For October, we are asked to highlight music from artists whose names start with “S” or “T” My selection today is a musical history lesson, told by Swedish metal band, SABATON
In the 25 years since their launch, Swedish heavy metal rockers Sabatonhave delivered ten studio albums (including two certified platinum-sellers), and scored multiple industry awards and nominations… not to mention organizing an annual festival and cruise!
Combining soaring power riffs with vocalist Joakim Brodén’s instantly recognizable gruff baritone, the band refuses to be simply slotted into a single genre. Sabaton sings of real life wars and the people who played a part in them – of gruelling campaigns and dazzling acts of bravery, of magnificent victories and touching personal struggles – true stories more fantastic than any fiction!
“To Hell and Back”, deemed Sabaton’s best song in the video above, is the 5th track from their 7th studio album, “Heroes”, released in 2014. It is about Audie Murphy, the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II. Suffering from PTSD (previously known as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”) after the war, he became addicted to sleeping pills. To conquer this addiction, he locked himself in a hotel room with a gun under his pillow, almost committing suicide before he detoxed.
Audie Murphy wrote a bestselling memoir, To Hell And Back, and starred in the movie of the same name. Interesting to note: the “hell” he goes to and comes back from is not in reference to the war itself, but to his addiction and trauma. He also wrote a famous poem, The Crosses Grow on Anzio. Sabaton incorporated some of those lines into their song.
The intro reminds me a bit of “Ghost Riders in the Sky”. 🙂 Frontman Joakim Brodén thought it would be fun to mix heavy metal with spaghetti western soundtrack music (à la Clint Eastwood, Ennio Morricone). The other band members thought it was a stupid idea until they heard the finished composition. It became one of Sabaton’s most popular songs!
Sabaton’s electrifying live concerts, combining accomplished musical performances with energy and comedy (yes, they have a sense of humour! 😃), includes a full-sized tank drum-riser!
Other ‘Mixed Music Bag’ posts this week will be added here as they become available.
Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to know what you think of this band.
Rock On!
WordPress bloggers please note: If you are using the Jetpack mobile app to read this, it will say “Comments are closed”. NOT TRUE! It only means I am not using their commenting system. (My site is self-hosted.) Please visit the blog directly to comment. Thank you!
Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
Your comments are appreciated. 🌹 Thanks for your time! Cancel reply
😆 No worries, Linda! I’m a music fanatic and didn’t know much about this band, either. They were the opening act at the Judas Priest concert last month and I loved every minute of their performance, even better than the main attraction! What kind of music do you like? Maybe I can do a feature. I wrote one for my blogging buddy Pete, who likes soul music. 🙂
Sadly, I have never been a fan of Heavy Metal, not even lightweight Metal. 😉 Or for that matter, Heavy Rock. However, if any music delights you, then that delight passes on to me, even if I don’t listen to it. Let’s celebrate diversity, and different tastes in music! 🎸
Best wishes, Pete.
Haha! I was pretty sure you wouldn’t be interested in this, Pete. 😆 I do like some of the same music as you, though. Just not as much as the heavy stuff. Love the drama! 💥 Diversity in tastes of all kinds, be they music, food, fashion, etc. keeps life interesting. Cheers to that! 🥂
They’re good, aren’t they? 😀 I didn’t have any of their albums either, but I’ve been listening to them on Spotify since last month’s concert. Believe it or not, I liked their stage show even better than Judas Priest’s (the headliner)!
