White Friday in 1916 Dec, 13 an avalanche killed thousands and during the war all who served in Italy and Austria and other nations on those mountains discovered their most precious weapon was their shovel. Their bodies were never recovered, they are still there. Close to heaven and still watching. Love this song for one main reason, it taught me stuff I NEVER knew or had heard about and that there is the beauty of Sabaton. You always learn something! Lest we Forget! I don't agree, but we are all entitled to our opinions ;)
i understand the opinions here - but i would like to give another go at that: Yes - there are more "powerful" or "iconic" songs from Sabaton out there - you named a few with Bismarck, Night Witches and Field of Verdun. BUT When that Chorus hit in Soldier of Heaven, i was like "What the fuck?! Where did that come from now?" .. It rightfully (in my opinion) earns its place on at least my Sabaton playlist. It bangs from start to finish with this huge high in the chorus. After Christmas Truce i was already hyped about that new Album and tbh - now even more! Thanks for your opinions guys :)
I feel like this song is a bit more off the expected (like they said). It works sooooo much better if you take it as a calmer song - even though its a power metal band. In the end, it serves well as a place to rest in the album and has taught us about the ones that died on the Alps
Lest we forget. What a beautiful song. The lyric "I have seen it all, but none will hear my story." is so powerful. It gets me every time. So many stories that would be otherwise lost to history. Sabaton allows these unsung heroes to be recognized and remembered.
It's definitely on the poppier side for Sabaton: not trying to blow your head off with sheer awesomesauce or make you die weeping from the feels, it's just... good.
I got a Sabaon playlist with really good songs, but they are not obvious bangers. They are still in my heart. Examples : Wolfpack, Hearts of Iron, Far from Fame, Hill 3234, Saboteurs, ..
This song was mostly about "White Friday" event in December 1916 when a series of avalanches buried hundreds of Austro-Hungarian and Italian soldiers. Many of those are still there covered in layers of ice and snow. The second part when those WW2 fighters appeared, I assume this part was homage to all pilots who crashed high in Alpine Mountains and remained there just like their predecessors a generation ago.
This song isn't just about soldiers who never came home back, but about a soldier that transcends into heaven inside the terror of a battle, and that's why it has those new wave-y keyboards to represent the transcending theme, this is literally in the name, Soldier Of Heaven
A sign of a good reactor is their honest take. Too many RU-vid reactors do it for the views to appease the fanbase of the artist being reviewed. I enjoy the song after repeated listens, but yeah this isn't one of their better tracks. As a pop-y Sabaton song, "On skyhigh, when I die" is definitely stuck in my head. Regardless, I do look forward to the new album.
I'm kinda conflicted about this one. For a single I'd expected something a bit more epic, like Christmas truce, so I try to think of it more as a a teaser for the upcoming album than a full length song. I also think it's funny how most people like to complain that all Sabaton songs sounds the same, but as soon as they do something slightly different it's not enough Sabaton. I really do like the sound of this one, and it really sticks out from many other songs they've done, but it's also very short and doesn't really reach it's full potential. Also; That's Joakim on the synth, right? Between this one and Christmas truce I get the feeling that he wants to get back to his roots on this album.
Totally agree with you, nice to see them try something different but I feel that it doesn't reach its full potential. In the same vein, Attack of the Dead Men was much better. Also it lacks a good riff.
@@ArthurLnz I think they are heading south when it comes to the heavyness of how their music once was written. I think, the Carolus Rex album, was the last, great album they released.
@@ricknesar1627 don't worry, according to journalists who listened to the album, there will be heavy riffs (Hellfighters for example). Imo their best album is the Great War one, followed by Heroes
At first I didn’t think it was the best but the more I relistened the better it got and when I understood the story about the Italians and Austria Hungary troops being killed by avalanches from opposing artillery
very honest review and assessment A!!! It looked at first as though your dad loved the song but you set him on the right track with your reservations and he transitioned to being honestly critical about the song. Agree, I would have expected something stronger or more epic after the incredible Christmas Truce!
