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The Art Of War Album Cover

The Art Of War 2008

Disc 1
1.
Sun Tzu Says
00:24
2.
Ghost Division
03:51
3.
The Art Of War
05:09
4.
40:1
04:11
5.
Unbreakable
05:58
6.
The Nature Of Warfare
01:19
7.
Cliffs Of Gallipoli
05:52
8.
Talvisota
03:32
9.
Panzerkampf
05:16
10.
Union [Slopes Of St. Benedict]
04:05
11.
The Price Of a Mile
05:55
12.
Firestorm
03:26
13.
A Secret
00:37
14.
Swedish Pagans
04:13
15.
Glorious Land
03:19
16.
The Art Of War - Pre Production Demos
04:48
17.
Swedish National Anthem - Live At Sweden Rock Festival
02:35
About The Art Of War

RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2008
RECORD LABEL: Black Lodge Records
PRODUCER: Tommy Tägtgren & Peter Tägtgren


THE ORIGINS 

Our fourth studio album, “The Art Of War”, is a fundamental part of Sabaton’s history. Why? Firstly, this album resulted in a breakthrough moment for us in Europe. Upon its release, “The Art Of War” was well received by both metalheads and critics spanning the continent, and gained numerous glowing reviews in the press. 

But beyond the accolades and the recognition lies something truly groundbreaking. This specific record was the genesis of a whole new era for the band. It marked the start of our entry into the realm of concept albums and it was the first release that took listeners on a cohesive and thematic journey through history. “The Art Of War”  really pushed Sabaton to new heights!

History enthusiasts worldwide will undoubtedly be familiar with the story behind Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sun Tzu, he was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer. 

In the year 1972, a remarkable event unfolded. Chinese construction workers stumbled upon a treasure trove of antiquity – the ancient Yinqeshan Han tombs. Within these chambers lay a discovery of unparalleled significance: well-preserved bamboo writing tablets dating back over 2,000 years containing 13 chapters of Sun Tzu’s magnum opus. Each of his chapters brought to light a different aspect of warfare. Their teachings were based on practicality, and when writing these, Sun Tzu knew his audience wasn’t to be scholars, but rather military strategists and leaders. This incredible find not only enriched the world’s understanding of ancient military philosophy but also emphasised the relevance of “The Art of War” in the annals of history – and even today.

So, how did we get to the album concept? It was Joakim’s suggestion to create songs and lyrics built around the teachings of “The Art Of War”. We were determined to match an event to each chapter, and eventually we succeeded in finding historical instances that coincided with the essence of each one to fill the album. All the hard work and hours of research paid off and resulted in a very deep concept album that we are all incredibly proud of. 

 

OUR TIME IN THE ABYSS

We were very well acquainted with The Abyss recording studio, where we recorded “The Art Of War”. We had recorded our previous albums there and had a lot of fond memories connected to that place. It felt like our second home, not only because we were familiar with it, but also because of our close bond with the incredibly talented Tommy Tägtgren and his brother, Peter – a famous producer.

Tommy had been an integral part of our previous albums, but this time things played out a little differently. In the making of “The Art of War”, his brother Peter Tägtgren was pivotal in infusing our creative process with a fresh perspective – something that’s incredibly valuable during the making of a record. 

Peter took the reins when it came to the mixing of the album, and both Peter and Tommy were extremely helpful. During the mixing, Peter doubled the number of channels we had for the drums – to put things in perspective, we’d usually have 13 channels for drums, and this time we had 26. It made a huge difference! We know some bands use way more than that and we’re aware that it’s not the amount of channels that makes the sound. Our first recordings were on a total of 4 tracks, so for us at that time it was so exciting to almost fill a whole mixing console with just drums!Looking back on those moments, we can affirm that our studio experience was nothing short of brilliant. Of course, there were hurdles along the way, particularly with songs like “Cliffs Of Gallipoli” which demanded precise tempo changes. In those days, the recording process was mostly analogue, devoid of the digital conveniences we now take for granted. Yet, therein lies the beauty of it all – the craftsmanship required in every step. It was a bygone era, one marked by its own unique challenges and triumphs, but it shaped the essence of our journey in unforgettable ways.

