WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.220 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're strapping 00:00:03.220 --> 00:00:05.360 in for a very unique kind of history lesson. 00:00:05.559 --> 00:00:07.280 Oh, absolutely. Because we're looking at this 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:10.960 really fascinating intersection where intense 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.960 high -octane music collides head -on with world 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.120 history. Right. It's a collision you don't always 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:19.839 expect. Exactly. Specifically, we're going to 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.859 be unpacking the 2016 concept album called The 00:00:22.859 --> 00:00:26.059 Last Stand. By the Swedish power metal band Sabaton. 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:29.760 Sabaton, yeah. Before we get too far into the 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.440 weeds here, I want to clarify something for you 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:34.560 listening. If you are someone who loves history 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.280 but maybe hasn't ever listened to a single heavy 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.340 metal song in your life. Don't panic. Right. 00:00:39.420 --> 00:00:41.799 Do not worry. You really don't need to be a metalhead 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:44.000 to appreciate what we are looking at today. Not 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.560 at all. The goal of this deep dive is to explore 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:50.960 exactly how this band took the grim. desperate 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.460 reality of military last stands across centuries 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:57.060 of human conflict and somehow transform that 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.799 heavy subject matter into a massive global musical 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.429 phenomenon. It really is a fascinating balancing 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:04.849 act. You know, when you hear the term power metal, 00:01:04.989 --> 00:01:08.049 you might not immediately think of historical 00:01:08.049 --> 00:01:10.290 education. Definitely not my first thought. Right. 00:01:10.390 --> 00:01:13.069 But the genre itself is characterized by this 00:01:13.069 --> 00:01:16.370 incredibly cinematic adrenaline pumping energy. 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:20.810 We are talking about soaring operatic vocals. 00:01:20.969 --> 00:01:23.689 Yeah. Relentless double kick drums and these 00:01:23.689 --> 00:01:27.390 just massive choral arrangements. It is music 00:01:27.390 --> 00:01:31.719 designed to sound epic. Huge. Exactly. And when 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.040 you take that epic sound and you apply it to 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:37.120 stories of soldiers facing impossible odds. Those 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:39.060 distinct historical moments. Yeah, those moments 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:41.459 in history where a small group holds the line 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:44.299 against a massive force. It creates an emotional 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:47.280 resonance that is incredibly powerful. OK, let's 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:49.379 unpack this because we really need to look at 00:01:49.379 --> 00:01:51.980 this not just as an album, but as a massive conceptual 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:54.500 historical project. It is entirely conceptual. 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.060 It isn't just a collection of random songs. So 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:58.659 to start us off, let's lay down the foundational 00:01:58.659 --> 00:02:00.769 facts. about where this album sits in the band's 00:02:00.769 --> 00:02:04.310 history. So The Last Stand is Sabaton's eighth 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:07.900 studio album. and it actually serves as a direct 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:10.439 conceptual follow -up to their previous concept 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:12.539 album, which was called Heroes. Right, which 00:02:12.539 --> 00:02:14.800 was also a huge undertaking. Definitely. And 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:16.840 this one was officially released to the world 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:20.180 on August 19, 2016. Through the Nuclear Blast 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:22.860 record label. Yes, Nuclear Blast. Now, I'm looking 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:25.080 at the sheer scale of the sound on this record, 00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:28.060 and it feels like an absolute mountain of audio. 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.159 Who was actually in the room building this wall 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.340 of sound, and where does it happen? To get that 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:36.360 specific massive sound, Sabaton is known for, 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.379 you need a very controlled environment. The production 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:42.020 timeline was actually incredibly focused. Oh, 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:44.080 focused. Well, the album was recorded entirely 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.120 over a period of just two months. Wow. Yeah, 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:50.259 just April and May of 2016. They decided to record 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:52.740 it at the Abyss Studios, which is located in 00:02:52.740 --> 00:02:56.120 Pearlby, Sweden. The Abyss. Great name for a 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:58.419 metal studio. It really is. And crucially, they 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:01.699 worked with producer Peter Tekgren. He is a legend 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:04.439 in the European metal scene, and he knows exactly 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.500 Exactly how to capture that driving, aggressive 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:09.159 sound without losing the clarity of the historical 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.639 lyrics. Which is so important here. Exactly. 