• International edition
  • Australia edition
  • Europe edition

Pär Sundström and Joakin Brodén of Sabaton on stage

This one's for Lawrence of Arabia! Meet Sabaton, the heavy metal military historians

With songs about panzer divisions and Soviet bomber squadrons, the Swedish band are careful to respect the fallen – even as they party on a giant cruise ship

A vast crowd of people are singing raucously, raising large beer tankards skyward and grinning like they have just won the lottery. In this small and sweaty venue, a Swedish heavy metal band are opening their set with a song about the exploits of Field Marshall Rommel’s infamous 7th panzer division in the second world war. They follow it with a number about the horrors of Passchendaele in the first world war.

By the end of the night, we will have had exuberant hymns to Lawrence of Arabia, an all-female Soviet bomber squadron and the military genius King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Everyone in the room, the vast majority of whom are wearing Sabaton shirts, sings along with absolutely everything. Meanwhile, the venue gently rocks from side to side, because we are on a ship in the middle of the Baltic Sea.

Welcome to the 10th annual Sabaton Cruise: The Battleship , where passions for military history and Olympic-standard drinking collide. Sabaton may be an unfamiliar name to non-metalheads, but they won’t be for long. Other than veterans Iron Maiden, they are the biggest heavy metal band in Europe. Their last album, The Great War , reached No 1 in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland and No 11 in the UK – very respectable for a heavy metal band.

What’s more, the band have made significant inroads into the notoriously Euro-phobic US rock market. In addition to their annual cruise (which has sold out every time), they have also been running their Sabaton Open Air festival in their home city of Falun, in central Sweden, since 2008, and have their own history channel on YouTube, where the stories behind their military history-themed songs are explored at length by academics and historians. Every diehard fan crammed into the ship’s mini-theatre has completely bought into the whole thing. The response, as Sabaton conclude the show with pummelling metal jig Swedish Pagans, is deafening and utterly joyful.

The following morning, swarms of brutally hungover fans stagger chaotically towards the ship’s buffet restaurant for sustenance. Others stumble out on deck into sub-zero temperatures for a fag. Everyone seems to have survived the night without falling overboard. For all heavy metal’s reputation for rowdiness, the Sabaton cruise has a lovely family vibe – Mikael, from Stavanger, in Norway, tells me he fell asleep in one of the restaurants, but was helpfully carried to his cabin by some Germans. With a Sabaton quiz, heavy-metal karaoke and a merchandise stall selling a bewildering number of items for all sizes, genders and tastes, it all feels very inclusive and cosy. The band’s obsession with war stories ensures that we are all learning something, too.

Fans on the Sabaton Cruise

“Every school system I’ve ever encountered has been very effective at turning something interesting, like history, into something boring,” says Joakim Brodén, the band’s mohawked, musclebound frontman. “Of course you have to learn facts and figures, but that can be so boring. If you zoom in and tell stories, like the tale of Witold Pilecki , a guy who went voluntarily to infiltrate Auschwitz and support the resistance? These are human stories – people from every nation and every culture can relate to them.”

The band love military history so much that when they heard that a museum on the site of the UK’s only first world war battle was in financial trouble – Heugh Battery Museum in Hartlepool – they created a special T-shirt design and raised £4,000.

As educational as their songs are designed to be, Sabaton are aware that their obsession with military events, and the grimmest aspects of war, could be misconstrued as ghoulish, flippant or possibly even politically dubious. There’s no doubting that the band’s motivations are entirely honourable, but Brodén does say they have to remain mindful of the emotional power of these tumultuous tales. “We played the song 40:1 on the battlefield in Wizna, Poland, exactly 70 years after the battle of Wizna happened,” he says. “We had the Swedish ambassador there and 10,000 fans, and we were in the field where it actually happened – you could see the fire, literally, in the fans’ eyes. Those songs are often the most fun but they can be a little scary, too. We’re singing about military history because it’s fascinating. We’re not pushing nationalistic propaganda.”

Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström are the sole remaining members of the original Sabaton lineup, and have nurtured their band over two decades: Brodén writes the music, while Sundström seems to be responsible for everything else. Aside from being Sabaton’s manager, he books their shows and deals with logistics, stage sets and a steady stream of new projects he can’t stop dreaming up. “Nobody tells us when or where to play, how to build a stage, how to do accounting,” he says. “Give me a problem to solve and some tools – and I’ll find something I can build with them. I’ll want to build something bigger than everything else.”

This includes the Sabaton History channel. Sundström’s piercing blue eyes light up as he explains the thinking behind it. Conceived to flesh out the military stories behind the band’s songs, each episode has led to a surge in streams and album sales. “It’s definitely not paying off in terms of direct income, but not everything needs to do that,” he says, adding that they are turning their website in “an encyclopaedia of military history. You can see how each day in history relates to Sabaton. So you can read about it, watch it, listen to it – we’ll get you one way or the other!”

