Review by Brexaul on March 27, 2022.

If you can describe an album using only a famous internet meme, then Sabaton's War To End All Wars would hands down be GTA's "Oh shit, here we go again". Swedish powerhouse returns with a rehash of all their previous albums, wrapped in a sterile production that will please the majority of their fan base. That doesn't say a lot now does it?

Sabaton has become so standard that they could well be writing songs just by using the cut/paste feature in Cubase as long as the tempos match. Everything that the band is known for is here again, be it the sloppy vocal delivery, the over-the-top keyboards and orchestrations, the shredding and the anthemic war marches. The song structures and vocal lines are either getting worse on every album or I'm past the point of being mildly amused by the same ideas over and over. They are also running around in circles when it comes to their lyrics, there are only so many ways to describe heroes fighting a valiant war and dying, counting bullets, or operating a historical submarine and they have done it all, multiple times. We're talking about a Sabaton lyric generator typewriter thing here, it's that bad.

I always thought that when Sabaton eventually would get really big, they would have the artistic freedom to really kick ass and try some out of the box song writing, you know as they are pretty damn good musicians too begin with, but they seem too far gone on this plastic fantastic approach to everything. Drumkit with zero punch and daring, guitars with no soul that could well be glorified keyboards leave us with a tasteless, soulless inoffensive amalgam of all their previous albums. Every worthwhile idea is not even theirs anymore. There is a blatant rip-off ("homage" I'd suspect) on 'Dreadnought' which is a copyright offense against one of the greatest songs ever written ('In Dark Places' by the legendary US metal Gods Crimson Glory) that shadows over the rest of the offerings here.

At the peak of their fame, Sabaton released their most bland an uninspired album (queue Homer Simpson and "their most bland an uninspired album YET") which fails to generate any sort of feeling, apart from indifference and disbelief. Sure, they will sell a million copies, continue to fill those arenas and bring a fresh batch of 15-16 year old fans to what power metal has become today, but sadly this is the only slightly redeeming quality left about this band. Pity.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Review by Tomek on December 3, 2013.

Coincidence is a funny thing. I was just talking to someone about bands from France and how their metal scene seems to be coming around again. We talked about melodic death, black metal or progressive death bands, about how well they sound and how little they’re known, and then Hord from France and their The Book Of Eliot happens to me. Haven’t heard anything from there in a while and after listening few times I can’t put them solidly in any of those categories, but there are smatterings of those in the mix, also with some groove, some industrial and even death.

It seems like quite a feat to combine so many influences into one, but Hord has it figured it out for the most part. Guitar work is solid and rarely ceases to pack a punch coming down with relentless chugs or beautiful passages and tons of unique themes. There are parts of some songs that seem a little redundant but they disappear quickly, followed by change of rhythm or distinctive melody. Rumble of the bass, ever-changing vocals and use of samples pulls you in and captivates you in a constant flow of intriguing musical ideas. Tempo changes, moments of extreme metal going into calm atmospheric passages, vocals that go from clean singing, to growl, to screaming, to occasional moments of just speaking, all those elements create musical images that are hard to forget. Everything works just right for Hord, but there is one idea that I would like them to erase. It would be vocals - when growling goes into monotonous metalcore scream territory. It messes up the harmony for me and makes me lose focus. Fortunately this is just a minor lapse.

I very much like the flow of the album and character of it. It starts with slow atmospheric passage and then turns into harsh and mechanical beating to eventually combine all those elements into one. It happens all throughout the album and to me it enhances the experience quite tremendously. The idea of turning hard and punishing thumping into a melodic landscape or go with both for a moment and then split into something completely different is not new by any means, but to do it right is the measure of success. Hord are very successful in doing that and I very much enjoyed what they offered.

The Book Of Eliot is a concept album. It is a poetical, visual and musical journey through the ashes of humanity, following the life and fall of the last human on earth through his personal diary. Looking at the album artwork, reading the lyrics and listening to the album I can say that music accompanies it beautifully. I recommend this one to everybody with a gist of imagination, taste for adventure and an open mind. Fans of Mnemic, Devin Townsend, Raunchy, Sybreed should not miss that one.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.9 out of 10