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.500 Or the orchestral elements. Because if the guitars 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:17.740 just drown out the choir or the lyrics, the historical 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:20.819 concept completely falls apart. So you have this 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:23.780 tightly focused recording window in a renowned 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:27.719 Swedish studio. Yeah. But looking at our notes 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:29.599 here, it seems like there was some significant 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:32.000 movement within the band itself right around 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.180 this time. There was. And if we connect this 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:37.500 to the bigger picture, this specific album really 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:40.159 captures a fascinating snapshot of the band's 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.680 own evolution and internal history. How so? For 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:45.919 instance, The Last Stand marked the final album 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:48.800 for guitarist Thobie England. He actually left 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:52.659 the band in July of 2016. Wait, July 2016? Yeah. 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:54.460 Think about the timing there for a second. That 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:56.460 is just one month before the album's official 00:03:56.460 --> 00:03:59.599 August release. Exactly. So he records this massive 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.259 project, puts all this work in, and then steps 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:04.639 away right before it hits the shelves. That is 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.639 wild. It is. But history always has a funny way 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:09.840 of repeating itself. Interestingly enough, he 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:12.099 returned to the band years later. Oh, he came 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.139 back. Yeah, in February 2024. He stepped back 00:04:15.139 --> 00:04:17.019 in after the departure of another guitarist, 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:20.500 Tommy Johansson. So the specific lineup you are 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:22.980 hearing on the last stand represents a very specific 00:04:22.980 --> 00:04:26.779 era of Sabaton phrasing in time. That is a great 00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:29.819 detail. The band dynamics are almost as dramatic 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:32.199 as the history they write about. And speaking 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:35.639 of that core lineup, who are the main architects 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:38.230 driving this whole vision? The primary architects 00:04:38.230 --> 00:04:40.910 are Joachim Brodin, who handles the lead vocals 00:04:40.910 --> 00:04:43.149 and keyboards. The voice of Sabaton. Exactly. 00:04:43.730 --> 00:04:47.829 And Per Sundström on bass. Those two really steered 00:04:47.829 --> 00:04:49.949 the ship. They wrote the vast majority of the 00:04:49.949 --> 00:04:51.930 lyrics and the music for the entire album. The 00:04:51.930 --> 00:04:54.850 heavy lifters. Right. And then rounding out the 00:04:54.850 --> 00:04:56.870 band for this recording session, you had Chris 00:04:56.870 --> 00:04:59.709 Roarland on guitars alongside the aforementioned 00:04:59.709 --> 00:05:02.910 Thob, England. And on drums. Hannes Vandal bringing 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:05.529 that essential thunderous rhythm on the drums. 00:05:05.730 --> 00:05:08.610 It's a powerhouse lineup. And honestly, they 00:05:08.610 --> 00:05:11.149 needed every single ounce of that energy for 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:13.550 the sheer scale of the themes they were about 00:05:13.550 --> 00:05:15.810 to tackle. Here's where it gets really interesting, 00:05:15.889 --> 00:05:18.509 because the core concept of the album is right 00:05:18.509 --> 00:05:22.720 there in the title. Every single song. on this 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:26.800 record, represents a historical last stand. The 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:29.540 ultimate defiance. Exactly. I want you to just 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:32.579 imagine jumping through centuries of history, 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:35.339 track by track. You are moving across the globe, 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.100 bouncing through time, and experiencing these 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:40.480 distinct moments from entirely different cultural 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:42.720 perspectives. It's quite a trip. It really is. 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:44.959 How did they structure this historical tour? 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:47.540 They were incredibly deliberate about the historical 00:05:47.540 --> 00:05:50.259 breadth they chose to cover across the 11 main 00:05:50.259 --> 00:05:54.079 tracks. It is not just one war or one era. Let's 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:55.959 walk through it chronologically, starting with 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:58.620 the ancient and medieval periods. Okay. The opening 00:05:58.620 --> 00:06:00.939 track is called Sparta, and it doesn't just reference 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:03.319 ancient Greece. It physically drops you into 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:06.300 the Battle of Thermopylae. The famous 300. Right. 