On board the “battleship” (in reality a standard cruise ship, albeit a huge one), there is plenty of evidence that Sabaton’s remorseless pursuit of new ways to attract fans has led to the creation of a genuine community. Up to 40 different countries are represented among the cruise’s 3,000 punters, and Brodén seems thrilled to have brought so many people together. “The Polish fan club started hanging out with the German fan club and so on. I must’ve bumped into 100 people I recognised yesterday.”

Fans join the party in the middle of the Baltic Sea

Several unexpectedly successful tours in the US disproved the notion that, as Sundström claims to have been repeatedly told, “Americans don’t like power metal”. But even within metal circles, the Swedes have seldom been favoured candidates for world domination. Sabaton albums have generally been greeted with an appreciative but noncommittal shrug from the rock and metal press. So-called “power metal” – a brightly melodic and fast-paced strain of old-school metal – has never sought to be cool, and is easily ignored. But while many younger, ostensibly cooler bands have risen and fallen, this defiantly traditional quintet have marched stoically onwards, oblivious to time or trends but dragging a phenomenal number of people along with them.

“It’s always been a steady, upward march. We’ve never had a moment where we’ve lost our footing,” Brodén notes, almost sheepishly. “For me, personally, I had one ‘What the fuck?’ moment in Athens in 2009. We were playing in an underground club, not a huge show, and I think we were playing Ghost Division. Suddenly, everything went into slow motion. I realised, ‘Hmm, I’m in Athens having a good time, playing a show, and I haven’t done anything else for the past two years. I guess I’m a professional musician!’”

Where to next? A fan checks out the brochures on the Sabaton Cruise

“We were never welcomed into the music industry, especially in Sweden,” adds Sundström. “We are the outsiders, the ugly guys that they don’t want at their parties. A lot of people thought they could ignore us and we’d go away, but they were wrong. Now they have a big problem because they have to write about us and we’re selling their magazines, but they missed the boat, so to speak.” He hoots with laughter.

The ship is heading back to Stockholm and Sabaton are bringing the cruise to a close with a second lengthy set full of songs of heroism, bravery, tragedy and horror, with historically pertinent visuals blazing from screens behind them. The band are clearly having as much fun as the fans, despite being (we assume) considerably less inebriated. The last song, To Hell and Back , is a blistering paean to the poetry of US veteran and actor Audie Murphy and goes down so well it nearly sinks the ship. Brodén and Sundström bump fists and hug as the diehards chant their band’s name.

“Our music and our lyrics speak the same emotional language,” says Brodén. “In metal, the spectrum can be anything from hatred and aggression through to happiness, joy and pride. That’s all in this music already – and these military stories have it all, too. We didn’t realise it at the beginning, but mixing those two things up was a fucking slam dunk!”

  • Pop and rock
  • History books

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

STARGAZED_Normal

Sabaton on the Sabaton Cruise 2019, 2nd night: Live review

The first night I came halfway into the room and felt the heat and heard the music. The other night I did not come into the room. The bartender had better visibility than me. Tried to come in but it was full! What can I do, when Sabaton hits the stage it feels like everything falls into place. The band and the audience become one. The second evening was much better than the first in my opinion. The band felt more relaxed and could enjoy them selfs more on stage. Joakim Brodén, the singer invited guitarist Tommy Johansson to a beer-raising competition on stage, Tommy won. Back to the music, monday’s setlist was better and the songs felt smoother, more energy. Sabaton delivers their music perfectly, the musicians are professionals. The sound engineer is just at least as professional as the sound is very good. Also worth mentioning is that when Sabaton thanked their audience, Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on” sounds in the venue and basically everyone in the audience sings along to this song. Impressive. Since it’s a song from Titanic, not many people think about it in the heat of the moment.

sabaton cruise reddit

Who: Sabaton When: 2/12-2019 Where: Sabaton Cruise Rate: 8/10

Foto: George Grigoriadis

Share this article:

Don't see the comment section above then log in on facebook to continue., december 10, 2019, tried to come in but it was full what can i do, when sabaton hits the stage it feels like everything falls into place. the band and the audience become one., more exciting reading:.

H.E.A.T. - II

H.E.A.T. drops second single off upcoming album

Bloodbound

Bloodbound – Bloodheads United – Ltd. White 10″ Vinyl (Mini-LP)

SickOfItAll2

Sick Of It All in collaboration with their fans

51Ja1HuA4pS

It is Undisputed, the Blood Red Saints can Breathe Again

New Horizon

Jona Tee and Erik Grönwall are teaming up in New Horizon

Coming Closer To The Day

Robin Trower is on a “Lonesome Road”

Nervosa

Raise Your Fist! The female Brazilian thrash metal trio Nervosa are heading for Europe!

Nightwish

Nightwish reveal live videos from End Of An Era re-issue

Judas Priest

Judas Priest announce concert at Dalhalla, Sweden

Visions Of Atlantis - Wanderers

Nothing Lasts Forever for Visions Of Atlantis

Nightmare – aeternam.

