Sabaton - Metal Music - Military History Themes (1 Viewer)

[Peter Reuss]

Last spring I went to an Epica concert in the Twin Cities, and Sabaton was an opening act. I thought they were pretty good, but they quickly fell off the radar screen. Last week I came across them again (thanks to my son), and I'm highly impressed.

Sabaton brings together two things I love: heavy metal music and military history!

On this thread I'm going to (over time) give some background behind their songs.

We begin with the first from their 'Heroes' album (from 2014).

Night Witches:

The story of the Russian female pilots of the 588:th bomber regiment. Their nickname “Night Witches” comes from the characteristic sound of their bomb planes that was all that could be heard during their nightly raids since they set their engines to idle and would glide through the night to their target. This sound brought the enemies thoughts to the broomsticks of witches, and they called them “Nachthexen”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg

As the song begins you can imagine the Night Witches coming in from afar on a bombing run...then comes the explosion of the song...and at the end the song fades away as the planes head back to the horizon!

 

[bradleyl30]

I love it! My first true band was Iron Maiden and their epic songs, many of which have a military history theme.

I have heard of Sabaton, but never listened to them or got them on my metal radar. They are now.

And, of course, I love the name which now screams military history!

 

[Peter Reuss]

The next song on the Heroes album is 'No Bullets Fly.'

The story of Franz Stigler, a German pilot who risked his life in three different ways when he was ordered to chase and shoot down an American B17 bomber, piloted by 2nd Lt. Charlie Brown, returning from a successful air raid.
When he came close enough he realised that the bomber had been severely damaged by anti aircraft fire during the raid and then he decided to escort it out of harms way instead of shooting it down.
In doing this he risked both being court martialed, which most likely would have led to execution, and being shot down by the gunners of the B17 as well as being targeted by friendly anti aircraft fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0KEShtL8wo

 

[Peter Reuss]

I'm going to skip ahead a bit, because this next song's subject matter caught my attention.

Inmate 4859

In September 1940 the Polish soldier Witold Pilecki used faked identity documents to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz, which he planned to infiltrate and destroy from within. Boldly, Pilecki organized the opposition from within, hoping that one day friends from outside would liberate the camp. When no help from outside came he decided to flee and inform the world of the atrocities inside. He managed not only to flee but also to bring secret documents which he planned to use as proof, and even then he was not believed, as the stories seemed exaggerated. After the war he was arrested for treason and executed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvDg7UftJw8

 

[Peter Reuss]

Smoking Snakes

Most of us have heard the expression “when pigs fly” but in a different part of the world another popular saying was that “It’s more likely for a snake to smoke a pipe than for the Brazilian expeditionary force to go to the front and fight” in the same context. However, one day in 1944 the snake did smoke and over 25.000 Brazilians left to join WW2. This is the story about three of them who fought so bravely against a much larger opposing force.
Located in the mountains and heavily defended by the Germans as a last bastion to block the advance of allied troops in the direction of the Po Valley, on 14 April 1945, Montese became the stage for the most arduous and bloody battle of Brazilian troops in Italy.
Three Brazilian soldiers on patrol were attacked by German forces. Outnumbered, the patrol was ordered to surrender. The three men took cover and opened fire on the enemy until running out of ammunition. Not satisfied, they proceeded to pitch their bayonets and advanced against the Germans and consequently were fired upon and shot dead.
In recognition of the bravery of those soldiers and in tribute to their memory, the Germans buried them and placed a cross with the inscription “Drei Brasilianischen Helden” (Three Brazilian Heroes)
In honour of the three heroes:
Arlindo Lúcio da Silva
Geraldo Baeta da Cruz
Geraldo Rodrigues de Souza

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdWw9SfJdck

 

[wayne556517]

Great thread Pete cheers for posting SABATON have another fan.

 

[Peter Reuss]

The next song on the album:

To Hell And Back

This is the story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated US soldier in WW2. There are simply too many stories about his deeds to even try to cover them in such a short text, but among his fellow soldiers he was truly a hero and a great inspiration. When he returned from the war he suffered heavily from post-traumatic stress (back then called shell shock) and after a long time on medicines he finally locked himself into a motel for 1 week to cure his addiction of the drugs. After this he became a very famous movie star and even acted in the movie about himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZNeastYxEc


Lyrics:
A short man from Texas
A man of the wild
Thrown into combat
Where bodies lie piled

Hides his emotions
His blood’s running cold
Just like his victories,
His story unfolds

Bright
A white light
If there’d be
Any glory in war

Let it rest
On men like him

Dead men will never come back

Crosses grow on Anzio
Where no soldiers sleep
And where hell’s six feet deep
That death does wait
There’s no debate
So charge and attack
Going to Hell and Back

A man of the 15th
A man of Can Do
Friends fall around him
And yet he came through

Let them fall face down
If they must die
Making it easier
To say goodbye

Bright
A white light
If there’d be,
Any glory in war

Let it rest
On men like him

Who went to Hell and came back

Crosses grow on Anzio
Where no soldiers sleep
And where hell is six feet deep
That death does wait
There’s no debate
So charge and attack
Going to Hell and Back

Oh gather round me
And listen while I speak
Of a war
Where Hell is six feet deep

And all along the shore
Where cannons still roar
They’re haunting my dreams
They’re still there when I sleep

Crosses grow on Anzio
Where no soldiers sleep
and where hell is six feet deep
That death does wait
There’s no debate
So charge and attack
Going to Hell and Back

 

[Peter Reuss]

And the next song on the album is a bit more mellow...nothing like a metal ballad!

Battle of Bull
Leslie “Bull” Allen was an Australian stretcher bearer who served in the pacific, and his actions on mount Tambu in New Guinea is something quite extraordinary. During one day at the front he ran straight into enemy fire alone, time after time to pick up wounded American soldiers. 12 times he went up the hill, and 12 times he came down with a wounded allied soldier on his shoulder. For this selfless act he was awarded with the US Silver star.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD4xNZjqjps