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.160 But what makes this brilliant is the perspective. 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:11.579 The lyrics are written specifically from the 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:14.060 Spartans' perspective. It captures that mindset 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:16.480 of holding the hot gates against an overwhelming 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.220 Persian force. That's a pretty intense tone right 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:22.500 out of the gate. It does. And then we get a complete 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:25.860 shift in geography and time. The very next historical 00:06:25.860 --> 00:06:30.069 anchor is Blood of Bannockburn. Oh, jumping to 00:06:30.069 --> 00:06:33.170 Scotland. Yes, which tackles the Battle of Bannockburn, 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:35.410 written entirely from the Scottish perspective. 00:06:35.490 --> 00:06:38.129 Wait, so we go from ancient Spartans holding 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:41.290 a narrow pass to 14th century Scots fighting 00:06:41.290 --> 00:06:43.990 for independence. Does a Swedish heavy metal 00:06:43.990 --> 00:06:47.019 band... actually try to sound Scottish for that 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:49.519 track? Or is it purely lyrical? They absolutely 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:52.019 go for it musically. Really? Yeah, which is part 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:54.339 of the genius of this album. To bring that Scottish 00:06:54.339 --> 00:06:56.379 perspective to life, they didn't just rely on 00:06:56.379 --> 00:06:59.040 standard rock instruments. For Blood of Bannockburn, 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:02.360 they actually brought in real bagpipes, played 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.360 by Jonas Kilgren. No way. Yes. And they paired 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:07.720 those bagpipes with a Hammond organ played by 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:10.600 Thomas Sunmo. bagpipes and a Hammond organ on 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:13.199 a power metal track. I know. That sounds totally 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:15.879 chaotic, but also like it would add an incredible 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:18.819 layer of authentic texture to the song. It grounds 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:21.319 the song perfectly. It tells you exactly where 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:23.740 you are in history before the vocals even start. 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:26.060 That's brilliant. Moving forward from the medieval 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:28.899 period, the album enters the early modern era. 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:32.019 The title track itself, The Last Stand, focuses 00:07:32.019 --> 00:07:34.939 on a very specific event. Which is? The Swiss 00:07:34.939 --> 00:07:38.899 guards during the 1527 Sack of Rome. They are 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:41.339 singing about the moment those guards held the 00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:44.180 line to protect the papacy. Then you have the 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:47.139 track Winged Hussars, which covers the famous 00:07:47.139 --> 00:07:49.540 arrival of the Polish hussars in the Battle of 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:52.420 Vienna. It is basically a master class in military 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:54.939 history, but delivered at a blistering temple. 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:57.579 And it doesn't stop there. As we move closer 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:00.300 to the modern day. The weaponry and the nature 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:02.180 of warfare completely change, right? We're no 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:03.959 longer talking about swords and shields. Right. 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.060 You enter the 19th century and beyond. The dynamics 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:09.980 of a last stand shift from cavalry to rifles 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:13.040 and modern tactics. You see this reflected in 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:15.839 the track Shiroyama, which details the Battle 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.579 of Shiroyama. In Japan. Yes. Then there is Rourke's 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:22.480 Drift. which tells the story of the incredibly 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.420 desperate Battle of Rorke's Drift, told specifically 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:27.819 from the British perspective. It's such a diverse 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:30.639 range of perspectives. It is, but the bulk of 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.279 the album's modern focus is heavily weighted 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:35.840 toward 20th century conflicts. World War I in 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.159 particular seems to be a major anchor for them. 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:41.850 It is heavily represented. World War I is covered 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.710 with a massive two -part narrative. It starts 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:47.710 with a track called Diary of an Unknown Soldier, 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:51.269 which touches on the Muse -Argom Offensive. Which 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:53.789 was incredibly brutal. Incredibly. And this isn't 00:08:53.789 --> 00:08:56.090 a traditional song. It actually features spoken 00:08:56.090 --> 00:08:58.370 words performed by John Schaeffer, setting a 00:08:58.370 --> 00:09:01.629 dark, haunting tone. A spoken word track on a 00:09:01.629 --> 00:09:03.950 metal album. Yes, and that spoken word piece 00:09:03.950 --> 00:09:06.789 leads directly into the explosive track The Lost 00:09:06.789 --> 00:09:09.110 Battalion. A transition must be intense. It's 00:09:09.110 --> 00:09:11.429 fantastic. From there, they cover a range of 00:09:11.429 --> 00:09:14.049 other modern battles. You have Last Dying Breath, 00:09:14.250 --> 00:09:16.529 which is all about the Serbian defense of Belgrade. 