Alter Bridge - Walk The Sky

Alter Bridge will Walk The Sky into the Dying Light

  • Registreren
  • Concertagenda
  • Redactieteam
  • Music submission

Zware Metalen

Wounds – Ruin

Hier hebben we een band die al heel lang mee loopt en absoluut lekker zijn tijd neemt om wapenfeiten…

sabaton cruise reddit

Michiel Dekker van The Monolith Deathcult spreekt over het nieuwe album, films en optreden in P60

sabaton cruise reddit

Dudsekop – Wuk Emme Nog Van Leevn

Toen ik eind 2022 de kans kreeg om het debuutalbum van Dudsekop te recenseren, dan…

sabaton cruise reddit

Dubbel Zo Zwaar: Vltimas – Epic

Dubbel zo bruut, dubbel zo doods, dubbel zo leuk. Dat is onze rubriek Dubbel…

sabaton cruise reddit

Aborted – Vault Of Horrors

Twee Belgen, een Amerikaan, een IJslander en een Italiaan lopen de opnamestudio binnen. Wat aanvankelijk klinkt…

sabaton cruise reddit

Atrophy – Asylum

Stevig heen en weer wiegend op de schommelstoel voor een rustig vuurtje, pijp met carameltabak in de mond…

sabaton cruise reddit

Alicia Vigil (DragonForce) over het nieuwe album, video’s en Taylor Swift

Half maart komt het…

sabaton cruise reddit

Requiem in zwart: Terzij de Horde & Co. doen Baroeg 1.0 passend uitgeleide

Poppodium Baroeg is een…

sabaton cruise reddit

In een tijdmachine met historische tickets – #2

Onlangs plaatsten we een oproep via Facebook en Instagram met de vraag wie…

  • Ambient/Noise/Drone
  • Folk/Pagan/Viking
  • Glam/Sleaze
  • Heavy/Hard Rock
  • Industrial/Electro
  • Metalcore/Deathcore
  • Nu/Alternative
  • Progressive/Experimental
  • Punk/Hardcore
  • Stoner/Blues/Psych
  • Thrash/Speed
  • Overige genres
  • Concertverslagen
  • Festivalverslagen
  • Fotoverslagen
  • Prijsvragen

Crossing the Baltic Sea on the Sabaton Cruise 2022

Written by niek_vdv on 06-01-2023 at 23:56.

The Sabaton Cruise is an annual metal event on a cruise ship that is completely dedicated to the band Sabaton . During the event, the boat sails from Stockholm to the Estonian capital Tallinn and back in 48 hours. Onboard the ship is a full program including performances by Sabaton and a few other bands. After impulsively buying tickets with a few friends a few weeks in advance, we board the plane to Sweden on an early Wednesday morning in December.

After arriving at Stockholm-Bromma Airport, we continue our way by public transport to the port of Stockholm where the ship the Baltic Queen is already waiting for us. At that moment the ferry terminal is already full of enthusiastic darkly dressed metalheads. From the busy restaurant, the first Sabaton songs are already coming through the speakers brought along by fans. As soon as it appears that boarding is about to start, a long line will form in the terminal. Despite the length of the line, it moves quickly. Once the tickets have been scanned and the passports have been checked, we board the ship in search of our room. When we have found our room we get ready for the first evening. The rooms are of course not spacious, but big enough to contain everything you need.

Once we’ve unpacked, we head to the Sea Pub for the first part of the cruise’s program: A live episode of Sabaton History with Indy Neidell. On Sabaton History’s YouTube channel , the history and stories behind the songs are explained. Today, two songs are discussed, one of which has not yet been released. As soon as Indy starts talking we notice that the boat has left and that we are slowly leaving the port of Stockholm. In addition to fans, we also see a few familiar faces in the audience. The singer and bass player of the band, Joakim and Pär, are also listening attentively. Later, Pär also sits down with Indy for an interview. Due to the limited number of seats in the Sea Pub, there is not enough room for everyone who wants to come and watch. Some people stand at the doorway looking in to catch a glimpse of what is being told inside.

After listening for a while we decide to explore the ship. The over two hundred meter long ship has twelve decks and features several restaurants, various bars, a disco, a shopping center, a children’s playground (with a ball pit!), an arcade hall, and a sauna. As we walk through the corridors of the ship, we hear Sabaton and other heavy metal music coming through the built-in speakers. There are also plenty of people who have their doors open and are having a party with the music turned up. Arriving at Starlight Palace, the place where the concerts will take place, we see that the first fans have already claimed their front spots against the fences. In the meantime, the first band of the evening is busy soundchecking. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a concert hall (or rather, concert hall-turned-theater) on a ship, but it soon became clear that this is a special location for a performance by a big band like Sabaton . With only seven meters between the stage and the first seats, you’ll never be far from the stage.

At 6:40 PM it is finally time for the first performance of this cruise tour. The men of Wind Rose kick off. When the band starts playing, the room isn’t that busy yet. But that doesn’t matter much for the performance. The atmosphere is good and band members are visibly having a good time. Songs like Drunken Dwarves , Gates Of Ekrun and Fellows Of The Hammer pass by. Musically, Wind Rose isn’t the most technically advanced music (most of the bands on board this cruise aren’t), but they get the crowd going. The last song on the setlist is the Wind Rose classic Diggy Diggy Hole . As if the party wasn’t complete already, they end the song with a portion of the dance remix they created for it.