Brilliant Debbie, I had not heard of them but they certainly give it their all… I should think the live performances are electric… no pun intended. thanks for sharing ♥
Hey Debbi: My reply to your email was undeliverable so I’ll just answer you here. My son is still very much a metal head but fell in love with opera. His wife is a singer as well and they’re hoping their little daughter will be able to at least carry a tune! My husband and I have loved metal since 1968 and the early days of the Unholy Trinity … Deep Purple, Sabbath & Zeppelin. We were so lucky that we got to see a lot of the big name groups live. The Hu are incredible. What a trip! That really should be a great show! I hope you write about it. 😎
Sorry you had trouble with email! Was it a problem at my end? If so, I’ll look into it. I bet your granddaughter will inherit music ability, since both of her parents have it. 🙂 I love those bands too! We saw Deep Purple three times and Black Sabbath (with Ozzy) twice. I remember you talked about going to Led Zeppelin concerts and The Beatles. I’m envious on BOTH counts, since I never had the chance. For sure, there will be a write-up of the Iron Maiden/Hu show I’m pretty excited about going! And, we’ll be attending the two night M72 Metallica experience next April. I love them too and finally saw them for the first time in 2017. We’re making up for lost time! 😀 In our younger years, we were busy with other things and didn’t get to that many concerts. And then there was the long Pandemic drought. I was having withdrawal pains!
No idea what happened first time around; seems to be working fine now. All those concerts! The feel like a lifetime ago but I will never forget the fun we had and the great excitement level. Looking forward to your Maiden/Hu write-up. 😎 🤘🏼
I’ve heard of Sabaton but have not listened to much of their music. What you are presenting here sound pretty good to me. Perhaps I should listen to them more and perhaps I should paid more attention to them considering they are Swedish. Very interesting stuff. I listen to some heavy metal but not a whole lot.
I knew little about this band until we saw them perform live last month. Their show was fantastic and I love the music! It’s all about history, told in a wonderful dramatic fashion. They even performed one song in Swedish! Although I didn’t understand the words, I enjoyed the performance.
I like the song/music but I am not sure about the seemingly heroic portrayal of Karl XII. I view Karl XII as a narcissitic war king who caused a lot of destruction both to Swedes and other countries. Before Napoleon did, Karl XII invaded Russia twice and lost both times. Maybe I should write about that on my blog?
Interesting! I know nothing about Karl XII but am eager to learn more, and would certainly read what you have to say on the subject. He does sound a lot like Napolean.
Wow, Debbie! This is totally awesome! I remember these guys; I used to call them the Swedish Iron Maiden! Our younger son is a big fan of Sabaton. After he moved out of the house, our son would visit us on Sundays to watch football and do his laundry; I can still remember hearing him singing along to some of these great metal songs. Well, he’s now the librarian for our local library while moonlighting as the lead tenor for Taconic Opera in NY. I like to think he got his start in my laundry room listening to Sabaton! Thanks for a great post and many memories! Rock on! 🤘🏼
That description fits well! 🙂 I knew little about Sabaton until we saw them perform last month in Niagara Falls, opening for Judas Priest. They were even better than the headliners! 💥 How cool that your son evolved from metal head to opera singer. Classical and metal music are definitely related. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Nancy! 😀
P.S. We’re going to see Iron Maiden in 3 weeks. Should be another great show! With special guest The Hu. 😎
I guess I didn’t scroll down far enough, and I won’t make that mistake again. I enjoyed your post about a band that I never heard of before. Metal music has never been my thing, but I did enjoy To Hell And Back.
Thank you so much for coming back and trying again! 🌹 I know, not everyone is into metal, but this band is truly unique. I’m glad you like “To Hell And Back”. 😎
I run a music challenge every Sunday called Song Lyric Sunday and the theme this week is to find a song by a band you wish were still together, in case you decide to join in.
Yes, I’ve seen that on John Holton’s and a few other blogs. Looks like fun, but I rarely like to blog on weekends, except for the odd photo essay. Maybe I could defer it to a weekday? Thanks for the invite, though. I’ll figure something out. 🙂
Excellent music! I liked all of these. I’d heard one before, Soldier of Heaven, and put it in my favorites folder. I love the sound and the videos were so good. I do like how they used movie clips, and are singing about true things. Honestly, being a military family (retired) it sure brings out the emotions with these songs. They also remind me of Disturbed, and Volbeat. I like them too. 🙂
Thanks. Barbara! 🙂 I didn’t know much about this band, other than their name, until we saw them opening for Judas Priest in September. We LOVED their show, even more than the main attraction! My father was career army (Royal Canadian Regiment) and a Korean War vet who suffered from PTSD, so I can relate to these songs as well. I remember you mentioned Germany before. Whereabouts were you stationed? Disturbed has some great tunes as well, but I’m not as familiar with Volbeat, although I have heard of them.
