Every album we’ve brought into the world holds a special place in our hearts. Each journey, from conception to release, weaves together tales of growth, big decisions, cherished memories, and above all, remarkable people who contribute to each record’s creation.

That being said, our fifth studio album’s story is particularly interesting. First and foremost, “Coat Of Arms” marked the start of an exhilarating new chapter for us as it heralded our very first release under the esteemed banner of Nuclear Blast. We can’t put into words how significant this milestone was for the band and its future…

THE FIRST OF MANY FIRSTS

The prospect of being signed to a label of this size filled us all with immense excitement and marked a significant leap from our previous affiliation with Black Lodge Records. We couldn’t believe that this was happening. While this transition marked a monumental milestone and was a positive progression for us, it was imperative that Sabaton remained tethered to its core principles and retained creative autonomy. Our artistic integrity had to remain intact. Fortunately, Nuclear Blast embraced our vision and collaborated with us on mutually beneficial terms, and so, a fruitful partnership was forged.

But this wasn’t the only new first for us. The release of the “Coat Of Arms” album introduced a new dimension to our journey as it became the very first Sabaton album to achieve Gold certification thanks to our dedicated fanbase in Poland. It sold over 10,000 copies, and for that, we are forever thankful to our incredible Polish supporters.

This achievement wasn’t purely coincidental though, as we have a very good relationship with Poland. Funnily enough, “Uprising”, the third song on the album which is one of the most important tracks on the record, was conceived when we premiered the “40:1” music video at The Warsaw Rising Museum. This museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and the whole experience inspired us a lot.

But “Coat Of Arms” also finds its roots in a significant moment we experienced at one of our performances in Wizna the year before the album’s release. We were honoured with the Polish coat of arms by Władysław Stasiak, then Chief of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.

WHAT’S THE ALBUM ABOUT?

There was absolutely no question that we would continue writing music about military history, a subject we were (and still are) very passionate about. With “Coat Of Arms”, we decided to continue focusing on battles and incidents from the years 1939-1945.This was the World War II period and as most of the world’s countries took part in or were directly affected by this conflict, we felt our music would resonate with a lot of nationalities.

This approach also gave us a lot of freedom compared to our experience with our previous album, “The Art of War”. While the latter demanded alignment with the chapters of Sun Tzu’s renowned treatise, “Coat Of Arms” granted us the freedom to select themes and narratives according to our artistic preferences and vision.

Some of the songs on the album are about well-known points in history, such as the Warsaw Uprising and the Battle of Midway, but this time our intention was to also shed some light on the lesser-told narratives, such as the foreign pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain and Finland’s most celebrated and ferocious military sniper, Simo Häyhä. While the battles involving thousands and sometimes millions of people are important, we were equally drawn to the quieter, more enigmatic chapters of history that are shrouded in mystery and involve far fewer people.

What truly sets this record apart is the profound involvement of our fans in shaping its content. Back then we would receive tens of thousands of song suggestions, and to this day, we still do! This collaborative process infuses the album with a unique sense of significance. We believe that when fans contribute their insights and suggestions, it elevates the entire creative process. And to be honest, a lot of the stories or heroes that were suggested wouldn’t have been on our radar without the help.

Once we narrowed the subjects of our songs down, an extensive research phase commenced. Countless hours were spent delving into historical texts, documentaries and films to ensure the utmost accuracy in our lyrics. While the internet proved to be an invaluable resource, we approached it with caution, mindful of its biases and inaccuracies.

We had to be certain that we tackled the topics from an objective point of view as our mission is to tell the stories but not take a stance. Sifting through the facts and the propaganda was challenging but we learned so much. This is knowledge that we will forever keep and share with those who are curious.

THE PROCESS

“Coat Of Arms” has strong similarities to our “Primo Victoria”, “Attero Dominatus” and “The Art Of War” albums, but it also offers a glimpse into what the future would hold for Sabaton, with songs such as “The Final Solution” or “Wehrmacht”. These two songs represented something quite new for us at the time in terms of sound. But although there were these peeks into the band’s future, we don’t actually think that “Coat Of Arms” was an evolution of Sabaton but rather, the continuation of a wavelength.