Tonight’s second band is Freedom Call . The band whose song M.E.T.A.L. I’ve been trying to get out of my head since their performance at Alcatraz (festival in Belgium) in 2021. That is also the song that is used as an intro before the gig. They open their set with the song Union of the Strong . Later also songs like Metal Is For Everyone and Warriors pass by. Personally, I find Freedom Call ‘s music a little like mini-disco-metal (if that would be a genre). But when I look around me I see enough people who can enjoy it well. Each to their own, we’ll say.

A metal concert wouldn’t be a metal concert without a place to get merchandise. The same is true for this cruise, where there is a merchandise shop. In addition to the standard band merchandise from the different bands playing on the boat, there is also merchandise for sale from the Sabaton Cruise itself. In addition to general shirts from the cruise, there are also shirts available for this specific edition with the date and year on it.

Around 22:30, fifteen minutes before the start of Sabaton , the stage area starts to really fill up for the first time tonight. It’s still not very busy. It’s not like you’re standing shoulder to shoulder and can’t move anywhere. Let’s say it’s pleasantly busy. A few minutes before the performance starts, the band members of Sabaton come down the right staircase to a loud cheer from the audience to enter the stage.

Those who have seen Sabaton perform more often know that they are fairly predictable in terms of which song they begin their performances with. But as soon as the lights go out and the band walks on stage, it’s not Ghost Division that sounds through the speakers, but the intro of The Red Baron . An interesting and, moreover, surprising choice to open the set. But that does not necessarily make it a less good one, because as soon as frontman Joakim runs on stage, the figurative roof immediately comes off.

After the third song of Steel Commanders , Joakim wants to take a moment to welcome everyone. But even before he gets the chance to do so, the whole room is already singing Swedish Pagans . Once he finally does get the chance to say something, he tells the audience that there are going to be two nights with two completely different setlists. Tonight, they will only be playing songs from the past ten years, and tomorrow’s set will only include songs older than ten years. That also explains why they didn’t start with Ghost Division tonight. With a big smile on his face, Joakim tells the audience that this way, he doesn’t have to worry about playing Swedish Pagans tonight.

After the disco song Soldier of Heaven and Race To The Sea , both from the latest album The War To End All Wars , tells drummer Hannes the audience that he has come up with a new drum intro for Swedish Pagans . It is only natural that the audience is paying attention to that. After asking the rest of the band for permission to deviate a little from the planned setlist, Joakim announces the song. Hannes plays his new drum intro, which secretly sounds a lot like another well-known song named Fields of Verdun . When the rest of the instruments join in, it becomes clear that they never intended to play Swedish Pagans .

After Fields of Verdun , we go for the first time tonight back to the in 2016 released album The Last Stand with the songs Shiroyama and the title track The Last Stand . After The Last Stand , lead singer Joakim also picks up a guitar, which means we go back in time even further to the in 2014 released album Heroes with the song Resist and Bite . Normally, Sabaton is a band that includes a lot of special effects in their live performances, such as pyrotechnics and flamethrowers. Unfortunately, there is no room for that on this cruise. They are now limited to using only a few colored LED lamps and a screen behind the stage. With this they prove that they can also put on a good show without special effects.

During this cruise, it’s of course not possible to miss the song Bismarck , a song about a German warship from World War II. A smaller venue might be a sacrifice in terms of production, but it does provide the opportunity for more interaction with the audience. The band has no problem getting the audience to sing along. After Bismarck , the band announces that we are slowly approaching the end of their first performance of the cruise. The fans all start happily singing Swedish Pagans again, hoping that it will finally be played. After the number is announced for the umpteenth time tonight, Joakim says that they will now really play it. When we hear the intro of To Hell and Back , a big grin appears on Joakim’s face and he throws up two middle fingers. I wish I had a photo of this since I would have loved to share this with you. That the set ends with To Hell and Back is not entirely unexpected, this has been the standard closing of the Sabaton setlists in recent years.

It was a nice first performance by the Swedish band. Since mainly the more popular songs from the latest albums were played, it felt like a relatively normal setlist for the band. The only song I had never heard live before was The Unkillable Soldier . Personally, I had hoped to hear Hellfighters from the band’s most recent album The War To End All Wars live tonight. Unfortunately, there was no room for that song in this set.

As the last band for tonight, it’s finally Battle Beast ‘s turn to take the stage. When the band members enter the stage to the applause of the audience present, they kick off the set with the title track of the last album Circus of Doom , which was released in January 2022. Where we were not bothered by the waves before, we are now starting to notice that we are on a boat. The drinks on the tables go back and forth and the rocking of the boat is also noticeable on the stage. Singer Noora jokes that it is not that she has drunk too much, but that the boat just goes back and forth. Despite the waves, Noora sings as if nothing is wrong and hits the high notes with ease. With this performance, the program for tonight comes to an end.