Follow THE DOGLADY’S DEN on WordPress.com 
34 thoughts on “MIXED MUSIC BAG: 🎼 A HEAVY METAL HISTORY LESSON 🎸”
Debbie, I am sorry but I never heard of this group – does that make me a “certifiable old f*art”?
😆 No worries, Linda! I’m a music fanatic and didn’t know much about this band, either. They were the opening act at the Judas Priest concert last month and I loved every minute of their performance, even better than the main attraction! What kind of music do you like? Maybe I can do a feature. I wrote one for my blogging buddy Pete, who likes soul music. 🙂
Sadly, I have never been a fan of Heavy Metal, not even lightweight Metal. 😉 Or for that matter, Heavy Rock. However, if any music delights you, then that delight passes on to me, even if I don’t listen to it. Let’s celebrate diversity, and different tastes in music! 🎸
Best wishes, Pete.
Haha! I was pretty sure you wouldn’t be interested in this, Pete. 😆 I do like some of the same music as you, though. Just not as much as the heavy stuff. Love the drama! 💥 Diversity in tastes of all kinds, be they music, food, fashion, etc. keeps life interesting. Cheers to that! 🥂
I’d certainly heard of Sabaton but I don’t have any of their albums. I might have to change that very soon.
They’re good, aren’t they? 😀 I didn’t have any of their albums either, but I’ve been listening to them on Spotify since last month’s concert. Believe it or not, I liked their stage show even better than Judas Priest’s (the headliner)!
Brilliant Debbie, I had not heard of them but they certainly give it their all… I should think the live performances are electric… no pun intended. thanks for sharing ♥
Glad you enjoyed the post, Sally! 🙂 I love their videos – like mini movies, and yes, the stage show was outstanding. 💖
Hey Debbi: My reply to your email was undeliverable so I’ll just answer you here. My son is still very much a metal head but fell in love with opera. His wife is a singer as well and they’re hoping their little daughter will be able to at least carry a tune! My husband and I have loved metal since 1968 and the early days of the Unholy Trinity … Deep Purple, Sabbath & Zeppelin. We were so lucky that we got to see a lot of the big name groups live. The Hu are incredible. What a trip! That really should be a great show! I hope you write about it. 😎
Sorry you had trouble with email! Was it a problem at my end? If so, I’ll look into it. I bet your granddaughter will inherit music ability, since both of her parents have it. 🙂 I love those bands too! We saw Deep Purple three times and Black Sabbath (with Ozzy) twice. I remember you talked about going to Led Zeppelin concerts and The Beatles. I’m envious on BOTH counts, since I never had the chance. For sure, there will be a write-up of the Iron Maiden/Hu show I’m pretty excited about going! And, we’ll be attending the two night M72 Metallica experience next April. I love them too and finally saw them for the first time in 2017. We’re making up for lost time! 😀 In our younger years, we were busy with other things and didn’t get to that many concerts. And then there was the long Pandemic drought. I was having withdrawal pains!
No idea what happened first time around; seems to be working fine now. All those concerts! The feel like a lifetime ago but I will never forget the fun we had and the great excitement level. Looking forward to your Maiden/Hu write-up. 😎 🤘🏼
I’ve heard of Sabaton but have not listened to much of their music. What you are presenting here sound pretty good to me. Perhaps I should listen to them more and perhaps I should paid more attention to them considering they are Swedish. Very interesting stuff. I listen to some heavy metal but not a whole lot.