What was great about the creative process of this album was that for the first time we were not pressed for time. We were not pressured with deadlines and demanding tour schedules, and we felt a lot more relaxed. You’ll find it intriguing to learn that several compositions for our fifth studio album had been in the works for quite some time – astonishingly, some dating back nearly a decade. Although the majority of the lyrics were crafted during our studio sessions, the groundwork for many of these songs had been laid over the years.

The length of this album is often a topic for conversation as there are only 10 songs on it. Joakim’s preference for shorter, more impactful albums is evident; he spends a lot of time on each song and pumps a lot of energy and emotion into anything he composes. His mission when it comes to songwriting is to ensure that nothing is half-done.

One thing we will say is that the tracks on “Coat Of Arms” are probably more uplifting and simple, whereas “The Art Of War” album is much darker and more conceptual. All the songs on our fifth studio album are ideal for live shows too – they work well with the crowd and we really enjoy playing them. The choral vocals on this album add a lot of atmosphere and an interesting layer to the songs.

An aspect of our album’s production worth noting is the unconventional approach we took – we used multiple studios and collaborated with different producers. This, no doubt, added a layer of complexity to the process that, in retrospect, proved less than ideal. Needless to say, we’ve learned from this experience and won’t be repeating it in the future.

Despite the challenges posed by this unconventional method, we are very happy with how “Coat Of Arms” turned out.

THE STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS

Now we shall delve into the captivating stories behind each song. While our historical calendar offers in-depth articles for further exploration, we’re here to provide you with a glimpse into the inspiration behind our music.

Let’s begin. The title track. “Coat Of Arms” was written about the Greco-Italian War, which kicked off on October 28, 1940. The Greeks were given an ultimatum – to permit Italy’s occupation of certain strategic points or face war. Of course the Greeks stood their ground and fought heroically. This song is very popular amongst our Greek-speaking fans. It’s electrifying when we play it in Greece!

Following the title track is “Midway”, which is about the Battle of Midway. We had to write about this game-changing conflict that marked a turning point in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was an epic battle that was fought almost entirely with aircraft. The USA destroyed most of Japan’s aircraft carriers and eliminated its best trained naval pilots. It subsequently ended the threat of a Japanese invasion in the Pacific.

Track three on “Coat Of Arms” strongly resonates with our Polish listeners. “Uprising” was inspired by the Warsaw Uprising which began on August 1, 1944, and concluded on October 2 that same year. This was a major insurrection by the Polish Resistance against Nazi Germany to liberate Warsaw. Meanwhile, track four, entitled “Screaming Eagles” was written about the US 101st Airborne Division that was sent to defend Bastogne from approaching Nazi troops.

The topic of “The Final Solution” weighs heavy on the heart. This song is about the Nazis’ plans for the genocide of Jews during World War 2. The song that follows, “Aces In Exile”, is about the non-British pilots who joined the Royal Air Force to fight in the Battle of Britain in 1940. A lot of them were volunteers from the British Commonwealth or exiles from German-occupied Europe.

“Saboteurs” has a great story behind it. It was written about the saboteurs who successfully thwarted Hitler’s plan to produce ‘heavy water’ – a vital component of an atomic bomb – during Operation Gunnerside in 1943. Fun fact: Sabaton was presented with a vial of heavy water from the plant as a thank you for writing the song!

The last two historical songs on the album are “Wehrmacht” and “White Death”. The former is about the German Wehrmacht, which was made up of the army, the Kriegsmarine and the newly established Luftwaffe, while the latter is about the notorious sniper, Simo Häyhä, who achieved up to 505 confirmed sniper kills during the Finnish Winter War. He was nicknamed ‘White Death’ by the Soviets and was deeply feared.

Finally, “Metal Ripper” concludes the album in true Sabaton style, continuing in the same vein as “Metal Machine” from our first studio album, “Primo Victoria”, and “Metal Crüe” from “Attero Dominatus”. Sometimes you just gotta have a bit of fun to lighten things up!