On the second day of the Sabaton Cruise around 10:30 AM, we arrive in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Since there is no special program planned for the afternoon hours, we have time to explore the city today. Wearing multiple layers of socks and a thick sweater, we brave the cold. When we arrive in the center, we walk around the Christmas market and visit the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Walking through the city it is easy to see who belongs to the cruise and who does not through the camouflage pants and other metal merchandise. The city doesn’t have any particularly special tourist attractions, but it is nice to walk around once since it is a city where I probably would not come that often otherwise.

As the sun slowly sets, we decide to head back towards the harbor, as we don’t want to miss the boat. When we arrive at the boat, I see a truck driving onto the ship’s dock and a family with young children boarding. So, it turns out the boat is also used as a regular ferry between Stockholm and Tallinn. Imagine that you unknowingly book a crossing and that when you get on board you find out that there is a metal event going on and that almost the entire boat is full of metalheads. Sounds like a unique and special experience to me.

Back in the room, we warm up again and get ready for the second night of the cruise. In addition to performances by bands, there is also a side program. For example, there was already a Hardrock Karaoke in the Sea Pub this afternoon. Tonight we first take a look at Indy Neidell who plays the album The Great War in its entirety in the piano bar. Again accompanied by some of Sabaton ‘s own band members, all the songs from the album come by in order. It sounds a bit like the music of the German heimorgan artist Mambo Kurt , but Indy also openly admits that it’s not that good. Nevertheless, there is a lot of fun and laughter at the piano bar.

After Indy’s performance, it’s already time for the second and final performance of Sabaton at 8:00 PM. Today’s performance will look very different from yesterday’s, as today they will only play songs that are over ten years old. This would mean that unlike yesterday, they can also open with Ghost Division . They don’t, however, and they start with the song The Art of War . Playing in a smaller setting also has its advantages, as the band is close to the audience. During the intro of the Swedish version of 1648 , Joakim takes a moment to give the fans in the front row a box.

After the second song, another joke is made about playing Swedish Pagans . While the audience is singing and Joakim is happily dancing, guitarist Tommy plays the well-known melody on his guitar. Now the song could actually be played since it is over ten years old. But nothing could be further from the truth because it is Uprising from the album Coat of Arms that is played.

There is a good variety in tempo in the setlist today. After the faster Attero Dominatus comes the quieter song Cliffs of Gallipoli , after which they switch gears a bit faster with Screaming Eagels . When they reached the songs from the Carolus Rex album, Joakim asks the audience if they wanted to hear the next song in English or Swedish. The audience overwhelmingly chooses the Swedish version. The singer says that this always happens when the audience is allowed to choose. The audience has been singing along all evening, but the real goosebumps moment comes when En Livstid I Krig (the Swedish version of A Lifetime of War ) is played. As soon as the intro is over and Joakim has sung half a sentence, the audience immediately takes over the singing from him. With the microphone pointed towards the audience, the lead singer conducted the loudly singing crowd. These are the kinds of things you don’t experience at a Sabaton concert anywhere else in the world. For that you really have to go to Sweden yourself.

During the cruise, there is time to play songs that are not normally included in a setlist. So we also hear 7734 , a song that has not been played live for a long time. In my opinion, this song is one of the band’s hidden gems. I have never heard this song live, so I’m glad it made it to today’s setlist. A song that is often played is Primo Victoria from the debut album of the same name. As soon as the song is started, the entire audience jumps up and down so that it is no longer possible to say whether the boat is rocking because of the waves or because of the audience present.

All good things come to an end. This also applies to this performance, which is also the band’s last performance of this year. Joakim thanks everyone for their presence and says that they will close the performance with a song that they have not ended a performance with in a long time. That must be Metal Crüe , which was written as an ode to the rock and metal bands that inspired Sabaton . Metal Crüe is a song that I also really hoped to hear live someday. Luckily, today is the day. In my opinion, this is the ultimate party song where the explosive energy of the band comes out. Given that the song was rereleased last year along with some other songs from the album Metalizer under the name Metal Trilogy , I still hope it will get a spot during the European tour in 2023. Although I think the chances are small.

As the audience applauds after the performance and drumsticks, picks and setlists are handed out, Joakim says he feels like something is missing. When he asks the rest of the band members what that could be, Chris says he knows the answer. When he strums his first guitar chord, it’s not Swedish Pagans that sounds, but Highway to Hell by AC/DC . And it’s not Joakim who sings, but guitarist Tommy who takes on the vocals. We already knew that Tommy could sing well since he has another band for which he does the vocals. Despite the original by AC/DC having Brian Johnson’s raw voice, Tommy’s high-pitched power metal voice fits well with the song. As Chris does the famous Angus Young walk, the audience goes wild and screams along with all their might.