 

THE ANTHEMS

Little did we know back then that many of the tracks from our fourth studio album would become some of our most popular anthems, resonating with audiences worldwide and becoming staples of our live performances.

Among them, “Ghost Division” emerged as a cornerstone, setting the stage (literally) for our live shows to come. The song’s pulsating energy has solidified its place as the quintessential show opener. It marks the start of what is guaranteed to be a f***ing good time for us and the metalheads in the audience at almost every show we’ve opened with it! The topic of the song is also very interesting. It was written about The 7th Panzer Division of the German Army in World War 2 which earned its nickname “Ghost Division”. This division moved so quickly and efficiently with Blitzkrieg tactics that not even the German command knew its location, hence the name. 

Another song on “The Art Of War” that holds profound significance is “40:1“. To us, this isn’t merely a song, but a bridge that created an unbreakable bond between us and our incredible fans in Poland. This song, which is about the Battle of Wizna,  resonated deeply with them. So much so that we were asked to perform it at a celebration in Gdansk on Polish Independence Day in 2008. And if you think that can’t be topped, you’re wrong! The following year we performed it on the actual battlefield of Wizna – imagine that feeling! 

“Ghost Division” and “40:1” aside, this album is riddled with very special songs, but one that really left its mark on us – and especially Joakim – is “Cliffs Of Gallipoli”. This song was a labour of love. Joakim spent years pouring his heart and soul into it. The guitar solo alone took weeks to compose. But what inspired the song? We crossed paths with a Turkish gentleman at one of our live shows in the Netherlands who told us the story of the Battle of Gallipoli. We were instantly captivated. His narrative stirred something profound within us, and that resulted in what we think is some of our best songwriting to date! But which songs make us reminisce the most on our time in the studio? 

Unbreakable” is one of those songs. We loved the heavy riffs so much that we kept playing the song over and over again for hours and hours. Fun fact about this song: It was originally intended to be two standalone songs, but in the studio, these two separate visions melted into 1, which resulted in “Unbreakable”. Anything can happen in the studio!

There’s also a cool story behind “The Price Of A Mile”. Joakim had already written some parts of this song, but it wasn’t complete – far from it actually. He showed us these small parts while we were in the studio and he wowed us with them! We loved what we were hearing. He completed the song in one very, very long night and it was really interesting watching how he composed it. We loved it so much that we decided to squeeze in the recording of the drums and other instruments to include it on “The Art Of War”. 

As for the topic of the song, The Battle of Passchendaele felt like the appropriate story for this epic music he had written. This was one of World War 1’s major campaigns on the western front. The conflict between Allied forces and the Germans in Flanders accounted for over half a million deaths – a terrible loss of life and an absolute tragedy. And if anyone out there is well versed in history and is proficient in maths, they can calculate what the actual price of a mile was. That’s a challenge!

 

THE LEGACY OF SWEDISH PAGANS

“The Art Of War” was to become the very last album to be released on Black Lodge Records. A few years later, we moved to Nuclear Blast where we decided to release Re-Armed versions of our first albums with some bonus tracks. On “The Art Of War Re-Armed”, one of these bonus tracks was the very well known song,Swedish Pagans”.

This song has left its mark on Joakim’s soul – some say it will forever haunt him. It was released into the world of metal music as somewhat of an insignificant bonus track. Little did we know that it would transform into a fan favourite. It’s truly astonishing to consider just how popular it has become!

 “Swedish Pagans”  possesses an inexplicable power to unite the crowd every single time we unleash its energy – and even when we don’t play it, the crowd will still sing it AT us and demand it. And when it’s obvious we aren’t going to play it, they continue to demand it. 

But when we do play this metal anthem, the electricity that we feel coursing through the venues or festival parks serves as a testament to the transformative power of music. It truly connects us all in a mystifying way…

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