echoes Of The Great War Trilogy of EP’s is Stories From The Western Front, for any historians you’ll know this is where the fiercest, bloodiest fighting in all of The Great War took place with Verdun, Passchendaele, Somme the most infamous with the highest bodycounts. Compiling together the most harrowing, songs from their discography, reaching back to The Art Of War for Price Of A Mile, while Great War, Fields Of Verdun and Devil Dogs come from The Great War; Hellfighters and Race To The Sea come from its follow up The War To End All Wars.
With tales of fierce fighting, heavy shelling, insanity and futility these are the most epic, darkest songs included on all of the EP’s the stories of muddy, bloody trench warfare are all as you remember they are from their individual albums but the linking concept and extra bonus track has always been what makes these EP’s so interesting. On this one they’ve gone with the most emotional Motörhead song ever recorded the title track of their album 1916. Controversial at the time for using keys but it suits the Sabaton sound brilliantly, Joakim’s voice gaining more gravel to sound like Lemmy.
They have filmed a video for this song at Black Country Living Museum, filled with Easter Eggs to Sabaton’s history as well as Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell. It’s a triumphal sound but with Lemmy’s brilliant lyrics carrying the same weight. This final EP is about the ultimate sacrifice millions of young men and boys paid on the Western Front, something we still remember every year in November. But like with all of Sabaton’s music if the songs inspire you to both throw your fist in the air and learn more about the subject then that’s a win in my eyes. 8/10
Recorded and filmed at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Tales Of Time is a visual and audio delight for any fans who love the master of blues rock. Playing the entirety of Time Clocks, his fifteenth record in full along with favourites, I can tell you from first-hand experience (from seeing the UK portion of this tour) the show was excellent and when you watch the DV portion you get the full scope of the impressive visuals and of course the virtuoso musicianship. I’m only dealing with the CD-only portion of this multi format release, which is just the Time Clocks album in full (but in a different order) along with Evil Mama from Redemption.
Archon Angel – II (Frontiers Music Srl)
For me Zak Stevens, is one of the best singers in the metal game, having been handpicked to take over from Jon Olivia in Savatage, he then went on to form Circle II Circle which moved away from the theatricality into power metal, but still having huge vocals and the progressive metal influence of Savatage. In 2020, Stevens was paired up with Secret Sphere producer/guitarist Aldo Lonobile for the debut Archon Angel album Fallen. It had all the threads of both men’s musical tapestry and it seems that the follow up, imaginatively titled II, looks to do the same.
Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall – Hunt The Flame (Frontiers Music Srl)
Swedish music magician Magnus Karlsson, returns with the fourth record from his Free Fall project. The guitarist/producer/songwriter always manages to assemble some of the best, but not always the most obvious melodic metal/rock singer around, usually from bands signed to Frontiers, to showcase them outside of their normal bands.