00:09:16.889 --> 00:09:20.009 There's Hill 323 -4, covering the battle of the 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:22.809 same name. And finally, a track simply called 00:09:22.809 --> 00:09:25.730 The Last Battle, which details the incredibly 00:09:25.730 --> 00:09:29.190 unique Battle of Castle Itter. The vocal arrangements 00:09:29.190 --> 00:09:31.409 for all of these must have been a monumental 00:09:31.409 --> 00:09:34.230 task. When you are trying to convey the sheer 00:09:34.230 --> 00:09:36.809 weight of a whole battalion or the tragic scale 00:09:36.809 --> 00:09:38.950 of something like the Meuse -Argonne Offensive, 00:09:39.129 --> 00:09:43.200 one lead singer can only do so much. That is 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:45.559 exactly why they went all out on the choral arrangements. 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:48.440 Across the entire album, the choral work is just 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.200 staggering. They brought in some heavy hitters, 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.179 right? They did. They brought in a massive choir 00:09:53.179 --> 00:09:55.320 that features several talented vocalists, but 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.700 perhaps most notably, it includes Floor Jansen. 00:09:57.940 --> 00:10:00.679 Wow. Floor Jansen. Yes. For anyone listening 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:02.559 who doesn't know, Floor Jansen is an absolute 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.919 titan in the metal world, probably best known 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:07.809 for her work with Nightwish. Having her in the 00:10:07.809 --> 00:10:10.210 choir is a massive flex. It really is. And when 00:10:10.210 --> 00:10:13.049 you combine those sweeping operatic choral elements 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:15.330 with the heavy driving guitars and the deeply 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:18.350 serious historical subject matter, it elevates 00:10:18.350 --> 00:10:20.750 the entire project. It stops feeling like a standard 00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:23.210 metal album and starts feeling truly cinematic. 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:26.750 Like a movie soundtrack. Precisely. Now, Sabaton 00:10:26.750 --> 00:10:29.210 didn't just stop with those 11 original tracks. 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:32.389 I want to shift our focus to the extensive bonus 00:10:32.389 --> 00:10:35.110 content they put together for this release. Often, 00:10:35.169 --> 00:10:37.759 bonus tracks are just... you know, throwaway 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:40.399 acoustic versions or rough demos. Right, filler. 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:42.980 Yeah, filler. But they treated the bonus material 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:45.500 as an extension of the album's core concept. 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:48.440 They included a series of themed cover songs. 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:51.799 The covers they selected are a fascinating look 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:54.860 into their own influences, and they fit the thematic 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:57.840 umbrella of warfare and last stands perfectly. 00:10:58.179 --> 00:11:00.320 They kept the theme going. They basically curated 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.620 a small museum exhibit of warfare songs written 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:06.259 by other artists. For example, they included 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.299 a cover of Stan Ridgway's Camouflage, which brings 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.480 in a Vietnam War theme. Oh, that's interesting. 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:14.059 Then there's their take on Iron Maiden's Afraid 00:11:14.059 --> 00:11:16.820 to Shoot Strangers, a song that ties deeply into 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:19.299 the Gulf War. That shows a lot of respect for 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:21.639 the artists who came before them exploring those 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:23.539 similar historical themes. What else did they 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:26.320 include? They recorded a blistering cover of 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:29.940 Judas Priest's All Guns Blazing. What is really 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:31.960 notable about this specific cover is that it 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:34.419 features co -lead vocals from their guitarist, 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:37.659 Thobie England. The same guitarist who left right 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:40.039 before the album dropped. The very same. And 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:42.279 to round it out, they included a cover of Twisted 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:45.000 Sister's Burn in Hell. It shows the band paying 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.059 homage to their musical roots while keeping the 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.340 lyrical focus relevant to the overall project. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.620 It's just a remarkably cohesive package. Yeah. 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:55.360 But beyond the music itself, there is a very 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:57.840 modern piece of trivia attached to the release 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:00.799 of this album that highlights just how committed 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.120 they are to the educational side of their music. 