The War to End All Wars
| Sabaton
The War to End All Wars
The War to End All Wars is the tenth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton, released on 4 March 2022. The album serves as a sequel to the band's 2019 album The Great War, and is a concept album which, like its predecessor, focuses on the atrocities, miracles and happenings around World War I, such as those of the Christmas truce, the stormtroopers of the German Army, the Race to the Sea, the Treaty of Versailles, the predominant dreadnought type of battleship during the early 20th century, and others.
Critic Reviews
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Angry Metal Guy
Well, as long as I have ears, Sabaton‘s music will have a place to reside rent-free. Are they cutting down on musical waste at this point in their career by reducing, reusing, and recycling riffs and melodies? Yep. Are the cheese levels overwhelming at times? Yep. Don’t care. Sabaton rules not only because they make fun heavy metal anthems, but because they show us example after example of humanity rising to the occasion and transcending its own darkness. We need these guys now more than ever.
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Kerrang!
Christmas Truce is distinctive in its piano-led power balladry, but really there isn’t too much to differentiate this from their last outing The Great War, which also centred around World War I. Their formula is still highly effective and you can see some of these individual tracks raising roofs like Storm Eunice at The O2, but the album as a whole feels like something of a sequel. So will this be Sabaton’s album about war to end all albums about war? You certainly wouldn’t bet on it.
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Sonic Perspectives
Existing fans of Sabaton, who are great in number, will definitely enjoy what is in store for them here, though their smaller yet vocal collection of skeptics will likely remain unconvinced. But at the end of the day, fan service has been what this band truly excels at, and there is no shortage of catchy fun here for those who crave it.
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Last Rites
Sabaton’s tenth album sounds like an inspired veteran band playing to its strengths. The more dominant role solos play in the band’s overall sound is striking, but the core elements that are Sabaton’s signature are still the engine moving things forward. As much as I enjoyed Heroes, The War to End All Wars may prove to be my favorite release since Carolus Rex.
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Metal Addicts
“The War to End All Wars” is bold on the band’s decision of telling its version of the story piece by piece. No one can deny that Sabaton have their unique way of telling stories. This album proves it again.
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Distorted Sound Magazine
Mercifully, The War To End All Wars manages to have a decent run-time as well. SABATON have long been guilty of ending things too soon and while it could still do with having two or three more tracks, it doesn’t finish so quickly that you feel short-changed. There’s room to debate whether this, 2008’s The Art Of War or 2012’s Carolus Rex is their best record, but for the first time in ages, it actually feels like they’ve delivered a full album, rather than an extended EP. Plus, it’s got a song on it about a bad-ass Serbian woman who disguised herself as a man and spent four years as a killing machine.
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Sputnik Music
So ends The War to End All Wars, a heavy misnomer if there ever was one, as even our own time easily attests. Nevertheless where there is war there Sabaton will be, to lift your spirits and make you move your own sabatons.
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Wall of Sound
The War to End All Wars is quite the journey and a worthy companion to The Great War. But to be honest I am ready for a new theme, there are still plenty of wars for them to write about and set to powerful music. This one fits well within the canon of what Sabaton does so well – it is bombastic, precise and the songs all fit the concept. Their fan base will love it and those wondering what the fuss is about should check out ‘Stormtroopers’, ‘The Unkillable Soldier’ and ‘Hellfighters’. A great album to sit around with friends and join in the chorus, beer steins raised to the heavens.
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Man of Much Metal
‘The War That Ends All Wars’ hasn’t completely and utterly won me over, and time will tell how many times I come back to play the album over the coming weeks and months now that my review is complete. However, this record proves to me once and for all that there is significantly more to Sabaton than mid-tempo, paint-by-numbers power metal, and a larger-than-life live show complete with drum tank. ‘The War To End All Wars’ is a surprisingly varied and professional affair that will delight existing fans and may well bring a few more to their cause.
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Metal Wani
The stories and history told in ‘The War To End All Wars’ are not only engaging, and well-told musically, and vocally, but are important to remember as well. Heavy, highly melodic, and with multiple very memorable songs this is a worthwhile addition to any metal fan's music library.