I knew little about this band until we saw them perform live last month. Their show was fantastic and I love the music! It’s all about history, told in a wonderful dramatic fashion. They even performed one song in Swedish! Although I didn’t understand the words, I enjoyed the performance.
I like the song/music but I am not sure about the seemingly heroic portrayal of Karl XII. I view Karl XII as a narcissitic war king who caused a lot of destruction both to Swedes and other countries. Before Napoleon did, Karl XII invaded Russia twice and lost both times. Maybe I should write about that on my blog?
Interesting! I know nothing about Karl XII but am eager to learn more, and would certainly read what you have to say on the subject. He does sound a lot like Napolean.
Yes he was an interesting character but very arrogant.
I found this. Most intriguing!
That was a great video you found. I found it to be very well done and interesting.
Wow, Debbie! This is totally awesome! I remember these guys; I used to call them the Swedish Iron Maiden! Our younger son is a big fan of Sabaton. After he moved out of the house, our son would visit us on Sundays to watch football and do his laundry; I can still remember hearing him singing along to some of these great metal songs. Well, he’s now the librarian for our local library while moonlighting as the lead tenor for Taconic Opera in NY. I like to think he got his start in my laundry room listening to Sabaton! Thanks for a great post and many memories! Rock on! 🤘🏼
That description fits well! 🙂 I knew little about Sabaton until we saw them perform last month in Niagara Falls, opening for Judas Priest. They were even better than the headliners! 💥 How cool that your son evolved from metal head to opera singer. Classical and metal music are definitely related. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Nancy! 😀
P.S. We’re going to see Iron Maiden in 3 weeks. Should be another great show! With special guest The Hu. 😎
Well, this post was chock full of sound! After I read it, I had to stream more tunes to keep the afternoon lively.
Yes, heavy, dramatic sounds! 😃 I didn’t know you liked this kind of music, Lee. Thanks for reading and listening.
I guess I didn’t scroll down far enough, and I won’t make that mistake again. I enjoyed your post about a band that I never heard of before. Metal music has never been my thing, but I did enjoy To Hell And Back.
Thank you so much for coming back and trying again! 🌹 I know, not everyone is into metal, but this band is truly unique. I’m glad you like “To Hell And Back”. 😎
I run a music challenge every Sunday called Song Lyric Sunday and the theme this week is to find a song by a band you wish were still together, in case you decide to join in.
Yes, I’ve seen that on John Holton’s and a few other blogs. Looks like fun, but I rarely like to blog on weekends, except for the odd photo essay. Maybe I could defer it to a weekday? Thanks for the invite, though. I’ll figure something out. 🙂
Excellent music! I liked all of these. I’d heard one before, Soldier of Heaven, and put it in my favorites folder. I love the sound and the videos were so good. I do like how they used movie clips, and are singing about true things. Honestly, being a military family (retired) it sure brings out the emotions with these songs. They also remind me of Disturbed, and Volbeat. I like them too. 🙂
Thanks. Barbara! 🙂 I didn’t know much about this band, other than their name, until we saw them opening for Judas Priest in September. We LOVED their show, even more than the main attraction! My father was career army (Royal Canadian Regiment) and a Korean War vet who suffered from PTSD, so I can relate to these songs as well. I remember you mentioned Germany before. Whereabouts were you stationed? Disturbed has some great tunes as well, but I’m not as familiar with Volbeat, although I have heard of them.
We were in Germany in the early 70s, and lived in Furth/Nuremberg.
I had come back to Canada by then (1969). You were about 250 miles south of where I was born, a town called Soest.
Very cool. I liked it. Used to be a big metal head in the 80’s.
Awesome, Patrick! 🙂 I’m actually MORE of a metal head now than I was in my younger years, but I always went for the hard rock and metal sound.
This was all new to me. Learn something new every day. And then I forget it the next.
Lee
That’s something we all can say. Lee. 🙂 Thanks for coming by.