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:06.179 Oh, the Patreon edition. Yes. They actually planned 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:08.500 a special Istri Channel edition of the album. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:11.019 This was specifically designed for their Sabaton 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.600 History Patreon subscribers. Such a cool idea. 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:16.000 The idea was that this edition would feature 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.860 historical prefaces to each and every song provided 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:21.269 by the... channel's host, Indy Neidl. It was 00:12:21.269 --> 00:12:24.539 a brilliant concept. Merging their intense music 00:12:24.539 --> 00:12:28.620 with literal, spoken, historical education from 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:31.500 a recognized historian, it was meant to be the 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:33.639 ultimate companion piece for fans who wanted 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.120 to dive deeper into the context of the lyrics. 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:38.919 But getting that specific edition into the hands 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:41.159 of fans ended up being quite a dramatic saga, 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:43.679 didn't it? It certainly was. The fans had to 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:46.000 exercise an incredible amount of patience. A 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.440 lot of patience. That Special History Channel 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:50.539 edition was originally planned to be shipped 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:54.070 in April of 2020. However, it was pushed all 00:12:54.070 --> 00:12:58.110 the way back to June 25, 2021. A delay of over 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:00.570 a year. That's roughly 14 months. What caused 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:03.049 such a massive holdup? It was a perfect storm 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:05.110 of modern industry challenges hitting all at 00:13:05.110 --> 00:13:08.149 once. Primarily, you had the global supply chain 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:10.350 and production issues caused by the onset of 00:13:10.350 --> 00:13:13.129 the COVID -19 pandemic. Ground to a halt. Of 00:13:13.129 --> 00:13:15.330 course. The world essentially stopped. Right. 00:13:15.409 --> 00:13:17.429 But on top of that, their record label, Nuclear 00:13:17.429 --> 00:13:20.210 Blast, was going through a major corporate transition 00:13:20.210 --> 00:13:22.440 at the exact same time. same time because they 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:24.220 were being purchased by a company called Believe 00:13:24.220 --> 00:13:27.379 Digital. So a corporate buyout on top of a global 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:30.159 pandemic. Exactly. So you had a global crisis 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.799 overlapping with a corporate buyout and the Patreon 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:34.580 edition was caught right in the middle. That's 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:36.700 brutal timing. But the fact that the band fought 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:39.039 through all of that to ensure this explicitly 00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:41.440 educational version of the album was released 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.879 really speaks volumes about their commitment 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:45.799 to the history they sing about. They didn't just 00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:48.580 scrap it. So what does this all mean? We have 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:50.720 a Swedish power metal band singing about the 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.659 Swiss Guards in 1527 and the Scottish at Bannockburn 00:13:54.659 --> 00:13:57.519 throwing bagpipes and Hammond organs into the 00:13:57.580 --> 00:13:59.960 mix and creating heavily researched historical 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:03.460 commentary tracks. It's a lot. On paper, it sounds 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:06.740 incredibly niche. How did the world actually 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:09.840 react to this dense, historically driven project? 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:13.340 Did it actually sell? You might assume that an 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:15.559 album so heavily focused on military history 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:18.059 would only appeal to a very specific subculture 00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:21.340 of history buffs or metal purists. But the chart 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:23.159 performance tells a completely different story. 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:25.320 Really? It was a massive mainstream breakthrough. 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.679 Let's look at the global reach. The Last Stand 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:29.799 hit number one on the mainstream charts in Finland. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.600 Number one. Number one in Finland, Sweden, and 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:35.860 Switzerland. It also topped the UK rock and metal 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:38.200 charts. Number one across multiple countries 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:40.919 is no joke. Did it break into the US market? 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.200 It did. It peaked at number two on the U .S. 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.139 top hard rock albums chart. Wow. It also hit 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:50.899 number two in Austria, Germany and Poland. And 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:52.940 it didn't just stay in the rock and metal category. 