this song could be compared to attack of the dead man...took me awhile when i 1st heard AofDM but after a few runs and with the live versions and the russian version its one of my faves this soldier of heaven gave me the same vibe but i sorta liked it immediately defo gonna jam alot this song
i think that something to take note of is that Joakim has stated a bunch of times that the music and composition of the songs comes first and then the lyrics and stories are made after to fit the material they have. My guess with this one is that he tried to do something different while keeping the sound close to Sabaton but then it was a lot harder to make the music fit the tone needed for the story of White Friday, or that this one was among the last few which had lyrics made for them and the bangers were done first (tho i doubt it since they chose this as a single). Personally it took me a few listens to like it. At first i thought the intro kinda weird and couldn't place it. After that the chorus really dug into my head and i can totally see it as being a concert highlight when the whole crowd shouts out "I'll be immortal". Also the less somber attitude i can justify personally as "remember them but honor their bravery". For me It's the kind of feeling similar to when someone dear passes away, grief, but more than that remembering ,the joy, passion and fearlessness of that person. In this way I sort of compare it with Megadeth's "A tout le Monde"
I agree fully that it's a safe Sabaton song. When I heard it the first time, I was thinking "wait. that's it?" The keyboards made me think of the 80's Knight Rider theme for some reason.. sure it will be a banger live but not on my playlist either. And in my mind you can add Attack of the dead men, Defense of Moscow, Rourke's Drift and Sparta to the standout list.
Must admit I did like the intro but but that’s because I also love other genres of music. I do feel it also didn’t fit the theme of the track, a orchestra would have given it a more of a mood
The thing is it's not about all the unknown soldiers of WW1, it's about the White Friday 1916, but I like your opinion. It's brave that you put it that way.
We meant the soldiers that died on that day that are unknown and still not able to have a burial of their own. Not Unknown Soldier in the traditional sense of the term.
its a song about troops that died in an avalance and never got home the mountain became their grave whats cooler than that? I appriciate the honesty as well
I mean, they should've mention more things that are caracteristic specially for this event. Instead they made a generic lyrics which can be applied to any song about war... They have some songs that tell stories, but all their songs should tell a story
I'm surprised you guys didn't like this song. I found it a lot of fun, and it didn't disrupt the mood very much. I also thought it was very different to most Sabaton songs thanks to the disco vibe.
The issue for us is that vibe doesn’t match the message of the song, and outside of that element the track feels like a safe Sabaton song not having the impact that separates it from the rest. Not that we didn’t like it we just weren’t blown away by it.
i think Joakim is behind THE keyboards all THE way. Love to see you guys!♥️🤘 Im agree with you in this toughts bout their " new sound and how it Mirror other bands elements sounds and comparing THE old sounds. You are THE best guys! Thank you for your reaction videos! Sweden Falun here🤘😁take Care guys! ♥️🤘
Behind the keybords all the way Into the fires of hell, the Argonne, a hero to be Entered the war from over the sea Intervene, 1918, all the way from Tennessee Hill 223
Antonio spot on here, completely agree. First time I heard it I thought BIB meets Sabaton. Sounds to simple and somewhat uninspired imo. True and honest reaction guys as always, happy New year from a long-time sub!
@@APREACTS sure thing, you were the first reaction channel I subscribed to and you still are the best one on the tube. Rock on my metal brothers across the sea. - viking hail from the cold North
It is really good song. It is probably not the first time listen banger, but it gets better with every other round of listening. Musically I like it. I feel there some kind of eighties rock. Lyrics wise not that much. I think they couild have done so much more about the theme. I dont like too much people who discovered Sabaton after Bismark and all they know is Bismarck and Great War and now they compare everything to Great War album.
Ah here we go again. "their songs are so similar" *they do something different* "waaaah this doesn't sound like them" every band has to go trough this.
Sabaton is like p*rn addiction - some stuff is okay but after a while the same thing doesn't give you a special moment for you anymore. This is is good, but not a real banger. Now I feel filthy... 😁
*I completely disagree.......after SABATON discovered the more classical/symphonic "Soundtrack versions" to the tracks of their last album as the 3rd CD (beside the "Album versions" and the "History versions").........the, here by far more decent, use of electronic sounds, which are normal for bands like AMARANTHE or BEAST IN BLACK adds just a new & fresh facet to the SABATON sound.......Greetings.* 🎵🔥🔥🔥🔊🎵
I really enjoys this song, but I think part of it is that I'm not a native English speaker. It makes me focus more on the melody and less on the lyrics. Both singles from this album has been great, so I have high hopes. Contrasting this with "The Great War", I didn't really like any of the singles released and think that album was their worst since "Metalizer".
I agree with Antonio, I like the song but it is kind of "meh" to me. And I am a HUGE Sabaton fan. This song is all about the chorus and solo, other than that, pretty typical into/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus/chorus in higher key.
The Italians and hungry soldiers would barry there dead friends up there and avalanches would happen do to artillery strike on the mountains they couldn't find the bodies
Add me to the “completely agree” camp. It’s a decent song that I will probably listen to a few more times, but it’s pretty forgettable compared to my Sabaton favorites.
As others have stated this is about the lost and not recovered 10,000 Austrian and Italian soldiers from white Friday which is why it is dedicated to those who never returned. This was about a specific battle and event your analysis is completely off. It wasn't cheerful it was other worldly and I didn't get anything happy out of this.