--- title: "Let the Swedish metal band Sabaton be your war history teacher" date: "2021-08-13" modified: "2021-08-14" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/swedish-metal-band-teaches-history/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Music" tags: - "Entertainment" - "Military History" --- # Let the Swedish metal band Sabaton be your war history teacher ![sabaton war history metal]() *(Sabaton)* Sabaton is metal that's *so* metal, even the band's name is a reference to medieval knights' armor. Sabaton makes music about war, history's greatest battles, and daring feats of combat badassery, but the real purpose is to honor the men and women throughout history who have borne the battle and performed legendary feats. **Also Read: [The pros and cons of the Army’s new rifle and machine gun]()** The band's latest album, "Legends", features songs about the many legends of military history, including the Knights Templar, Genghis Khan, Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, and more. Its previous albums were also themed. 2019's "The Great War," for example, was a catalog of songs about just World War I. If you've never had an interest in military history, Sabaton might make the difference for you. And the music videos are pretty great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgGhhnQB1gw Sabaton songs are power metal, but anyone who thinks metal is just a bunch of growling or screaming should take a look at the lyrics and realize: these words are poetic and thoughtful, waxing about real historical events. From the Serbians fighting in World War I to Poland's legendary Winged Hussars, and even the Russians at Stalingrad, the band's heroes aren't solely Swedish: they're anyone who did something daring and bold for their comrades on the battlefield. In previous works, the band has told the stories of [the Night Witches](), female Soviet aviators who terrorized the Nazis on the Eastern Front of World War II; the [Brazilian Expeditionary Force]() in World War II; and Audie Murphy's postwar struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. I know the video below looks like a broken link, but it's really a music video for Sabaton's heavy metal song about the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, called "Screaming Eagles." The music video begins with Gen. Anthony MacAuliffe's now-famous reply to the German surrender demand: "Nuts." The band's entire fourth album was inspired by Sun Tzu's Art of War, another album is about World War II, and the Finnish-Russian Winter War. They have released singles about the World War II-era battleship Bismarck and World War I's Lost Battalion, nine companies of the United States 77th Infantry Division who lost more than half their manpower at the Argonne Forest in 1918. Sabaton has won almost every metal award for which they were nominated, including Best Breakthrough Band and Best Live Band, and was nominated for the 2012 "Metal as F\*ck" Award for their album "Carolus Rex," which was actually about the rise of the Swedish Empire under King Charles XII. The song below is about 189 Swiss Guards who defended the Vatican during the Sack of Rome in 1527. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9BupglHdtM *Heavy metal bands re-enacting famous battles is all I've ever wanted in life. Thank you, Sabaton.* ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [Navy vet Bob Feller is the only pitcher to throw an Opening Day no-hitter]()** **• [Ukraine is using a World War I ‘creeping barrage’ tactic to turn the tide of the war]()** **• [It’s time to revisit ‘World of Warships’ and its slew of new updates for 2026]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()