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:55.419 It crossed over. Yeah. It reached the top 20 00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:58.039 in numerous other countries, including Belgium, 00:14:58.340 --> 00:15:01.220 the Netherlands, Hungary and even the U .K. mainstream 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:04.759 album chart. It also charted on the highly competitive 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:09.460 U .S. Billboard 200 at number 63. Number 63 on 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:12.240 the Billboard 200. That is a major achievement 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:14.860 for a European power metal band singing about 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.860 16th century sieges. It really is. And it wasn't 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:19.299 just a flash in the pan, right, where everyone 00:15:19.299 --> 00:15:21.740 buys it week one and then forgets about it. The 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:24.379 album has demonstrated incredible lasting power. 00:15:24.750 --> 00:15:26.769 We are looking at official gold certifications 00:15:26.769 --> 00:15:28.950 in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Poland, 00:15:29.009 --> 00:15:31.509 and Sweden. That's a lot of gold. When you translate 00:15:31.509 --> 00:15:34.370 those certifications into actual listener metrics, 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:38.149 you are looking at hundreds of thousands of sales 00:15:38.149 --> 00:15:40.950 and streams globally. It became a staple in the 00:15:40.950 --> 00:15:44.549 genre. What's fascinating here is what this mainstream 00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:47.750 success actually proves. It proves that there 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:51.429 is a massive global appetite for music that educates 00:15:51.429 --> 00:15:54.830 while it entertains. People want substance. Listeners 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:57.590 are clearly not intimidated by complex subject 00:15:57.590 --> 00:16:00.389 matter or deep historical dives. In fact, they 00:16:00.389 --> 00:16:03.870 are drawn to it. When you take these deeply human 00:16:03.870 --> 00:16:07.090 stories of resilience, fear, and sacrifice, and 00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:09.549 you package them within powerful, well -crafted 00:16:09.549 --> 00:16:12.889 music, It resonates. It bridges the gap. It completely 00:16:12.889 --> 00:16:15.690 crosses cultural and linguistic boundaries. You 00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:17.649 don't need to be Swedish or Scottish or Japanese 00:16:17.649 --> 00:16:19.809 to feel the intensity of these stories when they 00:16:19.809 --> 00:16:21.809 are delivered with this much passion. It really 00:16:21.809 --> 00:16:24.049 is a testament to the power of historical storytelling. 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:27.090 We've seen today how Sabaton's The Last Stand 00:16:27.090 --> 00:16:30.649 manages to combine intense power metal with meticulous 00:16:30.649 --> 00:16:33.269 thematic concepts. They took us all the way from 00:16:33.269 --> 00:16:35.690 the ancient Spartans holding the pass at Thermopylae 00:16:35.690 --> 00:16:38.070 up to the desperate trenches of the 20th century. 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:40.379 It's an incredible journey. They proved that 00:16:40.379 --> 00:16:43.320 history doesn't have to be dry. It doesn't have 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:45.940 to be confined to a dusty textbook. It can be 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:48.879 loud. It can feature bagpipes and massive choirs. 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.480 And it can absolutely dominate charts around 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:54.860 the entire world. It certainly can. And as we 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:56.840 wrap up our analysis of these sources today, 00:16:56.940 --> 00:16:59.279 it leaves us with an enduring question to think 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.039 about. The concept of a last stand is one of 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:04.559 the most enduring themes in all of human history. 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.539 It really is. It is a concept universally recognized 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:10.440 across completely different cultures, continents, 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:13.960 and eras. We have to wonder, what is it about 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:16.519 human nature that makes facing impossible odds 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:19.039 such compelling art? That's a profound thought. 00:17:19.369 --> 00:17:21.769 And furthermore, how does experiencing these 00:17:21.769 --> 00:17:23.950 historical tragedies through the adrenaline -pumping 00:17:23.950 --> 00:17:26.410 lens of power metal actually change the way we 00:17:26.410 --> 00:17:29.309 remember these soldiers' sacrifices today? Does 00:17:29.309 --> 00:17:31.849 the sheer overwhelming energy of the music make 00:17:31.849 --> 00:17:34.069 us feel closer to the raw intensity of those 00:17:34.069 --> 00:17:36.349 final moments than a textbook ever could? That 00:17:36.349 --> 00:17:38.750 is exactly the kind of question that makes digging 00:17:38.750 --> 00:17:40.950 into these subjects so incredibly rewarding. 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:43.980 Thank you so much for joining us on this deep 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:46.559 dive. Whether you are throwing on some power 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:48.619 metal, looking up the Battle of Bannockburn or 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:51.240 just reading up on the past, we encourage you 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:53.700 to keep exploring the history hidden in the media 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.299 you consume. You never know what fascinating 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:58.319 stories are waiting right beneath the surface.