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Blabbermouth
We may know what to expect when SABATON make a new album, but the Swedes are getting sharper and more creative with every passing year. "The War To End All Wars" may not tell us anything we don't already know about humanity's unrelenting idiocy, but those stories have seldom been told with such passion, energy and heart.
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My Global Mind
Longtime fans should be very pleased with the album, while newcomers should easily be able to enjoy the album as well, as it’s a perfect example of everything that makes the band special. Sabaton is one of those bands where I can listen to their music pretty much any day, regardless of what kind of mood I’m in, and it’ll instantly cheer me up and keep me fully engaged., Needless to say, The War to End All Wars is no exception!
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Devolution Magazine
What is surprising is that they keep putting a fresh spin on familiar themes and The War To End All Wars finds them marching forwards. From the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand to the Treaty Of Versailles a female narrator guides us through various blood soaked battlefields and, with each song told from a different perspective, creates a multi-faceted listen. The band deliver a warmongering sound and ‘Hellfighters’ wheels out the heavy artillery as drums fire with machine gun rapidity, guitars light up the night sky like white phosphorous flares and vocalist Joakim Brodén barking his lyrics as if a drill sergeant parading troops.
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Metal Express Radio
For over 2 decades, Sabaton has thrilled fans with great Heavy Metal music based on military history, and The War To End All Wars fits perfectly into their own history as a new musical achievement. Every song is packed with heavy riffs, pounding drums, fantastic guitar work and anthemic choruses that have you singing along almost instantly. As always their production is top notch, the musicianship is stunning, and the lyrics are a perfect way to learn of history’s great triumphs and failures.
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All About the Rock
The War to End All Wars is a solid, but not spectacular album. It’s still worth you giving it a listen though.
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AllMusic
The Swedish power metallers follow 2019's The Great War with a tenth studio album on which they continue to explore stories of the First World War. Here they have surpassed their own expectations, trying new ideas while staying true to, and refining, their bombastic, epic style.
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Ghost Cult Magazine
This concept album concludes on an emotional note with a number about the Treaty of Versailles. The narrator returns to share about how this effort of peace helped end WW1 and you can hear the tinge of triumph in the band’s upbeat buoyancy. Sabaton knows how to grab hearts by their amazing storytelling and proficient playing. Hats off to this group for their ability to engage and entertain their listeners about real-life heroes, trails, and triumphs.
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Cryptic Rock
To be fair, The War To End All Wars might not be the strongest album in the Sabaton discography, but it will certainly satisfy fans of the genre. Some might argue it does not have the edge or the stamina of previous releases, but all in all it is still a strong effort. Beyond the songs discussed above, there are also other standout moments which include both “Lady Of The Dark,” about Milunka Savić (a female Serbian Soldier), along with “Race To The Sea,” about Albert I of Belgium fighting alongside Belgian soldiers in the Battle of the Yser.
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Noizze
As always with Sabaton, There is a significantly large volume of things to unpack with The War To End All Wars that couldn’t be covered in one review, but there is an indelible poignance to this album alongside the heavy metal fun. Sabaton once again pique your interest in history with compelling, harrowing and exciting stories collected, researched and delivered with genuine passion. As one of the most successful metal bands of a generation, they have once again hit the bullseye with another hugely triumphant album.
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KNAC
Brought to life by SABATON and put over the top by the outstanding narration work from Bethan Dixon Bate, The War To End All Wars is that rarest of things. It is a sequel that lives up to and quite possibly even surpasses the original work. This is a stunning achievement for the band who once again have delivered a nearly flawless masterwork!
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GBHBL
It’s another strong release from Sabaton with plenty of songs to fit neatly in amongst their back catalogue. An anthem or two, namely The Unkillable Solider, Solider of Heaven and Christmas Truce, makes it all the more impactful and memorable.
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Loud
Sabaton have continued to improve on each release and that upward trajectory leaves the competition behind. If this is not the album of the year then the world is deaf as a post. The War to End All Wars is an utterly flawless masterpiece.
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ISU Student Media
“The War to End All Wars” marks a high point in the band’s modern output, reaching a level of quality close to the band’s glory days from the mid to late 2000’s. Sabaton fans will obviously enjoy this one a lot, and I think even those not much into the band will find something to love about it.
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