After a long wait, it is finally time for the song that Tommy and the audience have been waiting for: Swedish Pagans . While Joakim tries to get out of it by saying that they have to finish the set since it is way passed Hannes’ bedtime, Tommy announces the song himself. As soon as the song starts, the whole room sings along to the well-known melody. While singing, Joakim takes over the phone of one of the filming fans in the front row to make some nice shots from the stage. With a microphone in one hand and the fan’s phone in the other, he still manages to catch a plectrum that Chris throws at him. As soon as Hannes crawls out from behind his drum set and the other band members have put away their instruments, the performance really comes to an end. With My Heart Will Go On in the background, the band takes a deep bow towards the audience. The band leaves the stage to loud cheers and applause.

In my opinion, it was a very good performance from Sabaton this evening. After seeing them live several times in different places, it is also nice to see them play in a smaller setting with a setlist that also includes the lesser-known songs. Despite the fact that the guys have had many concerts, it is still clear that they have a lot of fun performing. I always find it nice to see that when I go to a concert. If a band on stage is not enthusiastic themselves, it can sometimes be difficult for me as well to get excited about it. In addition to playing Sabaton ‘s own songs on a night like this, I thought it was very cool that there was room for the band to do something else, like the cover of Highway to Hell . With pieces like this they prove in my eyes that it is a band that knows how to make a party. If Sabaton were to give a concert where they only played covers of well-known metal songs from other bands, I would definitely go there too. All in all, nothing but praise for Sabaton ‘s performances on this cruise.

Just because Sabaton is over doesn’t mean the night is over. In fact, the night is just getting started! The next band is Dynazty , a Swedish power metal band from Stockholm. Although I’m not very familiar with this band, it sounds good. On the other hand, the audience seems to know the band better. Hits such as Heartless Madness are sung along from start to finish by the crowd.

The last band tonight and also the last of this cruise is the band Civil War . The band was founded in Falun and, like Sabaton , sings about historical events related to wars and battles. If you pay close attention, you’ll see a few familiar faces on stage. There are now three former Sabaton members playing for us. Namely, Daniel Mullback on drums, Daniel Mÿhr on keyboard and Thobbe Englund on guitar. Unfortunately, they’re no longer performing with original singer Patrik Johansson, but with vocalist Kelly Sundown. As a result, the older songs that were characterized by Patrick’s rough voice sound very different all of a sudden. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it takes some getting used to since I don’t immediately associate Kelly’s power metal voice with the sound of Civil War , since I haven’t really followed the band after 2017. Because the band mainly consists of former Sabaton members, I had expected, especially during the Sabaton Cruise, that it would be busy at this performance. However, it turns out to be fairly quiet in the room. I’ve noticed that all the performances, except for Sabaton ‘s, have been relatively quiet in the room.

There’s no shortage of enthusiasm among the members of Civil War either. For example, drummer Daniel Mullback is drumming shirtless and with a big smile on his face and headbanging keyboardist Daniel Myhr is on the loose. After Civil War classics I Will Rule the Universe and Bay of Pigs , the performance is extended with an encore consisting of Tombstone and Rome Is Falling . Especially with the last song Rome Is Falling I miss Patrick’s characteristic voice. Nevertheless, current singer Kelly knows how to give it his own twist with his higher voice. Civil War was a great closing performance of this cruise. It was nice to see these three former Sabaton members work in another music group.

When we wake up on Friday morning, the port of Stockholm is already almost in sight. After we have packed our bags and left the ship, we look for the bus stop. Not for the bus to the airport to go back to the Netherlands, but to a hotel in the city center, to tack on another weekend in Stockholm. After a visit to the ABBA museum, among other things, we go into town on Friday evening to discover some nice bars. There are plenty of them in Stockholm. Around 01:00 AM, I decide I’m calling it a day. I say goodbye to my friends who are with me on this vacation and walk back to our hotel, unaware that a few minutes after my departure, Sabaton ‘s bass player Pär Sundström and some crew members would walk into this bar and ask precisely to my friends if there are any open seats at their table. Later I hear that they spent a few hours together at the bar drinking and talking and had a great time. If you ask me, the perfect way to end the Sabaton Cruise.

All in all, the Sabaton Cruise was a very special experience. In that respect, a metal cruise cannot be compared to a normal concert or festival. I definitely recommend everyone to do one at least once. In addition to the performances of the various bands, the day in Tallinn is a great addition to the program. Unlike some previous years, there was no signing session with the band during this edition of the cruise, but in return we received an exclusive live episode of Sabaton History with Indy Neidell.

Since the cruise was in Sweden, I was worried that all communication on and around the cruise would be in Swedish. Fortunately, everything was in English so that it was also easy to follow for people from other countries, like us in this case. I was also pleasantly surprised by the line-up. Before the cruise Before the cruise, I assumed that besides Sabaton there would only be some small local Swedish bands that I would never have heard of. However, the line-up turned out to be well filled with other well-known metal bands. If you are still not convinced or do not want to travel to Sweden just for the cruise, combine it with a few days in Stockholm like we did. It is a beautiful city with many interesting museums, including the secretly quite fun ABBA museum, and many nice bars (if I may recommend a few: Vikingbar Aifur, pirate bar Lasse i Gatan, and the medieval bar Sjätte Tunnan). This was the first time Sabaton Cruise for me. And if it’s up to me, not the last time!

Setlist – Sabaton (December 14):

  • The Red Baron
  • Dreadnought
  • Steel Commanders
  • Soldier of Heaven
  • Race to the Sea
  • Fields of Verdun
  • The Last Stand
  • Resist and Bite
  • Stormtroopers
  • The Unkillable Soldier
  • The Attack of the Dead Men
  • Christmas Truce
  • To Hell and Back

Setlist – Sabaton (December 15):

  • The Art of War
  • Attero Dominatus
  • Cliffs of Gallipoli
  • Screaming Eagles
  • Carolus Rex
  • A Lifetime of War
  • The Carolean’s Prayer
  • Gott mit uns
  • Primo Victoria
  • Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover)
  • Swedish Pagans

Date and location:

December 15, 2022, Baltic Queen, Stockholm / Tallinn

Photo’s:

Niek van de Vondervoort – niekvandevondervoort.com

Laatste reacties via Wordpress

  • Algemene Voorwaarden
  • Privacyverklaring

Alle rechten voorbehouden © 2000-2024 Stichting Zware Metalen

De redacteuren van Zware Metalen schrijven ieder jaar op vrijwillige basis duizenden artikelen om de metalscene van Nederland en België te ondersteunen. Hiervoor zijn we afhankelijk van inkomsten die gegenereerd worden door het plaatsen van advertenties. Indien deze niet afkomstig zijn van directe partners (zoals poppodia en festivalorganisatoren), zal de overgebleven ruimte opgevuld worden door automatisch gegenereerde advertenties van Google AdSense. Omdat deze gebruik maken van zogeheten ‘tracking cookies’, hebben we volgens de AVG-wet jouw toestemming nodig om deze advertenties weer te kunnen geven. We begrijpen dat onze lezers hun privacy op het internet waarderen, maar het accepteren van het cookiegebruik houdt Zware Metalen (en dus indirect de metalscene) in leven. We hopen daarom dat je instemt met het gebruik van de cookies. Mocht je er interesse in hebben, kun je onze privacyverklaring lezen.

Accepteren X

IMAGES

  1. A true lion of the north on Sabaton cruise : r/sabaton

    sabaton cruise reddit

  2. Sabaton Cruise X

    sabaton cruise reddit

  3. Sabaton Cruise 2023

    sabaton cruise reddit

  4. Sabaton Cruise 2023

    sabaton cruise reddit

  5. Sabaton Cruise 2015

    sabaton cruise reddit

  6. Sabaton Cruise 2022

    sabaton cruise reddit

VIDEO

  1. S For Sabaton

  2. Sabaton

  3. the Sabaton

  4. Sabaton Cruise 2018 🤘🏻⛴️⚓️

  5. Sabaton

  6. Sabaton Cruise 2023-12-14 Sabaton

COMMENTS

  1. Cruise : r/sabaton

    Cruise. Does anyone know how much the sabaton cruise costs? From 90 euros to 350 or something like that..it depends on the room. Room for 4 persons is like 90 pro person. Last year I have a room only for me and I paid 250.

  2. Doing the Sabaton cruise for the first time. : r/sabaton

    Doing the Sabaton cruise for the first time. I've finally booked it after all these years I have a cabin and I plan on flying from the US to Stockholm. This is my first international trip besides to Canada. I am asking for any and all advice from people who have done the cruise especially those whom have done it as a non Swedish citizen.

  3. Sabaton cruise : r/sabaton

    76K subscribers in the sabaton community. Swedish Heavy Metal with historical lyrics. Premium Explore Gaming ... Sabaton cruise. ... Reddit . reReddit: Top posts of April 2, 2020. Reddit . reReddit: Top posts of April 2020. Reddit .

  4. Sabaton cruise : r/sabaton

    View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit. Sabaton cruise . Me and my dad are looking to go on the next cruise, does anyone know roughly how much it costs for a ticket + trip from UK comment sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment Old-Command-7706 ...

  5. Sabaton Cruise

    Curse of Cain confirmed for the Sabaton Cruise 2023! November 25, 2023 We are beyond excited to welcome Curse of Cain - our fellow metalheads from our hometown, Falun - aboard the Sabaton Cruise 2023! If you were at o... Sabaton Open Air taking a hiatus September 22, 2022 Metal family, we have an important announcement to make about Sabaton...

  6. Is there a chance to get tickets for Sabaton cruise right now ...

    Go to sabaton r/sabaton • by Stradana. View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit. Is there a chance to get tickets for Sabaton cruise right now? Title. Thank you comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment. More posts you may like. r/sabaton • Why No Song about Constantinople 1453?? ...

  7. Sabaton Cruise : r/sabaton

    r/sabaton • 26 days ago. Carolus Rex wins for the English version of the album. Now this is where things get very interesting. We now move onto Heroes. Posted by u/alexstevenro - 3 votes and no comments.

  8. r/sabaton on Reddit: I got an "exclusive" offer for being one of the

    Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now. Or check it out in the app stores     TOPICS. Gaming. Valheim ... I got an "exclusive" offer for being one of the top listeners of Sabaton, and want to know how exclusive it really is. Please check your E-mail, and anwser this servey so we can all find out how exclusive ...

  9. IT'S BACK! All aboard the Sabaton Cruise 2022

    The Sabaton Cruise 2022 will embark on an awesome journey of the Baltic Sea aboard the Baltic Queen on December 14 from Stockholm, Sweden, to Tallinn, Estonia. Join us for a 48-hour Sabaton adventure, fuelled by fun and heavy metal, with special surprises and special guests in store for our metal brothers and sisters. "Finally we are back!

  10. Announcing the Sabaton Cruise 2023 + pre sale registration

    Ahoy, metalheads! We are beyond excited to announce the epic return of the Sabaton Cruise 2023, where metalheads from all corners of the world will unite from December 13-15 for a 2-day voyage of headbanging and heavy metal mayhem.The cruise will sail from Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia) and back.. The demand for this metal voyage will be immense, and we don't want you to miss out on ...

  11. This one's for Lawrence of Arabia! Meet Sabaton, the heavy metal

    In addition to their annual cruise (which has sold out every time), they have also been running their Sabaton Open Air festival in their home city of Falun, in central Sweden, since 2008, and have ...

  12. Sabaton Cruise 2022

    Venue: Sabaton Cruise 2022 - Baltic Queen Ship. TICKETS. Recent Posts. Introducing... the Metalizer word search game! March 15, 2024. OUT NOW: New Sabaton History Channel episode about Tanks March 14, 2024 "Heroes" and "The War To End All Wars" albums go gold in Germany and Sweden March 11, 2024.

  13. Sabaton Cruise : r/sabaton

    The rules are simple. 117. 164. r/sabaton. Join. • 21 days ago. Put sabaton lyrics into bing image creator. Guess the songs. 1 / 10.

  14. Sabaton Cruise X

    Sabaton Cruise X - The Battleship. April 23, 2019. The time has come to take the Battle of the Baltic Sea to a whole new level to make this 10th anniversary something extra special! It will be a decade since the first Sabaton Cruise sailed from our Swedish capital Stockholm towards Turku in Finland and over the years thousands of metalheads ...

  15. r/sabaton on Reddit: How do we feel about Sabaton's usage of AI in the

    Basically the title. If you look at the art on the new Metalizer videos you can tell it's AI generated. For example in Thundegods there are multiple instances where Thor has 6 or more fingers, or his fingers have split multiple times.

  16. Underrated Sabaton song recommendations? : r/sabaton

    There's been an ongoing upvote-poll to determine the most underrated song from each album. Everything you need is there. Each thread is listing a half dozen or so songs.

  17. Sabaton on the Sabaton Cruise 2019, 1st night: Live review

    No "The Final Solution" but a lot of happy people singing along in "Swedish Pagans", that's pretty fun after all. Photo by George Grigoriadis. Who: Sabaton. Where: Sabaton Cruise on the Baltic Sea. When: 1/12-19. Rate: 6/10. Stand out track: Ghost Division.

  18. Sabaton Cruise

    A 23 hour special cruise on the Baltic Sea, hosted by Sabaton.

  19. Sabaton confirmed to play aboard the Sabaton Cruise 2023!

    Sabaton confirmed to play aboard the Sabaton Cruise 2023! December 4, 2023. Metalheads, the big news is finally here! Prepare for the ultimate surprise act on the Sabaton Cruise 2023. It's a band so obscure, even we haven't heard of them until now. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing… drum-roll please…. SABATON!

  20. Sabaton on the Sabaton Cruise 2019, 2nd night: Live review

    The band felt more relaxed and could enjoy them selfs more on stage. Joakim Brodén, the singer invited guitarist Tommy Johansson to a beer-raising competition on stage, Tommy won. Back to the music, monday's setlist was better and the songs felt smoother, more energy. Sabaton delivers their music perfectly, the musicians are professionals.

  21. News

    November 19, 2023 Swedish trio The Gems joins Sabaton Cruise 2023 bill. November 16, 2023 Frozen Crown joins the lineup for the Sabaton Cruise 2023! All the latest news from heavy metal band Sabaton. Find out all the latest information about tours and shows, music, videos & more.

  22. Sabaton Cruise 2017

    The Sabaton Cruise sets sail in just a few hours! See what happened on last year's voyage! SUBSCRIBE to Sabaton YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Sabaton?s...

  23. Crossing the Baltic Sea on the Sabaton Cruise 2022

    The Sabaton Cruise is an annual metal event on a cruise ship that is completely dedicated to the band Sabaton. During the event, the boat sails from Stockholm to the Estonian capital Tallinn and back in 48 hours. Onboard the ship is a full program including performances by Sabaton and a few other bands. After impulsively buying tickets with a ...